Gay Daze, 1995-1996

This collection consists of the records of the Lowcountry Gay & Lesbian Alliance (LGLA), a nonprofit organization that was dedicated to ending discrimination against and providing services to the LGBTQ community. The records span the years from 1991 to 2005 and include correspondence, reference files, newsletters, fliers, and objects. The records document LGLA’s operation and events they hosted for LGBTQ people and allies in the Charleston, S.C., area.

The records include operating files consisting of financial information, correspondence, bylaws and information on other LGBTQ groups and issues. The collection does not contain minutes from LGLA meetings, but brief meeting summaries are included in some issues of Rainbow Times. The records also include event files for events hosted by LGLA, notably OutFest and the Festival of the Arts. Event files contain fliers, newspaper clippings, programs, and correspondence about the activities. The event files include one 3.5” floppy disk. The contents of the floppy disk have been printed out and filed in the collection. Where possible, original folder titles have been retained.

There are also newsletters published monthly by LGLA. The newsletters were published under several different names, including Gay Daze, Rainbow Times, and Rainbow Times Newsource. The collection does not contain newsletters prior to 1995, and only has one issue each from the years 1995 and 1996. Only a few scattered issues are missing post-1996. Newsletters were generally published monthly. Note that volume and issue numbering is sometimes inconsistent. Also included are a few issues of the Charleston, S.C. gay newspaper The Loop. While not published by LGLA, The Loop included LGLA events in their calendar. The records also contain two license plates with the word Jesus backed by a rainbow.