Reel Queer: Documentary and Discussion “The Archivettes”

August’s “Reel Queer: Documentary and Discussion” is the documentary The Archivettes (2019). This event runs from 7:00-8:45 p.m.

Founded in the 1970s in a New York City apartment, The Lesbian Herstory Archives is now the world’s largest collection of materials by and about lesbians. For more than 40 years, the all-volunteer organization has striven to combat lesbian invisibility by literally rescuing history from the trash. Frustrated by misogyny and homophobia within academia, Deborah Edel and Joan Nestle co-founded the archives for those conducting research, both professional and personal. Over the years, the organization has witnessed many of the major milestones in LGBTQ+ history and has weathered several storms. Today, with its founders in their seventies, the archives are facing new challenges, including a change in leadership and the rise of digital technology.

Exploring the fascinating origins of the organization, THE ARCHIVETTES is a tribute to second-wave feminism and intergenerational connection, as well as an urgent rallying cry for continued activism in a politically charged moment.

Reel Queer is an inter-generational LGBTQIA+ movie night. The event is co-sponsored by the Arlington Council on Aging and the Arlington Rainbow Commission.

The next “Reel Queer: Documentary and Discussion” is on October 12th at 7:00 p.m.