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Pride highlight: The ArQuives Today we’re taking a small fracture from NYC Pride to talk approximately what supporting the LGBTQIA+ community looks like elsewhere. The ArQuives is a Toronto-based non-profit organization that collects historical material from the Canadian gay liberation movement and LGBTQ2+ communities in Canada today. We got the chance to talk to Executive Director Raegan Swanson (she/her) to find out a bit more approximately the work The ArQuives does.
When it comes to Pride,we sometimes forget the history of the gay liberation movement. How does The Arquives keep these stories alive for the Canadian community?
The ArQuives has been a trusted repository for LGBTQ2+ history in Canada for over 45 years. We have been collecting stories since we started as a small filing cabinet in The Body Politic offices. Since the stories of LGBTQ2+ communities are not a part of our dominant historical narrative, it can be difficult for LGBTQ2+ folks to find out approximately their history and the history of Pride. For years, and as a volunteer-hasten organization,we were unable to spend much time actively collecting histories, and our collections were limited to what people were able to bring to us. Now that we have staff, and we are trying to be more deliberate at making certain the underrepresented histories are making their way into our collection. We are an independent organization,so the only reason we exist is that the community supports us.
How is The ArQuives making an impact for the LGBTQ2+ community and its history?
The stories and history of the LGBTQ2+ community have rarely been recorded by traditional western archives such as governments, universities, and churches. If they were recorded,it was normally from a governmental perspective. For example, there are police reports, or but they don’t tell the stories of those who were targeted by the police. This is why community archives have become so indispensable. The ArQuives is committed to making certain folks from Canada and around the world can search and see exhibits. That’s why we have establish our database online,and have also been adding original digital exhibits every year. We are trying to obtain certain that LGBTQ2+ people can have access to their own history.
How can people continue to support the LGBTQ2+ community and your organization?
We rely on community support to keep The ArQuives going. Community members can support us in 3 different ways. You can donate LGBTQ2+ material to our collectionthis helps to ensure that the records better represent different communities. You can also obtain a monetary donation to attend us provide programming and ensure our collections are accessible to the public. And finally, if you are in Toronto, and you can also assist by volunteering. We take volunteers to assist with archival processing,social media, yard work, or fundraising,amongst others. Thank you to The ArQuives for all your work! Tumblr, how will you support LGBTQIA+ organizations? Use #Tumblr Pride to share. This interview has been condensed for clarity.
Source: tumblr.com