Australian Queer Archives [Edit]
The Australian Queer Archives (AQuA) is a community-based non-profit organisation committed to the collection, preservation and celebration of material reflecting the lives and experiences of LGBTIQ+ Australians.
The Archives was established as an initiative of the 4th National Homosexual Conference, held in Sydney, in August 1978, and is based in Melbourne, Victoria. In 2020 members voted to change the name of the Archives from the ‘Australian Lesbian and Gay Archives’ to the ‘Australian Queer Archives’.
The Australian Queer Archives holds ~700 shelf metres of material (over 500,000 items), including strong holdings of leather, BDSM and kink material across all parts of the collection.
Collections
Notable archival collections include items related to: Bob Buckley; Grant Kilby; Eddy Hackenberg; Ken Hocking; Colin Simson; Noel Lewington; Ron Muncaster; Roger Mann; Gigi Legenhausen; and Wicked Women.
Notable library collections include complete or extensive sets of Australian and international periodical titles including Australian Leather Men, Leather Link, Drummer, The Leather Jounal, Bound & Gagged, SandMutopia Guardian etc. Books include much of the works of Larry Townsend, Joseph Bean, and Jack Ricardo, as well as special collections of pulp and erotica formed by Ken Hocking, Colin Simson and Barry Lowe.
Many photographic collections include notable coverage of Australian and American leather events, including publisher collections from Campaign, Brother Sister, City Rhythm, Klick!, Wicked Women etc. Key photographers include: Eddy Hackenberg; C.Moore Hardy; Jamie Dunbar; Morgan Gwenwald; Linda Dement; and Lynn Dulyea.
The Archives’ collections of sound recordings includes oral history interviews, including the Australian Leather Women Oral History Project, as well as radio programs covering the Australian leather community back to the early 1980s, from Gaywaves on 2SER to the dedicated Hide and Seek program on JOY 94.9.
Access
The Australian Queer Archives are open to the public by appointment, on Mondays 6-10PM and Wednesdays 10-6PM AEST time. Contact: mail@queerarchives.org.au.
External links
Website
Facebook page
Facebook group
Issuu page
LibraryThing page