Abstract Margarethe (Grethe) Cammermeyer was born in 1942 in Oslo, Norway. Her career as a nurse in the military included distinguished service in Vietnam, work for the Veterans Administration, and a position as Chief Nurse of the Washington National Guard. As a result of her statement in an interview for top security clearance that she was a lesbian, she was separated from the military in 1992. She successfully challenged her discharge and the military’s regulations that mandated that lesbians and...

Abstract Margaret (Peg) Cruikshank (b. 1940) is a lesbian historian, gerontologist, and activist known for her work in the lesbian feminist movement and advocating for older lesbians. She’s published three major anthologies on lesbians: The Lesbian Path (1980, Angel Press; 1982, self-published; 1985, Grey Fox Press); Lesbian Studies (1982, The Feminist Press) and New Lesbian Writing (Grey Fox Press, 1984). Her other...

Abstract Marsha Epstein (b. 1945) is a lifelong LGBT activist, a pioneering medical professional, and a community organizer. The collection contains both personal and professional materials representing Marsha Epstein's life. Included in the collection are personal and professional correspondence, research from throughout her professional medical practice, and materials she created or collected from Los Angeles-based communities of which she was a part including Jewish communities and LGBT activist...

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Betty Jetter was a lesbian activist and community member. She was a part of the Califia Community, National Organization for Women (NOW), ERA and other local organizing groups. Her collection includes photographs, letters, military life information, and unpublished works.

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Mary Lucey and Nancy MacNeil were dedicated activists fighting for the rights and fair treatment of women with HIV and AIDS. They were most active within ACT UP/LA (AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power/Los Angeles) and were two of the founders of Women Alive Coalition, an organization offering support and services for women with AIDS. The bulk of the collection consists of papers and photographs related to ACT UP/LA and clippings reporting on HIV/AIDS and ACT UP.

Abstract Zoe Nicholson is a prominent feminist activist, artist, speaker, educator, author, and organizer. She centered much of her activist work on fighting for the ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA). In 1982, she was one of seven women who fasted in support of the ERA. She also contributed to movements including Peace, Labor, Civil Rights, Pro-Choice, Public Health, Women, LGBTQ, and is rooted in her commitment to nonviolent direct action. The Zoe Nicholson Collection comprises books...

Abstract Sharon Raphael and Mina Kay Meyer were advocates for old lesbians and organizers with the Gay Rights Movement in Los Angeles in the 1970s-2000s. Sharon worked as a sociology professor at CSUDH for 40 years specializing in gerontology and LGBTQ aging and Mina Meyer wrote the first social science thesis on lesbian aging, “The Older Lesbian.” They co-founded the first LGBT synagogue in Los Angeles, CA, Beth Chayim Chadashim, the AIDS Hospice Committee, and the National Association of Lesbian...

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Elizabeth Savage is an LGBT activist who worked for the city of West Hollywood for over two decades. Her collection consists of 49 pinback buttons from the 1970s, 80s, and 90s.