New digital collection: VCU Gay Alliance of Students
The VCU Gay Alliance of Students digital collection contains legal documents, correspondence, applications, and other materials related to the VCU Gay Alliance of Students (GAS) and its court case against the university from 1974 to 1976. The case, Gay Alliance of Students v. Matthews, was one of the first LGBTQ+ student organizing cases to reach the federal appellate level. The ruling effectively changed existing law in the five states within the jurisdiction of the Fourth District Circuit: Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and West Virginia.
Materials in this collection include correspondence between GAS spokesperson Walter A. Foery and individuals in several LGBTQ+ organizations, including Lambda Legal and the National Gay Task Force, as well as replies to letters Foery sent to Virginia representatives, including Harry F. Byrd. It provides a behind-the-scenes look into the national organizing that these VCU students spearheaded to protect their First Amendment rights at VCU 50 years ago.
Categories Digital collections, LGBTQ, Special Collections and Archives