Research Guides: Gender, Race, Sexuality & Social Justice: Primary Sources

Primary Sources

What are Primary Sources?

Primary Sources are the direct evidence or first hand accounts of events without secondary analysis or interpretation. A primary source is a work that was written or created at a time that is contemporary or nearly contemporary with the period or subject being studied.

The following databases contain primary sources on gender and sexuality. There are several other sources which may also be beneficial. To find additional primary sources, use the Primary Source Guide and click on the Humanities tab.

LGBTQ History and Culture since 1940 (Part II) This link opens in a new window
Rare and unique documentation of LGBTQ history through fully-searchable newsletters, government documents, manuscripts, pamphlets, and other primary sources.
Independent Voices This link opens in a new window
These periodicals were produced by feminists, dissident GIs, campus radicals, Native Americans, anti-war activists, Black Power advocates, Hispanics, LGBT activists, the extreme right-wing press and alternative literary magazines during the latter half of the 20th century.

B.C. Gay and Lesbian Archives
"The B .C. Gay and Lesbian Archives was founded in 1976 with the task of collecting, preserving and making accessible research materials about the lives of British Columbia gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgendered and intersexual persons."
Gay and Lesbian Emergence: Out in Canada
A video collection from the early 1960s, 70s, and 80s from the CBC outlining the struggle for homosexual equality under the law.
Transgender Archives at University of Victoria
The University of Victoria has committed itself to the preservation of the history of pioneering activists, community leaders, and researchers who have contributed to the betterment of transgender people. The UVic Archives have been actively acquiring documents, rare publications, and memorabilia of persons and organizations associated with transgender activism since 2007.
Mass Observation Online - Sexual Behavior 1939-1950
Mass Observation was a pioneering social research organization whose papers provide insights into the cultural and social history of Britain from 1937 to 1965. The material in the Mass Observation Archive, and now on Mass Observation Online, offers an unparalleled insight into everyday life in the 1930s and 1940s.
Queer Zine Archive Project
"The mission of the Queer Zine Archive Project (QZAP) is to establish a "living history" archive of past and present queer zines and to encourage current and emerging zine publishers to continue to create. In curating such a unique aspect of culture, we value a collectivist approach that respects the diversity of experiences that fall under the heading "queer."
ACTUP Oral History Project
A collection of interviews with surviving members of the AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power formed in 1987 in New York.
Gay Peoples Union Collection
The Gay Peoples Union Collection presents digital copies of primary source materials documenting the Gay Peoples Union, the most important gay and lesbian rights organization in Milwaukee during the 1970s.
Rise Up! Digital Feminist Archive
Rise Up! is a digital archive of feminist activism in Canada from the 1970s to the 1990s. We were part of a worldwide wave of liberation and anti-oppression movements that won some victories, changed some attitudes, and radically altered the gendered and political landscape.

Microforms

Walter C. Koerner Library, houses over 4 million items on microfilm, microfiche, microcard, and microprint. The collection includes important research materials such as news papers, government publications, and rare or historical books. Microform is a general term used to describe all forms of "microreproduction", that is, the reduced reproduction of original documents.

Gay Rights Movement - International Periodicals and Newsletters from the Canadian Gay and Lesbian Archives
Filmed from the holdings of the Canadian Lesbian and Gay Archives. This is the world's largest collection of lesbian and gay periodicals. Its international scope includes periodicals from more than 50 countries in the Americas, Europe, Australia and New Zealand, Asia, Africa, and the Middle East. Scholars working in the fields of gender studies, the history of sexuality, the history of social movements, studies in democratization, international studies and globalization will all find this to be a valuable resource.
Sexual politics in Britain
Papers, minutes, and publications from the major British organizations of the period which campaigned under the auspices of the gay rights and women's liberation movements. Also includes runs of important periodicals such as Spare Rib, Red Rag, and Gay News.
Microform Collections at UBC Library
UBC Library has a rich microform collection. This guide describes major collections, each containing numerous separate titles, along with the guides and bibliographies linked to each collection. Relevant subject area is Women's Studies.