Community-Powered LGBTQ+ Documentation Project
by the Lambda Archives Team
Lambda Archives exists to collect, preserve, and share our local LGBTQ+ history. This mission is not just retrospective, but an urgent and vital act of resistance. By collecting our stories today and documenting our history as it happens, we claim our right to exist, to be seen, and to create a powerful, community-built record that centers our voices and our truths.
The power of community archives lies in our collective voice. When we document our own history, we create more than historical records; we build solidarity, validate each other’s experiences, and ensure that the full spectrum of LGBTQ+ life is preserved and celebrated. Every gathering, every act of organizing, every moment of community joy becomes part of a living testament to who we are and what we’ve built together.
Our community here at Lambda including program participants, interns, volunteers, community partners, online supporters, and more not only access the stories in our collection but actively build it. As a community archive, we depend on you to help us capture the full breadth of LGBTQ+ life happening across San Diego County, Northern Baja California, and Imperial County. No single organization or person can document everything, but together we can create a lasting record of our history.
This project, Our Stories: Documenting LGBTQ+ Events in Our Region, invites the community to participate in ensuring our history survives and speaks truth to power.
Two Ways to Contribute
The first opportunity is to Submit an Event, which provides an essential opportunity to contribute significant events from the past and present to be recorded in a public spreadsheet and timeline preserved for generations. This includes events that have already passed from any year as well as upcoming events including everything from grassroots protests and community organizing meetings to celebrations and cultural gatherings. Every march, every rally, every community forum, every moment of collective action matters.
The second opportunity is to Submit a Reflection about an Event, providing a powerful opportunity to contribute your firsthand experiences at significant events, ensuring that the human stories behind the headlines are never forgotten. Your voice, your perspective, your truth becomes part of the permanent record.
Ready to Make History?
In times like these, documentation is resistance. Your participation ensures that future generations will know we stood up, spoke out, and built community even in the face of adversity. Every submission helps guarantee that our community’s stories are told by us, for us – not filtered through others’ perspectives or lost to time.
Visit our project page at the link below to explore the submitted events spreadsheet, add new events that matter to you, or share your reflections on moments that shaped our community. Please read the instructions carefully before submitting your form.