Connexxus Women's Center/Centro de Mujeres

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Connexxus Women's Center/Centro de Mujeres
Formation1985
Dissolved1991
Type
  • Non-Profit Organization
  • Lesbian Services
HeadquartersWest Hollywood, California, United States
Part of a series on
Lesbian feminism
Womanpower logo.svg
People
Groups
Key issues
Media
Books
Other
Actions and ideas
Woman-power emblem.svg Feminism portal
  • v
  • t

Connexxus Women's Center/Centro de Mujeres (also known by the short name "Connexxus") is a non-profit community organization, established in January 1985 in West Hollywood, California. The organization was co-founded by Adel Martinez and Lauren Jardine[1][2][3] in 1984 as a women-run center in Los Angeles, providing quality and comprehensive services that [catered] to women, particularly lesbians, and a space in which lesbians could thrive professionally, personally, and socially.[4] In January 1988, it opened an additional facility in East Los Angeles named Connexxus East/Centro de Mujeres,[4][5] for outreach to the Latina and Chicana communities. The new facility providing services primarily to lesbians in Los Angeles County, Connexxus Women's Center facilitated information about, and access to, various human service agencies. It also provided counseling in developing and operating small businesses, sponsored and hosted cultural and educational activities. The 1400 square foot Center contained space for a library, workshops, rap groups, counseling meetings, and social activities.[6]

History[]

In May 1984, a diverse group of women - including businesswomen, writers, scholars, artists, and activists - met to establish the next steps to make Connexxus happen. They first needed to identify the needs of the community to create relevant services. To tackle this process, they surveyed Los Angeles and its human service agencies and hosted general meetings with local women and lesbians by distributing questionnaires to gather data. Through their findings they identified three major concerns: lesbians were under served by human service agencies, the quality of services offered needed improvement, and no facility existed to support the lesbian community. With this knowledge in mind, the women started planning and brought Connexxus to fruition.

Connexxus ran for six years, from May 1984 to June 1990. While it was open, the organization was led by notable members of the lesbian community, such as Jeanne Córdova,[7][8] Jodi Curlee, Judy Doyle,[9] Lauren Jardine, Bunny MacCulloch, Del Martinez, June Mazer, Yolanda Retter, and Jane Wagner. To sustain the organization the board raised over $20,000 for its operations. It received grants from the National Endowment for the Arts, the California Arts Council, Colling Higgins Foundation, and the Liberty Hill Foundation. Additionally, they hosted numerous fundraisers such as their annual Casino Cabaret, Founding Celebration, and the New Year's Eve Gala. Smaller events included: Fun-Raising Party & Auction, Day at the Races in Santa Anita at the Oak Tree Racing Association, and the Dinah Shore Picnic in Palm Springs.

The Connexxus Women's Center/Centro de Mujeres was officially dissolved in 1991. In a letter to the community, on January 18, 1990, they shared that as Connexxus expanded and their work surpassed their intended goals, more human service organizations followed their lead and expanded their services too. Due to the increasing number of specialized groups, services, and businesses, fewer lesbians accessed the Center's services. Due to this fall in numbers and an imminent financial crisis, Connexxus decided to close its doors on June 30, 1990.

Programs[]

Economic Empowerment[]

In May 1998, the then President of the United States, Bill Clinton, issued Executive Order 13087, banning discrimination in federal civilian employment on the basis of sexual orientation.[10] Six years earlier in 1992, governor Pete Wilson signed AB 2601, which outlawed employment discrimination against gays and lesbians in California (he vetoed a similar bill, AB 101, the year before).[11][12]

In response to discrimination against lesbians, and racism against women of color in the gay community, and the workforce, Connexxus created an economic empowerment component to their services from 1985 to 1986. For them, it was crucial to outreach and bring in underemployed and unemployed women, particularly “displaced homemakers, youth, parolees from prison, welfare recipients, and re-entry women.” They hosted workshops about dealing with discrimination in the workforce and during job hunting. The workshops also focused on developing new employable skills, learning how to write application and resumes, creating and sustaining your own business, and career exploration. The majority of these services were free or low-cost to participants.

Mental Health Services[]

Connexxus offered two different types of mental health services: Direct one-on-one therapy and facilitator-run support groups. The organization also served as a training facility for counselors and therapists still earning their hours. Connexxus built a community-based, therapeutic approach to their healing services. This model was beneficial for both clients and therapists because services were affordable, if not free, and the latter gained specialized training opportunities. Facilitators were expected to be neutral parties in the group and were simply there to navigate, instigate, and guide the conversation between attendees. Each facilitator received training rooted in lesbian and women of color theories, such as the work of Audre Lorde and Cherrie Moraga. Much like the one-on-one therapy, the support groups' topics were planned based on participants' needs.

Latina Lesbian Mental Health Conference[]

On November 8, 1986, Connexxus in collaboration with El Centro Human Services Corporation and Latinas Unidas coordinated the “Latina Lesbian Mental Health Conference: Issues, Research, and Implications for Practices”. The conference covered topics for parents of lesbians, children of lesbians, and parenting lesbians, as well as identity developing, coming out, and clinical experiences - best practices for therapists. The conference intended to give service providers the unique experiences of the Latina lesbian population to make their services more accessible and effective.

June Mazer Collection[]

June Mazer and her partner Bunny MacCulloch started the West Coast Lesbian Collections in their home. The collection, a “Lesbian Herstory Collection”, contained archives about notable lesbian women, organizations like the Daughters of Bilitis, media materials such as the Lesbian Love Records (a radio show targeted towards the lesbian community), information on lesbian events, publications, organizations, and lesbian spaces in the San Francisco Bay Area and Los Angeles County. It was later moved to Connexxus Women's Center as the June Mazer Collection.[13][14]

After Connexxus disbanded, the collection traveled to various repositories until it was given a permanent home in the Werle Building, a property owned by the City of West Hollywood at 626 N. Robertson Boulevard.[15] The collection was rebranded as the June L. Mazer Lesbian Archives. Through an equitable partnership with the UCLA Library Special Collections, the Mazer Archives retained rights to its collection while increasing public access through digitization.

The Alliance (Connexxus Business & Professional Women's Alliance)[]

Beginning January 1985, Connexxus published a newsletter by its Connexxus Business & Professional Women's Alliance. The newsletter ceased publication in June 1990.[16][17]

Community Events[]

Because the Center was intended to be a community space, as well as social-based fundraisers, Connexxus hosted a variety of events. They hosted economic empowerment workshops to support women's skill development. Social groups based on identities, such as Black lesbians, singles, Latinas, and mixers were common. The most popular one was All Around Town in 1988, which doubled as a fundraiser, where women would meet across the greater Los Angeles Area and share meals, partake in activities such as horse races, and enjoy local festivals. Another popular event was a gallery show of long-time support Laura Aguilar, a Chicana lesbian photographer, called the Chicana Lesbians Series.[18]

References[]

  1. ^ Williams, Bob (February 18, 2020). "Adel M. 'Del' Martinez". Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles. Retrieved 25 July 2021.
  2. ^ Love, Barbara J., ed. (2006). "Jardine, Lauren Lovett". Feminists Who Changed America, 1963–1975 (1st ed.). Urbana, Illinois: University of Illinois Press. p. 234. ISBN 978-0252031892. LCCN 2006020759.
  3. ^ Pomerleau, Clark A. (2013). Califia Women: Feminist Education against Sexism, Classism, and Racism (1st ed.). Austin, Texas: University of Texas Press. pp. 162–163. ISBN 978-0292752948. LCCN 2013021090.
  4. ^ a b Sangwand, Tiffany-Kay (2009). "Connexxus/Centro de Mujeres collection, 1985–1991" (PDF). Online Archive of California. p. 2. Retrieved 25 July 2021.
  5. ^ Stein, Marc, ed. (2004). Encyclopedia of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender History in America. Vol. 2 (1st ed.). New York, New York: Charles Scribner's Sons. pp. 146, 209. ISBN 978-0684312613. LCCN 2003017434.
  6. ^ McHugh, Kathleen A.; Johnson-Grau, Brenda; Sher, Ben Raphael, eds. (2014). The June L. Mazer Lesbian Archives: Making Invisible Histories Visible: A Resource Guide to the Collections. Los Angeles, California: UCLA Center for the Study of Women. p. 119. ISBN 978-0615990842.
  7. ^ Stein, Marc, ed. (2004). Encyclopedia of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender History in America. Vol. 1 (1st ed.). New York, New York: Charles Scribner's Sons. p. 259. ISBN 978-0684312613. LCCN 2003017434.
  8. ^ Córdova, Jeanne (2011). When We Were Outlaws: A Memoir of Love & Revolution (1st ed.). Midway, Florida: Spinster's Ink. ISBN 978-1935226512. LCCN 2014381642.
  9. ^ Judy Doyle Southern California Women for Understanding (SCWU) collection, 1975-1999 includes the Judy Doyle Papers which are housed at the UCLA Library Special Collections
  10. ^ Stein, Marc, ed. (2004). "Antidiscrimination Law and Policy". Encyclopedia of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender History in America. Vol. 1 (1st ed.). New York, New York: Charles Scribner's Sons. p. 69. ISBN 978-0684312613. LCCN 2003017434.
  11. ^ Skelton, George (September 26, 1992). "Wilson Signs Bill on Gay Job Rights : Legislation: Governor OKs compromise measure after his veto of a similar bill last year sparked statewide protests. Homosexual community is 'surprised, relieved.'". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 27 July 2021.
  12. ^ Gross, Jane (September 26, 1992). "California Governor, in Reversal, Signs a Bill on Gay Rights in Jobs". The New York Times. p. sec. 1; p. 1. Archived from the original on July 14, 2014. Retrieved 27 July 2021.
  13. ^ "Bunny MacCulloch papers, 1928–1989" (PDF). Online Archive of California.
  14. ^ "Herstory". Mazer Lesbian Archives. 2021.
  15. ^ "Minutes: City Council Meeting". City of West Hollywood. November 21, 1988. p. 8. Retrieved 25 July 2021.
  16. ^ "Connexxus". UCB Library Catalog. University of California, Berkeley. Retrieved 27 July 2021.
  17. ^ "Connexxus (Center)". Library of Congress. Retrieved 27 July 2021.
  18. ^ Zepeda, Susy (2012-01-01). "Tracing Queer Latina Diasporas: Escarvando Historical Narratives Of Ancestries And Silences" (PDF). UC Santa Cruz Electronic Theses and Dissertations: 200–202.

External links[]

Retrieved from ""