This research guide serves as a jumping-off point for research into facets of LGBTQ+ history, communities, organizations, and self-identified individuals. The collections listed in this guide have significant portions dedicated to the LGBTQ+ lifestyle or activism. Materials in this guide span all three of our repositories: The Smith College Archives (CA), the Sophia Smith Collection of Women's History (SSC), and the Mortimer Rare Book Collection (MRBC).

Scope 

This guide was created because of the high volume of queer materials collected in Smith College Special Collections. The majority of this material relates to the lesbian community. That is true for a few reasons: for one, the main collecting areas for the Sophia Smith Collection of Women's History historically have been the United States women's suffrage movement, the reproductive health movement, and the women's liberation movement. All three of these histories are closely tied with queer history, especially lesbian history. As stated in our Collection Development Strategy, "the repository seeks records that document the lives of women of color, sexual and gender minorities, and of extraordinary leaders in these movements, particularly when these categories intersect." Secondly, Smith College as a Historically Women's College has a storied history of grappling with its reputation as a "lesbian school," an identity which is embraced today by its student body. But because of that history, the Smith College Archives has collected materials over time related to that reputation and debate. These reasons are why you will find our collections and this guide lean heavily towards lesbian individuals and activism. 

The scope of the collections included in this guide are as follows: 

• Individuals who self-identified as part of the LGBTQ+ community and whose papers relate to LGBTQ+ issues, lifestyle, or activism

• Individuals who did not self-identify as part of the LGBTQ+ community but whose papers relate to LGBTQ+ issues, lifestyle, or activism

• Groups, organizations, or projects that were created either by or for LGBTQ+ communities 

Please note: the collections included in this guide are not exhaustive of our offerings, and there may be collections which fit the scope but which are not included here. If you are curious or have questions about collections not listed here, you can visit the reading room or email us. Learn more on the Accessing Materials page. 

The following types of material are not included in this guide, but may still exist in our collections: 

• Individuals who self-identified as part of the LGBTQ+ community but whose records at Smith do not relate to LGBTQ+ lifestyle or activism 

• Individuals who did not self-identify as part of the LGBTQ+ community when they were alive, but contemporaries make the case that they may have been queer 

A Note on Searching

Archival repositories only contain materials that were created, kept, and donated, so there are gaps in the historical record. When thinking about researching LGBTQ+ people in the past, you must consider the history of such a large and disparate group. Individuals might not have created or kept materials that would have outted them, for fear of prosecution or being exiled from their community.

For more guidance, we recommend The National Archives' guide on "How to look for records of Sexuality and gender identity history."