In 2023, archivist and historians Melissa Gohlke and Alexandra Medina began an urgent effort to transfer, process, and showcase the hidden history of LGBTQ culture persecution, and resistance in Texas. The Happy Foundation is an irreplaceable collection that demonstrates the importance of community archiving in marginalized communities and highlights power dynamics that shape visibility within queer archives. This poster presentation highlights the importance of queer histories in Texas and navigates the role of the archivist and historian in addressing intersectionality and representation in historical and archival practice.
This poster will focus on photos of the inside of the Happy Foundation before and during excavation, photos of exceptionally significant ephemera, and photos addressing the absence of lesbian women of color within the collection. For example, artifacts such as the earliest known “bar zine” showcasing gay bars and events from the late 1970s, teach-in flyers from the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” era, and volunteer t-shirts from San Antonio’s Gay Switchboard each tell a powerful story of LGBTQ+ history. The poster presentation showcases the importance of community archiving while initiating conservations about visibility in queer history. Integrating archival practice, historical research, and feminist studies, “Archival ‘Queer’ies” demonstrates an interdisciplinary approach that engages a diverse audience.