Transsexual Sisterhood. Cartoon by Marie Alexandra featured in Gendertrash From Hell Issue 4 (Spring, 1995). The ArQuives Digital Exhibitions.
Project Overview
The Trans Collections Guide is a 70-page research guide produced by the LGBTQ Oral History Digital Collaboratory in partnership with The ArQuives. Designed for researchers, students, artists, and community members, the guide provides a structured entry point into trans-related archival holdings within one of Canada’s largest LGBTQ2+ archives.
The guide maps relevant collections, highlights key figures and fonds, and offers practical guidance on requesting and accessing materials, while also addressing the challenges of locating trans histories within archival systems historically shaped by gay and lesbian frameworks.
Historical & Community Context
Despite the presence of substantial materials, trans histories have often been under-described, misclassified, or rendered difficult to access within institutional archives. Researchers navigating LGBTQ-focused collections routinely encounter barriers related to cataloguing practices, shifting terminology, and the historical marginalization of trans communities within archival description.
The Trans Collections Guide responds to these conditions by making trans archival presence more visible and navigable, contributing to broader conversations about trans archival ethics, access, and descriptive justice within community archives.
Project Goals & Methodology
The project aimed to improve access to trans histories at The ArQuives by producing a clear, user-oriented guide grounded in archival research and community-informed analysis. Collaboratory researchers conducted a systematic review of The ArQuives’ holdings to identify trans-related materials, including content not readily discoverable through catalogue descriptions alone.
In addition to mapping collections, the guide identifies common research challenges—such as inconsistent terminology and fragmented records—and offers strategies for navigating them, positioning the guide as both a practical research tool and a critical intervention into archival practice.
Research Scope
The guide surveys trans-related holdings across The ArQuives’ collections, including personal papers, organizational records, publications, audiovisual materials, and ephemera. It highlights materials associated with Canadian trans artists, activists, and intellectuals such as Mirha-Soleil Ross, Rupert Raj, and Anton Wagner, while also directing researchers to trans histories embedded within broader LGBTQ collections.
Project Outputs
- A 70-page publicly accessible guide (PDF)
- A virtual launch event and roundtable on trans archival practices (December 3, 2020), moderated by Elspeth Brown and featuring Morgan M. Page, Monica Forrester, Syrus Marcus Ware, and Susan Stryker
Impact & Significance
The Trans Collections Guide constitutes a key intervention in trans archival access in Canada. By consolidating knowledge about trans holdings and naming the structural barriers researchers encounter, the project supports more ethical, informed, and effective engagement with archival materials.
More broadly, the guide contributes to ongoing discussions about trans archival futures and the responsibilities of community archives, demonstrating how access tools can function as both research infrastructure and public history interventions.
Project Team
From The Collaboratory
