SE Valley Times

Arizona State University’s LGBTQ+ Studies Collection serves as a significant repository for historically underrepresented communities, celebrating both resistance and survival. Nancy Godoy, director of the Community-Driven Archives Initiative and associate archivist of ASU Library's Chicano/a Research Collection, emphasized the collection's importance: “When I think about the creation of this collection, it was an act of love and tool for healing. It’s a newer collection but it has a rich legacy.”

The collection is part of the Community-Driven Archives Initiative and is noted as the largest archival repository for LGBTQ+ history in Arizona. It includes archives that chronicle pioneering figures, elevate their voices, and inspire future scholars.

The Bj Bud Memorial Archives were pivotal in establishing this repository. Named after Harlene “Bj” Bud, a lesbian activist who co-founded several key organizations in Phoenix’s LGBTQ+ community, the archive was assembled by local activists and the Valley of the Sun Gay and Lesbian Center in 1993. After Bud's death from ovarian cancer in 1996, ASU inherited the archive following the center's closure in 2004. The archive remained unprocessed until Godoy secured a $450,000 grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation in 2017 to digitize over 9,000 images and documents.

“Queer visibility is so important,” said Godoy. “It takes community support and courage to be yourself.” She highlighted how these archives are transforming academic libraries by making content accessible online to researchers.

Bud was known for her fierce advocacy for equal rights. Jay Myers, who co-founded Free Spirit with Bud at ASU in 1976, described her tenacity: “Bj was a small person — maybe stood 5-foot-2. But she was very unusual and extremely brash.” Bud continued her activism even on her deathbed by writing grants for AIDS organizations.

The collection contains various artifacts that tell stories from times when Phoenix society was less accepting of LGBTQ+ lifestyles. Myers recalled coming out during an era when being labeled "ungodly," "sick," or "criminal" was common.

Seren Nutt, an ASU Library staff member who uses they/them pronouns, shared their personal connection with the archives through finding an anonymous coming-out letter inside a book during Pride Month.

Pamela Stewart, ASU emeritus teaching professor and historian, emphasized that while many voices are represented in these archives, some remain unheard due to societal pressures or personal safety concerns during those times.

Marshall Shore is working closely with ASU to bring new donations into the collection. He mentioned significant items like Bill Labourne's Sons of Apollo vest which symbolize historical documentation efforts within Phoenix’s LGBTQ+ community.

ASU also launched initiatives like the Arizona LGBTQ+ History Project to preserve under-documented histories through partnerships with local organizations such as Phoenix Pride.

Godoy has enlisted Marivel Danielson to engage BIPOC queer communities through storytelling workshops starting in 2024–25. This effort aims to diversify representation within the archives further.

As part of its growth strategy this fall, ASU will launch a new Memory Lab at Hayden Library to host educational events featuring items from these collections.

Nutt concluded by reflecting on their experience: “Collections like these appearing in our academic libraries show us that the university wants us here … that they care about us because they think we’re worth it.”

Emma Greguska contributed to this article.

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