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Quaker Lesbian Conference Planning Committee Records
Notifications
Held at: Friends Historical Library of Swarthmore College [Contact Us]500 College Avenue, Swarthmore, Pennsylvania 19081
This is a finding aid. It is a description of archival material held at the Friends Historical Library of Swarthmore College. Unless otherwise noted, the materials described below are physically available in their reading room, and not digitally available through the web.
Overview and metadata sections
The Quaker Lesbian Conference first met in 1977 "to provide a loving time and space in which Quakers and others familiar with Quakerism who are lesbian, bi-sexual, or moving towards those identities could meet in a shared environment," according to its early statement. It held annual conferences from 1977 to 2009, generally located in the Philadelphia tri-state area.
In the late 1990s, the issue of including transgendered women increasingly was a subject of concern. A temporary solution was to alternate conferences of born-female only with the alternating year including transgender women. When the planning group met for the 33rd annual Quaker Lesbian Conference, it stated on its Feb. 9, 2009, QLC News website, that the Conference "exists to be a loving time and space in which self-defined women (including those who are transgendered) who are Quaker or familiar with Quakerism, and who are lesbian, bisexual, or moving towards those identities, can connect with Spirit and with each other."
The collection contains records including minutes, finances, and brochures.
The collection is divided into two series:
- Conferences
- Miscellaneous
Gift of Quaker Lesbian Conference Planning Committee
Accession No.: FHL 2015.003
The records were received in a large plastic container, arranged chronologically in hanging folders. That order was largely maintained. A note in the minutes of the 8/16/2008 planning meeting records that a binder containing detailed notes from past QLCs was lost, and Ahavia Lavana would endeavor to compile a new set from her personal archive.
Also included were two large binders, one titled "QLC Planning Committee Notebook" which covers 2006-2008, presumably collected after original binder was lost. This binder contains a chronology of all the conferences 1997-2008, and a large number of loose material, much of it mailing lists. Loose papers were filed according to year: 2005-2008.
Delivered with records of Friends for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer Concerns Records, RG4/091
Two floppy disks, one dated 1999, and two CD/DVD, one dated 2005-2006. Removed to AV processing, 3/2015
Organization
Subject
- Publisher
- Friends Historical Library of Swarthmore College
- Finding Aid Author
- FHL staff
- Finding Aid Date
- 2015
- Access Restrictions
-
The collection is open for research.
- Use Restrictions
-
Permission to reuse, publish, or reproduce items in this collection beyond the bounds of Fair Use or other exemptions to copyright law must be obtained from the copyright holder or their heirs/assigns. See http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC-RUU/1.0/.
Collection Inventory
The first conference was held in Sunneytown, Pa. Organizers for the next conference planned to meet at the Friends Committee for Gay Concerns Mid-Winter Meeting in Philadelphia
Physical Description1 folder
Annual Quaker Lesbian Conferences
Physical Description1 folder
Annual Quaker Lesbian Conferences
Physical Description1 folder
Annual Quaker Lesbian Conferences
Physical Description1 folder
Planning, program
Physical Description1 folder
Annual Quaker Lesbian Conferences
Physical Description1 folder
Minutes, evaluations, programming
Physical Description1 folder
Annual Quaker Lesbian Conference
Physical Description1 folder
Annual Quaker Lesbian Conference, including evaluations
Physical Description1 folder
Planning minutes, programs, etc. At that meeting the relationship between the QLC and transgender persons came up for discussion and a Called Meeting on the topic was planned for the following year
Physical Description1 folder
Called Meeting on the proposal to include transgendered people, to make a report to the annual LQC meeting
Physical Description1 folder
Decision to try to hold two conferences with QLC as the umbrella organization, but reservations about financial and support for two conferences
Physical Description1 folder
Conference at Powell House, Old Chatham, NY. For all Quaker women and familiar with Friends who were born women and lesbian or bisexual or moving toward those identities. The 2003 Conference to include trans women.
Physical Description1 folder
Announcement made 1/4/2003 that two weekend retreats to be planned. 2002 was for born female, August 2003 open to transgender
Physical Description1 folder
1 folder
Sent an epistle to mailing list after August 25-28, in Burlington, NJ. Attendance declining and alternating years not working well. A special Called Meeting scheduled for October to discuss gender/transgender issue and included a survey. Decided to continue conferences but be inclusive and think about a name change in the future.
Physical Description1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
Informal, Philadelphia area
Physical Description1 folder
Letter from Karen Ligthtner and Neil Fullager, Mid-winter meeting, co-clerks of FLGBTQC, merging the gender groups
Physical Description1 folder
"Archive Copy." Binder with schedule of conferences 1977 through 2003. Guidelines for planning committees, sample registration materials, programs, etc. Financial reports 1986-2002 and final reports, 1994-2003 with gaps. Retained original order. Removed from binder and foldered.
Physical Description1 folder
Black and white and color snapshots. Individuals not identified.
Physical Description1 folder