The Corvallis Lesbian Avengers were a local chapter of the national Lesbian Avengers organization. Originally formed in New York City in 1992, the Lesbian Avengers were a direct-action group focused on issues vital to lesbian survival and visibility. Despite a national presence, the Lesbian Avengers were largely decentralized, with each local chapter operating independently and reacting to local events.
One of the inciting events for the formation of the original Lesbian Avengers was the murder by firebombing of Brian Mock, a disabled gay man, and Hattie Mae Cohens, a black lesbian woman, in Salem, Oregon by four white supremacists in September 1992. When news of this traveled back from New York City to Oregon, local chapters of the Lesbian Avengers were formed. Several founding members of the Corvallis Lesbian Avengers first started as members of the Portland chapter, but in Novermber 1995 the Corvallis chapter was founded to focus on local issues. The Corvallis chapter was particular active from the mid 1990s until the turn of the century.
In contrast to the original chapter in New York City, and other chapters around the country, the Corvallis Lesbian Avengers did not limit their actions to lesbian activism, but also performed actions to combat sexism, homophobia, and racism. Despite their distance from New York, the Corvallis chapter maintained much of the same philosophy as other Lesbian Avengers chapters, including a focus on direct action, a lesbian membership focus, an emphasis on recruitment, and the use of fire-eating demonstrations.
These materials were donated by members of the Corvallis Lesbian Avengers. The materials were then digitized and returned to the donors.
The collection is open for research. The entire collection is digital and fully available upon patron request or for use in the SCARC reading room.
Corvallis Lesbian Avengers Collection (MSS CorvallisLesbianAvengers), Oregon State University Special Collections and Archives Research Center, Corvallis, Oregon.
The Corvallis Lesbian Avengers Collection is part of the
Related Special Collections and Archives Research Center's collections include the
Interviews of several founding members of the Corvallis Lesbian Avengers can be found in the
This collection is arranged by type of material, and further arranged chronologically by date. This collection is arranged into 4 series: 1. Albums and Scrapbooks, 2. Artifacts, 3. Annotated Calendar, and 4. Necessary Friction Zine.
The Corvallis Lesbian Avengers Collection documents the activities of the Corvallis chapter of the Lesbian Avengers throughout the 1990s. The Corvallis Lesbian Avengers were a direct-action activism group particularly focused on issues of concern to lesbian women, but also dealt with issues of injustice for women, other queer people, and racial minorities.
The bulk of the collection is made up of photo albums and scrapbooks containing photographs, news clippings, flyers, artwork, poetry, and other paper material. The collection also includes a small collection of artifacts, an annotated calendar, and 3 issues of the
This is entirely a digital collection. The original physical materials were digitized by SCARC and returned to their donors.
The materials in this series, spanning a variety of formats, document the history of the Corvallis Lesbian Avengers, including their activism, actions, social activities, and cultural environment. This series includes 5 photo albums and 2 scrapbooks.
The material in this series is accompanied by post-it notes supplied by the donor, transcribed into one document, which provide additional context to the material.
Please be aware that the photo album folders are derived from the personal albums of one of the donors. These folders represent material that was selected by the donor, and do not necessarily represent the full contents of the original albums.
Material in this folder includes but is not limited to, photographs, scholarship information, news clippings about protest actions against the ROTC's presence at a women's center event, news clippings about protest actions against 1992 Oregon Ballot Measure 9, a program for the Harvey Milk Awards Dinner, and a program for OSU Gay Pride Week.
Material in this folder includes but is not limited to photographs and news clippings. The material is particularly focused on protests against Playboy magazine, and an attack on the Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Alliance's (LGBA) tent during OSU Gay Pride week.
The material in this folder includes but is not limited to photographs and ephemera documenting the Corvallis Lesbian Avengers' activist actions and social events from 1995 to 1996.
The material in this folder includes but is not limited to photographs and ephemera documenting the Corvallis Lesbian Avengers' activist actions and social events in 1998.
The material in this folder includes but is not limited to photographs and ephemera documenting the Corvallis Lesbian Avengers' activist actions and social events from 1998 to 2000.
This scrapbook documents the Corvallis Lesbian Avengers from late 1995 through early 1997. Materials in the scrapbook include but are not limited to: promotional materials, photographs, artwork, poetry, news clippings, and other ephemera. The original size of this scrapbook is 14in (length) x 11in (height). This folder contains 4 files: the entire scrapbook in a PDF file, a word document containing additional contextual information provided by the donor, a standalone scan of a flyer contained within the scrapbook, and a Word document providing information on that flyer.
This scrapbook documents the Corvallis Lesbian Avengers from mid-1997 through early 1998. Materials in the scrapbook include but are not limited to: photographs, artwork, news clippings, poetry, promotional materials, and other ephemera. The original size of this scrapbook is 12in (length) x 14in (height). This folder contains 2 files: the entire scrapbook in a PDF file, and a Word document providing additional contextual information supplied by the donor.
This folder contains additional photographs not contained with the photo albums.
This series contains 6 photographs of 3 Lesbian Avengers t-shirts, as well as a recruitment flyer.
The annotated calendar, in the form of a weekly planner also used as a journaling space, dates from May through February, but no more entries are listed after October. As a planner, it contains information about Lesbian Avengers events and actions, social activity, collaborators, and members, giving insight into the life and activities of those affiliated with the Lesbian Avengers. In addition, the calendar is filled with annotations, photographs, artwork, quotes, erotica, and other ephemera relating to personal growth, queer activism, and queer culture.
The
This issue includes information about the Lesbian Avengers and their actions, member profiles, erotic fiction, personal essays, poetry, photographs, artwork, and flyers.
This issue includes information about the Lesbian Avengers and their actions, frequently asked questions about the Lesbian Avengers, educational material, advocacy and activism materials, and poetry.
This issue includes information about the Lesbian avengers and their actions, educational material, advocacy and activism material, poetry, personal essays, photographs, and artwork.