The Section LL's Lesbian Library and Archive contains miscellaneous archival materials pertinent to a vital part of the Slovenian lesbian and gay movement, gathered since the time it was established in 1984. The collection of documents, the media archive and other materials deal with the establishment of the gay and lesbian activist group, its activities and development, primarily the history of the Lesbian Section ŠKUC LL. The collection testifies to the cultural, activist and artistic production of the socially active and sexually emancipated part of the Slovenian lesbian and gay community, also providing thorough insight into the media representation of homosexuality in the Slovenian press in the latter half of the 20th century, especially from the early 1980s onward.
The Slovenian lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) movement emerged in mid-1980s Ljubljana, at a time when a number of new social movements – most notably feminist, green and peace groups – appeared in Yugoslavia, and particularly in Slovenia. These movements singlehandedly and at their initiative, i.e. without the Communist party elite’s prior permission, tackled new issues in the public sphere, and engaged in discussions outside of the dominant frameworks, such as nation-centred or those entangled in socialist ideological discourses. In April 1984, the youth cultural group ŠKUC-Forum organized the first Magnus Festival in Ljubljana, under the title “Homosexuality and Culture.” This event was not only the birthplace of the Yugoslav gay and lesbian movement, but also the first LGBT film festival in Europe (Kajinić 2016). Contemporary Slovene, but also Croatian and Serbian media (mostly socialist youth organization publications) reported on the event, often in a positive light. Homosexuality in Yugoslavia was socially unacceptable and invisible in the media, and negatively perceived both by most of the public and the ruling Party. Even if it appeared in newspapers and magazines, the topic of homosexuality was presented with pity or ridicule up to that point (Kuhar 2003). Apart from arranging exhibitions, film screenings and parties, the organizers printed posters, invitations, leaflets and other informative and promotional materials that are today kept in the Lesbian Library and Archive. Although the festival was supposed to be a one-time event, a Section for Homosexual Gatherings and Culture was set up by the end of 1984 within the ŠKUC-Forum. The section, better known as Magnus, is often considered the first gay organization in a socialist country (Kuhar 2001). In its first year, the group gathered 150 members, published leaflets and a magazine (Gayzine), and regularly organized a cultural festival dedicated to homosexuality. However, under the pretext of the alleged risk that the promotion of homosexuality could present to public health due to the spread of HIV, but also – and quite likely mostly – because the festival was supposed to be held on May 25, when celebrations of birthday Josip Broz Tito (who died in 1980) were traditionally organized throughout Yugoslavia, the communist authorities in Slovenia exerted considerable pressure on the organizers, and the fourth edition of Magnus was subsequently cancelled (Velikonja 2004). The organizers interpreted the pressure and media attacks to which they were subjected as an indirect ban. This event, alongside intensive networking with other democratic and civil groups, greatly contributed to the politicization of the emerging LGBT movement and its gradual shift from the cultural to the more politicized activist sphere (Velikonja and Greif 2012, 73-74).
The first Slovenian lesbian organization, Lesbian Section LL (later ŠKUC LL; the LL stands for “Lesbian Lilith”), was established in 1987, also within the ŠKUC-Forum. In the following years, the group organized round tables, direct campaigns and parties, published bulletins and a magazine (Lesbozine), spoke out publicly in the mainstream press and at feminist gatherings. When appealing to the authorities, Magnus and LL acted jointly, mainly via public statements, letters and editorials. Their main demands were the integration of homosexuality into socialist society, and a constitutional ban on discrimination based on sexual orientation (Velikonja and Greif 2012).
The Lesbian Library and Archive was founded by the Lesbian Section ŠKUC LL in 2001. Besides the library inventory consisting of Slovenian and foreign lesbian and gay literature, the Library gathers and preserves documents and other materials pertinent to the Slovenian gay and lesbian scene and movement. The Archive is part of a much larger Library fund, and they jointly aim to systematically collect dispersed materials on LGBT- and sexuality-related subjects that are usually ignored by public archives and libraries. In December 2000, preceding the establishment of the Library, a comprehensive bibliography of books and other LGBT-related writings in the Slovenian language was completed and published (Izbrana bibliografija, 2000). The Library fund consists mainly of foreign literary, theoretical, scholarly, and other writings, and a collection of newspapers and magazines. The Archive collection is focused on Slovenian materials, mostly miscellaneous sources, and covers the period from the 1970s onward. In the early 2000s, Nataša Velikonja and other Slovenian lesbian activists began to collect and systematically preserve media, audio-visual, artistic and documentary materials. Before the Lesbian Library and Archive was established, all these materials were preserved in ŠKUC LL’s archives and private collections. The collection is still being expanded with newfound materials.
The materials are preserved in boxes and files, or otherwise shelved, but has not been catalogued or processed. Since the collection was established a decade after the demise of the socialist state, there was never a need to hide it from the communist authorities. Most press-clippings, and magazines and leaflets, are listed in the Select Bibliography of Lesbian and Gay Studies (Velikonja, 2000) and online at: http://www.ljudmila.org/lesbo/raziskave_biblio3.htm#1980.
The collection is available to the public and can be accessed at the Lesbian Library and Archive. It is mostly used by researchers, students, and scientists with different disciplinary backgrounds, most often history. Individual items and/or publications are occasionally borrowed by other museums and galleries for exhibitions. The collection is owned by the Lesbian Section ŠKUC LL. The materials can be freely reproduced referencing the source.
The Lesbian Library and Archive are partially publicly funded, primarily through the Ljubljana Municipality’s support for cultural activities (ca. €2,000 per year), and other donors.
Professor Roman Kuhar, Ph.D., used the media archive while researching his master’s thesis, subsequently published as Media Representations of Homosexuality. An Analysis of the Print Media in Slovenia, 1970–2000 (Kuhar 2003). Archival materials were extensively used in publications about the Slovenian LGBT movement’s history, most notably in Dvajset let gejevskega in lezbičnega gibanja (Velikonja 2004) and Lezbična sekcija LL: kronologija 1987-2012 s predzgodovino (Velikonja and Greif 2012). Documents and visual materials are occasionally used for artistic or historical exhibitions, often organized by the LGBT community gathered around the ŠKUC Gallery, but also elsewhere, for instance in the exhibition Zini! Sodobna zinovska produkcija organized by the International Centre for Graphic Arts (MGLC) in Ljubljana. Materials from the Lesbian Library and Archive are also featured in the documentary film Razmerja. 25 let lezbične sekcije ŠKUC-LL (dir. Marina Gržinić, Aina Šmid, Zvonka T Simčič, Slovenia, 2012).
