All Special Collections

This collection is comprised of administrative documents from ENLACE and collaborators created between 1987-1994. The collection contains documents related to collaborations, correspondences, AIDS/HIV-related correspondences, newspaper coverage, events, meeting minutes, board records, newsletters, promotional materials, finances, and founding documents. The majority of documents are from the Washington, DC metropolitan area, however some correspondences come from other states and countries. Founded in 1987, ENLACE, the Washington, DC Metropolitan Area Latino Lesbian and Gay Coalition, was the first organization in the DC area to center the experiences of lesbian and gay Latinas/os. The organization was multi-faceted, offering social events for the community to gather at while also working to combat anti-gay and lesbian violence and provide health and educational resources. Over the years the group was active, ENLACE collaborated with the DC mayor’s office, other community health organizations, and other gay and lesbian organizations. The organization was run by volunteers and had a membership base that helped run committees, attended events, and received bi-monthly newsletters. ENLACE dissolved in 1995 but helped blaze the trail for future queer Latinx organizations in Washington, DC. These materials were collected and donated by Letitia Gomez, a former president of ENLACE. The collection was digitized by Emma Busch CAS/BA '22 and funded by the AU Summer Scholars Program, the Department of Sociology, the AU Honors Program, and the University Library.