Lesbian love came out to play recently at the Bay Area Lesbian Archives — or BALA. The queer collective-run community space in Berkeley hosted LGBTQ+ folk both young and old to absorb historical material, intergenerational conversation, and community bonding during its Feb. 14 event, “Cruise the Archives.”
This was BALA’s first event that provided material from their archive, most of which was paper paraphernalia from the 1970s and 80s. The theme of the night was of course on message for the month of February — love — and it was represented in abundance with historical smut, love notes, posters for local events, photography and video, all produced by queer women.
There was also an adorable Valentine’s craft making station where guests could make their own sweetheart notes using replicated imagery from the collection. Guests were offered refreshments and space to hangout and socialize while engaging in our shared history.
The Bay Area Lesbian Archive was founded in 2014 by Bay Area curator, filmmaker, and photographer Lenn Keller, who is sadly no longer with us, for the preservation of lesbian and queer history. So much of what queer women were able to accomplish in the 1970s and 80s has been erased, and it is common among modern queer women to feel disconnected from their community due to the lack of dedicated spaces.
But a determined group of board members and volunteers are working to make the archive thrive and increase accessibility to this often forgotten history.
BALA loved how many people turned out. “We were cautious about the turn out since it is Valentine’s Day,” one volunteer said. “Now that we know people are responsive to the topic, we hope to keep the momentum going.”
Guests were especially interested in the book selection: queer magazines, publications from women’s social groups, illustration books on human anatomy, love poems and smut.
Many guests expressed an unfamiliarity with BALA and the lesbian history of the Bay Area, but through interactions with our board members and other elder-queer guests, left with a new found sense of connection and inspiration. Young people got to interact with elder-queers, who spoke on some of the material and provide quintessential context.
If you missed your chance to cruise the archives, worry not, the group stated that future events are in the works and the success of this event has encouraged them to make it an annual fundraiser. Visit their website to learn more.
T. Von D. is a local museum worker and lesbian.
The Bold Italic is a non-profit media organization that’s brought to you by GrowSF, and we publish first-person perspectives about San Francisco and the Bay Area. Donate to us today.
