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Archives and Records
Finding Aid
COLLECTION NUMBER:
TITLE:
Coll. 5
March on Washington / Gay & Lesbian Defense
Committee Collection
COLLECTION SUMMARY
Creator:
Title:
Extent:
Date Span:
Repository:
Sarah Holmes
March on Washington / Gay and Lesbian Defense Committee Collection
1 record carton
1979 – 1993 (Bulk: 1985 – 1988)
The History Project, Archives and Records Department
Finding aid prepared by The History Project, Archives and Records Department by Andrew
Elder, Simmons College Intern from the Graduate School of Library and Information
Science, under the supervision of Andrea Still, Fall 2006
SUBJECT TERMS
Subject Names:
Coalition for Choice
Couples, Inc.
Department of Social Services
Dukakis, Michael
Gay and Lesbian Defense Committee
Holmes, Sarah
March on Washington Committee, Inc.
National Gay and Lesbian Task Force (NGLTF)
National March on Washington for Lesbian and Gay Rights
Planned Parenthood
Somerville (MA) Women’s Center
Subject Topics:
Abortion – United States
AIDS (Disease)
Gay Liberation Movement – Massachusetts
Gay Liberation Movement – United States
Foster home care – Massachusetts
Foster parents – Massachusetts
Lesbian Rights – Massachusetts
1
�ADMINISTRATIVE INFORMATION
Terms of Use/Copyright: Unrestricted, though some items in the collection are copyrighted
by individuals and/or organizations outside The History Project.
Contact The History Project for further information:
29 Stanhope Street
Boston, MA 02116
617.266.7733
info@historyproject.org
www.historyproject.org
HISTORICAL ABSTRACT
In 1987, hundreds of thousands of people marched on Washington for lesbian and gay
rights. This large demonstration, like the first March on Washington in 1979, was a direct
response to highly negative governmental and societal attitudes towards lesbian and gay
individuals. In 1986, the Supreme Court of the United States ruled (5-4) in Bowers v.
Hardwick that state sodomy laws were constitutional.1 This same year, the proposed (and
ultimately defeated) LaRouche Initiative in California would have placed AIDS on the state’s
list of communicable diseases and thus mandate reporting to public health officials of
individuals known to have contracted AIDS or HIV. The events of this historic march
included the unveiling of the AIDS Memorial Quilt by the NAMES Project and a civil
disobedience demonstration at the Supreme Court protesting the recent sodomy decision.
Meanwhile, in Massachusetts, Governor Michael Dukakis was ignoring funding for AIDS
research and education in his proposed state budget; moreover, Dukakis and the LGBT
community of Massachusetts were battling over foster care policies. In 1985, Governor
Dukakis had ordered the removal of two children from the care of their gay foster parents,
and later that year announced a new foster care policy that would effectively prevent the
placement of children in the foster care of lesbians and gay men. In response to these
statewide efforts, the Gay and Lesbian Defense Committee formed in Boston, Massachusetts
and, over the course of their existence, managed to play a vital role in the eventual defeat
of these proposed legislations. Members of the Gay and Lesbian Defense Committee also
helped to organize around other issues in Boston and Massachusetts, including reproductive
rights and the Presidential campaigns of both Michael Dukakis and Jesse Jackson.
SCOPE AND CONTENT NOTE
The materials in this collection – compiled by Boston-based activist Sarah Holmes –
document the work of several national and local (to Boston, Massachusetts) lesbian and gay
rights groups from 1977 to 1993, with the bulk of the materials pertaining to organizing
efforts and events from 1985 to 1988. The materials in the collection are divided into three
main categories: March on Washington (1987), Gay and Lesbian Defense Committee of
Boston, Massachusetts, and Miscellaneous.
1
United States Supreme Court, Bowers v. Hardwick, 478 U.S. 186 (1986)
2
�Activist groups central to the collection include the National March of Washington for
Lesbian and Gay Rights Organizing Committee and its Boston sub-committees, and the Gay
and Lesbian Defense Committee of Boston, Massachusetts.
Individuals central to the collection include activist Sarah Holmes and former Massachusetts
Governor, Michael Dukakis.
Other groups and organizations represented in the collection include: the Coalition for
Choice and Planned Parenthood; Couples Inc.; Department of Social Services (D.S.S.); Gay
Community News (Boston, MA); Black and White Men Together; Mel King; Jesse Jackson;
and the Stonewall Independent Democratic Club.
Through meeting agendas, minutes, and correspondence, as well as pamphlets, flyers, and
various other materials, this collection provides evidence of activist work (specifically,
Boston-area involvement in activist work) around various issues: AIDS/HIV research and
health care access, Foster Care policies and equality as they relate to lesbians and gay men,
abortion rights and access, and same-sex marriage.
DESCRIPTION OF SERIES
Series I: March on Washington (1987)
Span Dates: 1977 – 1993
Series I consists of materials pertaining to the planning of, and events surrounding, the
1987 National March on Washington for Lesbian and Gay Rights, as well as a few items
pertaining to the earlier March on Washington, in 1979. This series also includes
documentation of Holmes’ involvement in planning at both the national and local levels for
the March on Washington Organizing Committees, as well as the Civil Disobedience (“Out
and Outraged: For Love, Life, and Liberation”) Planning Committee.
Materials in Series I are arranged in chronological order within each folder. The folders in
this series are in alphabetical order in regards to each folder’s designated title.
Series I is further divided into five subseries:
Subseries A, containing General and more administrative information pertaining to
the National March on Washington for Lesbian and Gay Rights, as well as mailings
and flyers.
Subseries B, containing materials pertaining to Meetings, Agendas, and Minutes
and the National March on Washington.
Subseries C, which contains materials related to the planning of the Civil
Disobedience, “Out and Outraged” action at the Supreme Court of the United
States and in connection with the National March on Washington.
Subseries D, which contains Newspaper Clippings from both the 1979 and 1987
marches on Washington, as well as clippings leading up to the 1987 march.
Subseries E, which contains Post-March on Washington Materials: evaluations,
newspaper clippings, and correspondence.
3
�Series II: Gay and Lesbian Defense Committee
Span Dates: 1983 – 1988
The items in Series II document the formation of the Gay and Lesbian Defense Committee
and its involvement in campaigns relating to foster care policies proposed by then
Massachusetts Governor, Michael Dukakis, and by other members of the General Court. In
1985, Massachusetts Governor, Michael Dukakis, ordered the removal of two children from
the home of their gay foster parents; soon after, Dukakis announced a new state foster care
policy that would effectively prevent the placement of foster children in the homes of lesbian
and gay people and couples. In response to these efforts, members of the Boston and
Massachusetts LGBT community formed the Gay and Lesbian Defense Committee.
Also included in Series II are materials documenting the involvement of the Gay and
Lesbian Defense Committee with other national and local organizations and activist groups
such as the Coalition for Choice and Planned Parenthood.
Materials in Series II are first arranged alphabetically by topic or title, and then
chronologically.
Series II consists of three subseries:
Subseries A, containing materials pertaining to activism in Massachusetts around
Reproductive Rights and the involvement of members of the Gay and Lesbian
Defense Committee, including Sarah Holmes.
Subseries B, which contains materials pertaining to the formation of the Gay and
Lesbian Defense Committee, issues of Foster Care Equality, and the negative
policies introduced statewide by Governor Michael Dukakis.
Subseries C, containing Miscellaneous materials related to the Gay and Lesbian
Defense Committee and to the Foster Care Equality campaign.
Series III: Miscellaneous
Span Dates: 1980 – 1989
The items in Series III are only tangentially related to both the March on Washington and
the Gay and Lesbian Defense Committee.
Series III consists of two subseries:
Subseries A, containing materials related to the operations and activism
surrounding the Somerville Women’s Center. Members of the Women’s Center
were involved in both the March on Washington and Gay and Lesbian Defense
Committee.
Subseries B, containing General information that, while it may not be directly
associated with either the March on Washington or with the Gay and Lesbian Defense
Committee, provides further contextual information.
4
�SERIES AND FOLDER LIST
Box 1
Series I:
March on Washington (1987)
Subseries A: General
Folder 1: Budgets, 1986-1987
Folder 2: Contact Lists
Folder 3: Flyers and Pamphlets (including drafts)
Folder 4: Job Descriptions – Resumes
Folder 5: Mailing Materials – National and New England March on Washington
Committee
Folder 6: Miscellaneous Newsletters and Official Correspondence, 1986-1987
Folder 7: Miscellaneous Poems, Correspondence, Tickets, and Drafts
Folder 8: National and New England March on Washington Committees,
Letters and Press Releases, 1987
Folder 9: New England Regional Committee for the March on Washington –
Grant Applications, 1987
Folder 10: Organizing Kit, October 11, 1987
Folder 11: Program Guides, 1987 and 1993
Folder 12: Proposed Line of March, 1987
Folder 13: Vision Statement (including drafts), n.d.
Subseries B: Meetings, Agendas, Minutes
Folder 14: Boston/New England March on Washington Committee, 1986-1987
Folder 15: National Organizing Committee, 08/1986 – 09/1987
Subseries C: Civil Disobedience, “Out and Outraged”
Folder 16: Civil Disobedience (C.D.) Handbook, 1987
Folder 17: C.D./Nonviolence Training Packet, 1987
Folder 18: Flyers and Pamphlets (including drafts)
Folder 19: Information and Check-in Packet, 1987
Subseries D: Newspaper Clippings
Folder 20: Bay Windows, October 15-21, 1987
Folder 21: Gay Community News, August 2-8, 1987
Folder 22: Newspaper Clippings, First National March on Washington, 1979
Folder 23: Newspaper Clippings, n.d. 1987-1988
Folder 24: Resist Newsletter and Task Force Report, 1987
Subseries E: Post-March on Washington Materials
Folder 25: Post-March Materials, Meetings, and Evaluations, 1987-1988
Series II:
Gay and Lesbian Defense Committee
Subseries A: Reproductive Rights (1986)
Folder 26: Coalition for Choice – Correspondence, 1986
Folder 27: Flyers and Pamphlets
Folder 28: Miscellaneous Minutes
Folder 29: Newsletters, 1986
Folder 30: Newspaper Clippings, 1983 – 1986
Folder 31: Rosie Jimenez Day Committee – March and Rally to Defeat Anti
5
�Abortion Amendment
Subseries B: Foster Care Equality
Folder 32: Babets vs. Government of Commonwealth of Massachusetts
Memorandum, 1986
Folder 33: Child Abuse Prevention, 1986
Folder 34: Commonwealth of Massachusetts: Resolution Concerning Foster
Care Placement, 1985
Folder 35: Correspondence (including drafts), 1985-1987
Folder 36: Denmark Campaign –Press and Contact Lists, n.d.
Folder 37: Denmark Campaign – Miscellaneous
Folder 38: Department of Social Services (D.S.S.) – Foster Care Recruitment
Campaign, 1986
Folder 39: Department of Social Services (D.S.S.) Foster Care Policy, 1985
Folder 40: Department of Social Services (D.S.S.) Public Hearing, 1985
Folder 41: Department of Social Services (D.S.S.) Public Hearing
(miscellaneous), 1985
Folder 42: Endorsements – Dukakis Campaign, Foster Care Equality, n.d.
Folder 43: Facts of Interest concerning proposed D.S.S. Foster Care policy,
n.d.
Folder 44: Flyers and Pamphlets (drafts)
Folder 45: Flyers and Pamphlets (including drafts)
Folder 46: Gay and Lesbian Defense Committee (GLDC) Newsletters, 19851986
Folder 47: Gay and Lesbian Defense Committee (GLDC) Speakers Fact
Sheets, 1985
Folder 48: Grant Applications, 1988
Folder 49: Homophobia Forum, May 1986
Folder 50: Information Packet/Newspaper Clippings: “Appointment
Questioned…”
Folder 51: Information Packet/Newspaper Clippings: “Dukakis is No Friend…”
Folder 52: Information Packet/Newspaper Clippings: “Gays vs. Dukakis”
Folder 53: Information Packet/Newspaper Clippings: “Insurance Chief…”
Folder 54: Legislative Subcommittee on Foster Care, 1985?
Folder 55: Letterhead, n.d.
Folder 56: Mailing Lists, n.d.
Folder 57: Meetings Minutes, 1985-1986
Folder 58: Miscellaneous Press Releases and Statements, 1985-1986
Folder 59: New Department of Social Services (D.S.S.) Regulations, 1986
Folder 60: Newspaper Clippings, 1983 – 1985
Folder 61: Newspaper Clippings, 1986 – 1990
Folder 62: Newspaper Clippings – compiled by the Stonewall Independent
Democratic Club, 1987
Folder 63: Newspaper Clippings – Dukakis Campaign, 1987
Folder 64: Photographs – Debbie Rich (and unknown), 1986
Folder 65: Press Lists
Folder 66: Press Releases, 1985-1986
Folder 67: Press Releases/Information – Denmark Campaign, 1986-1987
Folder 68: Questions for Governor Michael Dukakis, 1985
Folder 69: Resource Guide on Homophobia, 1988
Folder 70: Jesse Jackson Campaign, 1988
Folder 71: “A short quiz for people who care about foster children…” n.d.
Folder 72: Songs and Chants
6
�Folder 73: Special Commission on Foster Care, 1986
Folder 74: Special Commission on Foster Care – A Final Report, 1987
Folder 75: Speech, undated, authorship unknown (draft) on Gay and Lesbian
Defense Committee
Folder 76: Statements from Government officials and others, 1985
Folder 77: Stickers, n.d.
Folder 78: Social Services Study of Foster Care, 1976
Folder 79: Thomas W. Concannon, Paper on Foster Care Policies, 1987
Folder 80: “What is the Gay and Lesbian Defense Committee?” 1987
Subseries C: Miscellaneous
Folder 81: General Organizational Notes, n.d.
Series III:
Miscellaneous
Subseries A: Somerville Women’s Center
Folder 82: Father’s Day Naming Project, 1989
Folder 83: Flyers and Newspaper Clippings
Folder 84: Grant and Funding Applications, 1980
Folder 85: Letters, endorsements, etc., 1982-1983
Folder 86: Women’s Center Information, 1980
Subseries B: General
Folder 87: Boycott Coors Taskforce, 1985-1986
Folder 88: Flyers and Pamphlets
Folder 89: Gay Community News (GCN) – Proposal to Open Meadows (draft),
n.d.
Folder 90: Miscellaneous – New Right
Folder 91: Sarah C. Holmes – Resume, 1984?
Folder 92: Socialist Feminism
Multiple copies of items from the collection in two folders, “March on Washington” and “Gay
and Lesbian Defense Committee.” Folders 93 and 94.
7
�
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History Project Finding Aids and Collection Descriptions
Creator
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The History Project
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Dublin Core
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Title
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Coll. 005: March on Washington / Gay and Lesbian Defense Committee Collection Finding Aid
Subject
The topic of the resource
Holmes, Sarah
Gay and Lesbian Defense Committee
March on Washington for Lesbian, Gay, and Bi Equal Rights and Liberation (1993)
Description
An account of the resource
The materials in this collection – compiled by Boston-based activist Sarah Holmes – document the work of several national and local (to Boston, Massachusetts) lesbian and gay rights groups from 1977 to 1993, with the bulk of the materials pertaining to organizing efforts and events from 1985 to 1988. The materials in the collection are divided into three main categories: March on Washington (1987), Gay and Lesbian Defense Committee of Boston, Massachusetts, and Miscellaneous. Activist groups central to the collection include the National March of Washington for Lesbian and Gay Rights Organizing Committee and its Boston sub-committees, and the Gay and Lesbian Defense Committee of Boston, Massachusetts.
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
THP-FA-005
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
Email info@historyproject.org for more information.