Archives and Special Collections
92 Snell Library
360 Huntington Ave.
Boston, MA 02115
(617) 373-2351
archives@neu.edu

Archives and Special Collections Finding Aids

Printable Finding Aid. Back to Browsing Version.

Collection Overview
Title:Boston Intercollegiate Lesbian and Gay Alliance records
Dates:1982-1992
Location:64/4
Call Number:M63
Volume:1.0 cubic ft. (4 boxes)
Scope and Content Note:The Boston Intercollegiate Lesbian and Gay Alliance (BILGA) records were assembled by Tim O'Connor, treasurer from 1985 to 1989, and Jeffrey Mattson, past secretary. The collection reflects the interests and concerns of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender students in the Boston area in the 1980s, a period of rapidly increasing visibility for them. The materials from individual college groups, along with the Boston Intercollegiate Lesbian and Gay Alliance newsletter, The Intercollegiate, detail both political and social activity, and the problems faced by students searching for community and academic support during a period of nascent public awareness. The Massachusetts lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender activism material supplies information about the larger movement, specifically in Massachusetts.
Historical Note:The Boston Intercollegiate Lesbian and Gay Alliance (BILGA) was created in 1983 as an umbrella organization for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender student groups in the Boston area. The group coordinated student activism and community-building, provided support for fledgling student groups, and began an annual conference, the Northeast Lesbian and Gay Student Activist Conference. The conferences spawned the Northeast Lesbian and Gay Student Union, which began to run the event in 1985. The Boston Intercollegiate Lesbian and Gay Alliance disbanded in 1990.
Arrangement:Organized into 2 series: 1. College Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Activism; 2. Massachusetts Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Activism
Subjects and Contributors:
  • Boston Intercollegiate Lesbian and Gay Alliance.
  • Northeast Lesbian and Gay Student Activist Conference.
  • Northeast Lesbian and Gay Student Union.
  • Northeastern University (Boston, Mass.). Organization for Alternative Lifestyles.

  • Gay college students--Massachusetts--Boston.
  • Gay rights--Massachusetts--Boston.
  • Gays--Legal status, laws, etc.--Massachusetts--Boston.
Restrictions:The collection is unrestricted.
Processor:Finding aid prepared by Molly Overholt, Katie Geiszler, September 2001, September 2003

Return to Top

Series:
1. College Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Activism, 1982-1990
Volume:0.7 cubic ft.
Arrangement:

Alphabetical
Summary:

The college lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender records comprise approximately .7 cubic feet of material. The majority of the records date between 1983 and 1989. The series documents the activities of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender college students in Boston during the 1980s. The series contains organizational files, such as Boston Intercollegiate Lesbian and Gay Alliance's constitution and meeting minutes. Also included are the newsletters of the Boston Intercollegiate Lesbian and Gay Alliance, with features on individual college groups, opinion pieces, news items, and calendars of local events; cultural artifacts from the college groups, including posters, flyers, and literary magazines; and packets for the Northeast Lesbian and Gay Student Union conferences, detailing workshops, activism, conference attendees, and the process of organizing the conferences themselves.
BoxTitleDate
Boston Intercollegiate Lesbian and Gay Alliance
1Clippings1986-1987
1Constitution1986
1Cultural Events and Programming1984-1989
1Early Newsletters1982-1984
1The Intercollegiate (5 folders)1985-1989
1Letters1985-1986
1Membership List1986-1987
1Minutes, Agendas and Rosters1983-1989
1Questionnairen.d.
1Representative Convention1986
1The Guide to New England: Coming Out on Campus1988
Individual College Groups
1Boston University Lesbian and Gay Alliancen.d., 1986-1988
1Brown University Gay and Lesbian Alliance (GALA)1986
1Emerson College Gay Men's Group1986
1Harvard-Radcliffe Gay and Lesbian Student Association1983-1990
1Gays at MIT (GaMIT)1985-1986
1New York University1987
2Northeastern University Organization for Alternative Lifestyles1985
2Tufts University Lesbian and Gay Community1986
2University of Delaware Gay and Lesbian Student Union1985-1986
2University of Massachusetts at Lowell1985
Northeast Lesbian and Gay Student Union (NELGSU)
2Generaln.d., 1986
2Conferences (8 folders)1984-1990
4T-shirtsn.d.
Return to Top

Series:
2. Massachusetts Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Activism, 1984-1992 (bulk 1984-1989)
Volume:0.3 cubic ft.
Arrangement:

Alphabetical
Summary:

The series provides a context for the Boston Intercollegiate Lesbian and Gay Alliance, documenting paramount concerns in the larger lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender community in Boston. The series contains a precis of the plans to repeal sodomy laws in Massachusetts and pass a civil rights bill. Of particular interest are questionnaires and replies created by the Greater Boston Lesbian and Gay Political Alliance for the purpose of determining their endorsement of various Boston candidates in the 1986 and 1988 elections. Also included are issues of Next, a community publication, and other scattered records of activism and activity.
BoxTitleDate
2Boston Human Rights Campaign1984
2Boston Pride Guide1989
2Coalition for Lesbian and Gay Civil Rights1989, 1992
2Dorchester Gala1986
Greater Boston Lesbian and Gay Political Alliance
2General1987-1988
2Questionnaires1987-1989
3The Group: A Social/Discussion Group for Lesbians and Gay Men1987-1989
3Massachusetts Gay and Lesbian Political Caucusn.d., 1990
3The Names Project1988
3National Gay and Lesbian Task Force1987-1990
3Next1988-1989
3Political Activism: Flyers and Event Publicityn.d., 1986
3Writingsn.d.
Return to Top