Archives West Finding Aid
Table of Contents
Robert Ashworth collection on the Union of Sexual Minorities Center of Western Washington University, 1972-1984
Overview of the Collection
- Creator
- Ashworth, Robert, -- 1954-
- Title
- Robert Ashworth collection on the Union of Sexual Minorities Center of Western Washington University
- Dates
- 1972-1984 (inclusive)19721984
- Quantity
- 1.5 linear feet
- Collection Number
- XOE_CPNWS0081
- Summary
- A collection of materials compiled by Robert Ashworth, a politically active member of the LGBTQ+ community in Bellingham, WA: these document activities of the Union of Sexual Minorities Center (USMC) of Western Washington University in the 1970s and 1980s.
- Repository
-
Western Washington University, Center for Pacific Northwest Studies
Goltz-Murray Archives Building
808 25th St.
Bellingham, WA
98225
Telephone: (360) 650-7534
cpnws@wwu.edu - Access Restrictions
-
The collection is open to the public.
- Languages
- English
- Sponsor
- Funding for preparing this finding aid was provided through a grant awarded by the National Historical Publications and Records Commission. Funding for encoding the finding aid was awarded by the National Endowment for the Humanities.
Historical NoteReturn to Top
Robert Ashworth is a politically active member of the gay and lesbian community in Bellingham, WA. During the 1970s and 1980s, Ashworth compiled a collection of papers documenting the activities of the Union of Sexual Minorities Center (USMC) of Western Washington University. The USMC was a student association at Western Washington University, created "to actively promote and defend human and civil rights for all sexual minorities."*
The center provided outreach and support to gay/lesbian/bisexual/transgender students at Western Washington State College (now Western Washington University). Through various conferences and symposia, the USMC advocated for fair and equal treatment of all individuals, regardless of sexual preference. In 1976, the coordinators of one symposium were interviewed on the "Radio Impact Show" on KGMI, a local Bellingham radio station.
The USMC has since been renamed the Lesbian/Gay/Bisexual/Transgender Alliance (LGBTA), which remains an active advocacy organization at Western Washington University. The Robert Ashworth collection on the Union of Sexual Minorities Center is a rich resource for the study of gender and sexuality, and gay and lesbian political activity in the Pacific Northwest region.
* Source: Union of Sexual Minorities Center bylaws (1977-1978), in the Robert Ashworth collection on the Union of Sexual Minorities Center, available at the Center for Pacific Northwest Studies.
Content DescriptionReturn to Top
The Robert Ashworth collection on the Union of Sexual Minorities Center (USMC) of Western Washington University consists of the administrative records, program and activity materials, and publications of a student association in Bellingham, Washington.
Administrative records span the dates 1979-1984 and include the USMC's bylaws and handbook, as well as a proposal by USMC members to the university community encouraging their support for the organization. These records provide some significant information about the USMC, including its intent to provide support for all sexual minorities and advocate for equal treatment of all individuals, regardless of sexual preference.
Program and activity records date from 1976-1977 and contain writings generated through USMC advocacy and educational projects such as the "Autobiographies of Gay People" and "What to Do When You Meet a Gay Person: Hints for Heterosexuals." Programs and activity records also contain an audiocassette recording of interviews with the organizers of a gay pride symposium that were aired on the KGMI "Radio Impact Show." The collection also contains information from various regional conferences and symposiums either organized by or attended by members of the USMC.
Publications span the dates 1975-1984 and consist of a variety of ephemera including announcements, flyers, and posters advertising events of the USMC and affiliated organizations. The materials also include a number of issues of Proud, the official newsletter of the USMC, and select copies of The Other Side, another GLBT community newsletter from Bellingham.
Use of the CollectionReturn to Top
Preferred Citation
Robert Ashworth collection on the Union of Sexual Minorities Center of Western Washington University, Center for Pacific Northwest Studies, Western Libraries Archives & Special Collections, Western Washington University, Bellingham WA 98225-9123.
Administrative InformationReturn to Top
Arrangement
The Robert Ashworth collection on the Union of Sexual Minorities Center of Western Washington University is organized according to the following series arrangement:
- Series I: Administrative records
- Series II: Programs and activities
- Series III: Publicity and Publications
Acquisition Information
Materials were donated in 2001 by Robert Ashworth through a formal deed of gift.
Related Materials
The Center for Pacific Northwest Studies Gay and Lesbian Miscellaneous Manuscript collection contains related material.
Processing Note
About Harmful ContentTo learn more about problematic content in our collections, collection description and teaching tools (including how to provide feedback or request dialogue on this topic), see our Statement About Potentially Harmful Language and Content
Detailed Description of the CollectionReturn to Top
Series I: Administrative records, 1979-1984Return to Top
| Container(s) | Description | Dates | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Box | Folder | ||
| 1 | 1 | Handbook and bylaws |
1979 June |
| 1 | 2 | Union of Sexual Minorities proposal to the university community |
1984 |
Series II: Programs and activities, 1976-1977Return to Top
| Container(s) | Description | Dates | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Box | Folder | ||
| 1 | 3 | Projects |
circa 1977 |
| 1 | 4 | Interview on KGMI "Radio Impact Show" - WWSC Gay Symposium coordinators |
1976 |
| 1 | 5 | Symposiums and conferences |
1976 |
Series III: Publicity and Publications, 1975-1984Return to Top
| Container(s) | Description | Dates | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Box | Folder | ||
| 1 | 6 | Announcements and flyers |
1978-1984 |
| 1 | 7 | Clippings |
circa 1976-1978 |
| 1 | 8 | Posters |
1975-1981 |
| MC_L01 | 1 | Posters |
1972; 1981 |
| 1 | 9 |
Proud - the official newsletter of the USMC |
1977-1982 |
| 1 | 10 |
The Other Side
|
1976-1982 |
| 1 | 11 | Brochures |
1977-1979 |
Names and SubjectsReturn to Top
Subject Terms
- Bisexual college students--Washington (State)--History--Sources--Bellingham.
- Bisexuals--Washington (State)--Bellingham--History--Sources.
- Civil rights--Washington (State)--Bellingham--History--Sources.
- Gay college students--Washington (State)--Bellingham--History--Sources.
- Gays and Lesbians
- Gays--Washington (State)--Bellingham--History--Sources.
- Lesbian college students--Washington (State)--Bellingham--History--Sources.
- Lesbians--Washington (State)--Bellingham--History--Sources.
- Sexual minorities--Washington (State)--Bellingham--History--Sources.
- Sexuality
- Student unions--Washington (State)--Bellingham--History--Sources.
- Transgender college students--Washington (State)--Bellingham--History--Sources.
- Transgender people--Washington (State)--Bellingham--History--Sources.
Corporate Names
- Union of Sexual Minorities Center of Western Washington University--Archives.
Form or Genre Terms
- Records (Documents)
Finding aid prepared by Rozlind Koester.
2007
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
