“OUR HISTORY WAS DISAPPEARING AS
QUICKLY AS WE WERE MAKING IT.”

With that realization, Deborah Edel and Joan Nestle co-founded the Lesbian Herstory Archives, the world’s largest collection of materials by and about lesbians.

For more than 40 years, through many of the major milestones in LGBTQ+ history, the all-volunteer organization has literally rescued history from the trash.

Now the co-founders are in their mid-70s, and the group faces a number of challenges: A transfer of leadership. The rise of digital technology. A renewed call to activism in a politically charged moment.

“The Archivettes” is a documentary film that explores how this group came together to combat lesbian invisibility and create “a place that says yes.”

MEGAN ROSSMAN

DIRECTOR

Megan Rossman is an award-winning documentary filmmaker and assistant professor and chair of communication at Purchase College. Her work has aired on PBS and screened internationally at festivals including Outfest, DOC NYC, BFI Flare, Iris Prize and Cannes Film Festival American Pavilion.

Rossman’s new short film Their Voice, which follows performer Kristyn Michele as they transition from mezzo-soprano to tenor, premiered at Out On Film in September. Her feature-length debut, The Archivettes has screened as an official selection at over 75 film festivals.

THE LESBIAN HERSTORY ARCHIVE

The Lesbian Herstory Archives is home to the world's largest collection of materials by and about lesbians and their communities. They are located at 484 14th St. in Park Slope, Brooklyn. To learn more, visit their website.