Transgender Archives at the University of Victoria

While there are numerous lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans, or LGBT archival collections in North America, only a few exclusively feature trans, non-binary, and Two-Spirit material.

The genesis of the Transgender Archives occurred in 2005 with a conversation between the founder of the archives, Aaron Devor, and Rikki Swin. Rikki Swin is a one-time Chicago manufacturer of plastic injection moulding and founder of the Rikki Swin Institute. She moved to Victoria in 2007.{{cite web |title=Rikki Swin Institute (RSI) |url=http://transgenderarchives.uvic.ca/rikki-swin-institute-rsi-2 |website=The Transgender Archives University of Victoria |access-date=March 26, 2015}}

The discussion led Swin to donate her institute's entire material holdings to the University of Victoria Libraries' Archives and Special Collections. Swin's founding donation is one of three major donations held in the archives.

The second major donation of material occurred when the daughter of Reed Erickson donated her father's extensive papers to the archives. Erickson, founder of the Erickson Educational Foundation, died in 1992.

The third major donation occurred when Professor Richard Ekins donated the entire University of Ulster (Northern Ireland, UK) Trans-Gender Archive.

Officially opening in 2011,{{Cite web |title=Transgender Archives at the University of Victoria |url=https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/transgender-archives-at-the-university-of-victoria |access-date=2024-01-18 |website=www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca |language=en}} the Transgender Archives at the University of Victoria has gathered other smaller donations and has grown to be "exceptional in its focus, size, and scope"{{cite journal |last1=Devor |first1=Aaron |title=Preserving the Footprints of Transgender Activism: The Transgender Archives at the University of Victoria |journal=QED: A Journal in GLBTQ Worldmaking |date=Summer 2014 |volume=1 |issue=2 |pages=200–204 |doi= 10.14321/qed.1.2.0200|s2cid=143509110 |url=http://muse.jhu.edu/journals/qed_a_journal_of_glbtq_worldmaking/v001/1.2.devor.pdf |access-date=March 26, 2015}} due to its unique position as being one of the only archives in the world that institutionally houses material exclusively reflecting trans, non-binary, and Two-Spirit experiences.

Libraries and the LGBTQ community lists the Transgender Archives in their List of LGBTQ Archives/Libraries/Special Collections as one of the only archival institutions that exclusively houses trans material.

The Transgender Archives at the University of Victoria contains archival material from both large and small trans organizations and focuses on the contributions of activists and researchers working for the betterment of trans people.

While the archive currently emphasizes collections from North America and Europe, the materials go back over 120 years, and are in 15 languages from 23 countries on six continents. If the materials were lined up on one long shelf, the collection would stretch the length of one-and-a-half football fields.{{cite web |url=https://www.uvic.ca/transgenderarchives/collections/index.php |title=Transgender Archives: Our Collections |date=2018 |website=Transgender Archives: University of Victoria Libraries |publisher=University of Victoria |access-date=March 15, 2019}}

Holdings include: approximately 2,000 books, including many rare and first editions; large collection of informational pamphlets and booklets produced by advocacy organizations for educational purposes; historical and organizational records for several significant trans activist groups including personal papers from some leaders; international newsletters from trans communities; multimedia collection representing and recording trans experiences; and a large collection of ephemera.

At approximately {{convert|162|m|ft|adj=pre|linear}} of books, periodicals, and archival materials, the collection is the "largest trans-focused archival collection in the world".

Approximately twenty-five percent of the collection is cataloged, with sixty percent of the collection reflecting male-to-female experiences.

While the archives are accessible to the public free of charge, key documents are slowly being made available online (see external links).{{Cite web |title=Digital content - University of Victoria |url=https://www.uvic.ca/transgenderarchives/digital/index.php |access-date=2023-11-08 |website=UVic.ca |language=en}}

• Rikki Swin
• Ari Kane/Fantasia Fair
• barbara findlay. Q.C. / Kimberly Nixon
• Betty Ann Lind
• International Foundation for Gender Education
• Merissa Sherrill Lynn
• Reed Erickson
• Stephanie Castle / Zenith Foundation
• University of Ulster TGA collection
• Virginia Prince
• Aiyyana Maracle
• Red Jordan Arobateau

In 2014, founder and subject matter expert Aaron H. Devor published the book The Transgender Archives: Foundations for the Future,{{cite book |last1=Devor |first1=Aaron |title=The Transgender Archives : Foundations for the Future |date=2014 |publisher=University of Victoria Libraries |location=Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. |isbn=978-1-55058-524-7 |url=https://www.uvic.ca/library/about/ul/publications/Devor_Foundations_for_the_Future.pdf |access-date=March 17, 2015 |archive-date=February 24, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150224204930/http://www.uvic.ca/library/about/ul/publications/Devor_Foundations_for_the_Future.pdf |url-status=dead }} featuring the collection of the Transgender Archives. The publication was a finalist in the 27th Lambda Literary Awards ("Lammys") in the category of "LGBT nonfiction".{{cite web |url=http://www.lambdaliterary.org/27th-annual-lambda-literary-award-finalists/ |title=27th Annual Lambda Literary Award Finalists |publisher=Lambda Literary Foundation |access-date=March 13, 2015 |archive-date=October 31, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191031012046/http://www.lambdaliterary.org/27th-annual-lambda-literary-award-finalists/ |url-status=dead }}

Moving Trans History Forward conferences are a series of international conferences, founded and led by the University of Victoria's chair in Transgender Studies and the founder and subject matter expert of the Transgender Archives. The conferences draw community activists, researchers, educators, artists, service providers, and allies of all ages from around the world. Conferences consider the history of trans activism and research, and the issues which impact trans, non-binary, and Two-Spirit people today – locally, nationally, and globally.

The first conference, held at the University of Victoria, March 21–23, 2014,{{Cite web |title=Program - University of Victoria - Transgender Archives |url=https://wayback.archive-it.org/4526/20140410221711/http://transgenderarchives.uvic.ca/program |access-date=2024-01-18 |website=wayback.archive-it.org}} was entitled "Moving Trans* History Forward". Researchers and activists gathered to retrieve and preserve the stories and records of transgender pioneers of the early 1960s onwards.{{cite news |last1=Smart |first1=Amy |title=Trans pioneers to lead University of Victoria symposium |url=http://www.timescolonist.com/trans-pioneers-to-lead-university-of-victoria-symposium-1.914878 |access-date=January 24, 2015 |agency=Times Colonist |publisher=Dave Obie |date=March 20, 2014}}{{cite web |title=Pioneers of transgender activism |url=http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/photos/pioneers-of-transgender-activism-1.2581912 |publisher=CBC News |access-date=March 26, 2015}}

The second conference, entitled "Moving Trans History Forward: Building Communities – Sharing Connections", took place at the University of Victoria, March 17–20, 2016.{{Cite web |title=Moving Trans History Forward - University of Victoria |url=https://wayback.archive-it.org/4526/20170505144601/http://www.uvic.ca/mthf2016/ |access-date=2024-01-18 |website=wayback.archive-it.org}} It has been hailed as the largest transgender conference in Canadian history.{{cite news |last1=Meuse |first1=Matt |title=UVic to host largest transgender conference in Canada University home to one of the world's largest transgender archives |url=http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/uvic-transgender-conference-1.3498133 |access-date=April 28, 2016 |agency=CBC News |date=March 19, 2016}} Trans and gender non-conforming (GNC) community-based scholars and activists, academics, archivists, librarians, family members, and allies of trans and GNC people explored preserving and recounting the history of trans and GNC people and communities in all eras and regions of the world. Events included: keynote speakers Jamison Green and Martine Rothblatt, oral presentations, posters, art exhibits, a feature-length trans-themed film (Two 4 One), panel discussions with founders of trans activism and research.

The third conference, entitled "Moving Trans History Forward: From Generation to Generation", took place at the University of Victoria March 22–25, 2018.{{Cite web |url=https://www.uvic.ca/mthf2018/ |title=Moving Trans History Forward – University of Victoria |website=www.uvic.ca |access-date=March 9, 2018}} The conference registered 300 people from 11 countries in Asia, Europe, North America, and the Middle East, and drew 600 people to the largest event. Kent Monkman, a Canadian Cree Two-Spirit artist, delivered one of the keynote addresses, with Andrea Jenkins, the first openly transgender Black woman elected to public office in the U.S., presenting the second keynote address.{{Cite news |url=https://www.vicnews.com/news/moving-trans-history-forward-conference-aimed-at-more-than-lgbtq-community/ |title=Moving Trans History Forward conference aimed at more than LGBTQ community – Victoria News |date=March 19, 2018 |work=Victoria News |access-date=October 17, 2018}}

The fourth iteration of the Moving Trans History Forward conference was held online, from March 11 to 14, 2021.{{Cite web |title=Moving Trans History Forward - University of Victoria |url=https://wayback.archive-it.org/4320/20220621224542/http://www.uvic.ca/mthf2021/ |access-date=2024-01-18 |website=wayback.archive-it.org}} Originally, the conference was scheduled to take place in Victoria, BC, from April 2 to 5, 2020, at the Victoria Conference Centre but was moved online due to the COVID-19 pandemic. 379 people from 23 countries were registered for the conference. Blas Radi, the cofounder of the world's second Chair in Transgender Studies, was the first keynote speaker. Miss Major, a long-time activist and trans woman of colour, was the second keynote speaker. There were both youth and elder panels where speakers discussed issues faced by their respective age groups.{{Cite web|title=Moving Trans History Forward 2021|url=https://www.uvic.ca/mthf2020/|access-date=October 26, 2019|website=Moving Trans History Forward 2021}}

The fifth Moving Trans History Forward conference, occurring between March 30 and April 2, 2023,{{Cite web |title=Moving Trans History Forward - University of Victoria |url=https://wayback.archive-it.org/4526/20240108190053/https://www.uvic.ca/mthf2023/index.php |access-date=2024-01-18 |website=UVic.ca |language=en}} was the first to be presented in a hybrid format, happening both in person at the University of Victoria and online. The conference drew the largest attendance yet, with 470 people registered from 23 different countries. Keynote speakers included author and activist Julia Serano; and Chase Joynt, Jen Richards, Morgan M Page, and Jules Gill-Peterson from the film Framing Agnes.{{Cite news |last=Harmer |first=Todd |title=UVic hosts Trans history conference during Transgender Day of Visibility |work=CTV News |publication-date=March 31, 2023 |url=https://vancouverisland.ctvnews.ca/uvic-hosts-trans-history-conference-during-transgender-day-of-visibility-1.6338213 |access-date=November 8, 2023}}{{Cite web |title=keynotes - University of Victoria |url=https://www.uvic.ca/mthf2023/keynotes/index.php |access-date=2023-11-08 |website=UVic.ca |language=en}}{{Citation |title=4 Days in 9 Minutes: Moving Trans History Forward 2023 Highlights |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HXB0_nWRrfM |access-date=2023-11-08 |language=en}}

{{reflist}}

• [https://www.uvic.ca/transgenderarchives/ Official Transgender Archives website]
• [https://www.uvic.ca/mthf/ Official Moving Trans History Forward conference website]

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Category:LGBTQ museums and archives

Category:Transgender-related mass media

Category:University of Victoria

Category:LGBTQ organizations based in Canada

Category:LGBTQ places in Canada

Category:Archives in British Columbia