Summary

Alternative Name(s): Flyer

Yellow single-page leaflet produced by the Australian Lesbian and Gay Archives (ALGA) for the Queer Melbourne History Walk, February 2003. Includes 12-stop itinerary of history walk of queer sites in Melbourne and a membership renewal form. The walk started at Royal Exhibition Building and proceeded through Fitzroy and Collingwood.

The Australian Lesbian and Gay Archives was established in 1978 as part of the fourth annual National Homosexual Conference. It has been collecting material and running events since then. This leaflet, advertising one of the Archives' history walks, is an important document in bringing to light not only the important community work carried out by the Archives, but also marks clearly the twenty-fifth anniversary of the Archives' existence. Due to the itinerary contained on the inner pages, it is also an important documentation of places and venues of historical significance to lesbian, gay and queer communities in Victoria. The Archives run several alternative history walks, including one around the CBD - the itinerary contained in this leaflet concentrates on Fitzroy and surrounds. Of note is its geographical relevance to the Melbourne Museum, as the itinerary contains a reference to the Carlton Gardens and the Exhibition Buildings.

Part of a Museum Victoria collection documenting the material culture of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer communities in Victoria. In 2005 the Museum joined with the Australian Lesbian and Gay Archives and the State Library of Victoria to conducted a survey of GLBT material culture in public and private collections in Victoria. Refer Kate Davison (2006), Lesbian, Bisexual, Gay, Transgender Material Survey: Project Report 2006.

Physical Description

Single A4 sheet of yellow paper, folded in half to create four A5 pages. Front page image of Royal Exhibition Building (undated). Inside cover image of 'Adelaide's Dr. Gertrude Gossip' drag queen. Back page of leaflet is a membership application and renewal form.

Significance

The Australian Lesbian and Gay Archives was established in 1978 as part of the fourth annual National Homosexual Conference. It has been collecting material and running events since then. This leaflet, advertising one of the Archives' history walks, is an important document in bringing to light not only the significant community work carried out by the Archives, but also marks clearly the 25th anniversary of the Archives' existence. Due to the itinerary contained on the inner pages, it is also an important documentation of places and venues of historical significance to lesbian, gay and queer communities in Victoria. The Archives run several alternative history walks, including one around the CBD - the itinerary contained in this leaflet concentrates on Fitzroy and surrounds. Of note is its geographical relevance to the Melbourne Museum, as the itinerary contains a reference to the Carlton Gardens and the Exhibition Buildings.

In 2005 Musem Victoria began work to examine its diversity strategies in relation to queer culture in Victoria. Part of this was a Lesbian and Gay Material Culture Survey of collections in Victoria. During the research for the survey, it was discovered that museum's existing collection relating to sexual diversity needed to be built further.

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