"They sure got to prove it on me" : millennial thoughts on gay archives, gay biography, and gay library history

J. Carmichael

The American Library Association's Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgendered Task Force (GLBTRT) justly takes pride of place as the first professional gay organization in the world. While the ALA itself ended discrimination based on sexual orientation in 1974, antipathy to gay issues within the profession is by no means dormant. At the same time, the growth in gay archives and gay studies in the past twenty-five years has been phenomenal. Gay librarians and archivists can continue to play an increasingly important role in promoting these collections and their use, but only if they understand the full range of historical problems that gay history and biography present. Where appropriate, library historians should also chronicle the achievements of gay library worthies.