Lambda Archives of San Diego


Lambda Archives of San Diego is a collection of historical materials related to lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender history, located in San Diego, California.
Jess Jessop incorporated the Lesbian and Gay Archives of San Diego in 1987, starting the collection with materials that he and Doug Moore had gathered. Lambda Archives' primary focus is LGBT history and culture in the San Diego–Tijuana region. Lambda Archives is an all-volunteer, nonprofit 501 corporation governed by a volunteer Board of Directors.

Programs and exhibits

The Lambda Archives collections include material about LGBT history in San Diego County and Imperial County in California, and Baja California in Mexico. The materials in the collections include varied items such as literature, clothing, and event memorabilia. As of 2019, the collections included approximately 100,000 photographs; about 13,000 of those had been digitized.

City hall exhibit

In 2010, Lambda Archives co-sponsored the first ever LGBT Historical Exhibit in San Diego's City Hall titled "A Celebration of San Diego LGBT History".

Historian in residence

, an emeritus professor from California State University, Fresno, was named "Historian-in-Residence" for the archives in 2017.

San Diego History Center exhibit

In 2018, Lambda Archives collaborated with the San Diego History Center to present an exhibit called "LGBTQ+ San Diego: Stories of Struggles and Triumphs". The exhibit, curated by Faderman, covered the history of LGBTQ people in San Diego and included a portion of the NAMES Project AIDS Memorial Quilt.

Gala

In 2007, the archives began holding an annual gala to build additional support in the community and generating additional donations.
The 2008 Honorees were Cleve Jones and Christine Kehoe.
The 2011 Honorees were Larry Bazza, Jennifer LeSar, Doug Case, Carol Pierce, Judi Schaim, Jeff Wynne, George Murphy, Gloria Johnson, Max Disposti, Stewart Bornhoft, Bill Beck, Sara Beth Brooks.

Board of directors

Board President: Frank Nobiletti. Display Committee Chairman: Patrick Salvatierra
Board of Directors 2012 - 2013 President: Maureen Steiner; Treasurer Mel Merrill; Secretary: tbd.