Yolanda Retter (December 4, 1947 – August 18, 2007) was an American

lesbian A lesbian is a Homosexuality, homosexual woman.Zimmerman, p. 453. The word is also used for women in relation to their sexual identity or sexual behavior, regardless of sexual orientation, or as an adjective to characterize or associate n ...

activist, librarian, archivist, and author.

Early life

Retter was born in

Connecticut Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. Its cap ...

but spent most of her childhood in

El Salvador El Salvador (; , meaning " The Saviour"), officially the Republic of El Salvador ( es, República de El Salvador), is a country in Central America. It is bordered on the northeast by Honduras, on the northwest by Guatemala, and on the south b ...

. Her mother was Peruvian and her father was American. Her first encounter with racism took place when she was twelve years old, when she returned to school in Connecticut. This incident spearheaded her activism.

Education

Retter attended

Pitzer College Pitzer College is a private liberal arts college in Claremont, California. One of the Claremont Colleges, the college has a curricular emphasis on the social sciences, behavioral sciences, international programs, and media studies. Pitzer is k ...

in Claremont, California and graduated in 1970 with a degree in sociology. In the 1980s she completed master's degrees in

library science Library science (often termed library studies, bibliothecography, and library economy) is an interdisciplinary or multidisciplinary field that applies the practices, perspectives, and tools of management, information technology, education, and ...

(1983) and

social work Social work is an academic discipline and practice-based profession concerned with meeting the basic needs of individuals, families, groups, communities, and society as a whole to enhance their individual and collective well-being. Social work ...

(1987) from the

University of California, Los Angeles The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a teachers college then known as the southern branch of the California St ...

and in 1996 she received her Ph.D. in

American Studies American studies or American civilization is an interdisciplinary field of scholarship that examines American literature, history, society, and culture. It traditionally incorporates literary criticism, historiography and critical theory. Sch ...

from the University of New Mexico, Albuquerque.

Career

Before becoming a librarian and archivist, Retter held a variety of jobs, some as a volunteer. She worked in prison and parole programs, as a director of a rape hotline, and original publisher of the Los Angeles Women's Yellow Pages. She then became the founding archivist of the Lesbian Legacy Collection at the ONE Archives and volunteered at the June Mazer Lesbian Archives. From 2003 to the time of her death, Retter served as the head librarian and archivist of the Chicano Studies Research Center at the University of California, Los Angeles.

Death

Retter died on August 18, 2007, in Los Angeles, California, after a short battle with cancer. She was surrounded by her partner of thirteen years, Leslie Golden Stampler, and women she chose.

Publications

* "Childcare."
Encyclopedia of Feminist Theories
'' ed. Lorraine Code. New York: Routledge, 2002. *
Gay and Lesbian Rights in the United States: A Documentary History
' with Walter Lee Williams (Eds.). Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 2003. *
Great Events in History: Gay Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender Events
'' with Lillian Faderman, Horacio Roque Ramirez, et al. (Eds.). Pasadena: Salem Press, 2006 *
Identity Development of Lifelong vs. Catalyzed Latina Lesbians
'' M.A. Thesis. University of California Los Angeles, 1987. * "Lesbian Activism in Los Angeles (1970-1979),"
Queers in Space: Communities, Public Places, Sites of Resistance
'' eds. Anne-Marie Bouthillette, Gordon Brent Ingram, and Yolanda Retter. Bay Press, 1997. * "Los Angeles."
Encyclopedia of Lesbian Histories and Cultures
', ed. Bonnie Zimmerman. NY: Routledge, 2000. 479–480. * ''On the Side of Angels: Lesbian Activism in Los Angeles, 1970-1990.'' Ph.D. dissertation, University of New Mexico, 1998. * "Sisterhood is Possible."
Time It Was: American Stories from the Sixties
'' eds. Karen Manners Smith and Tim Koster. London: Pearson, 2007. * "Lesbians."
Oxford Encyclopedia of Latinos and Latinas in the United States
'' New York: Oxford, 2005. * "Martinez, Betita."
Encyclopedia of Activism and Social Justice
'' eds. Gary L. Anderson and Kathryn G. Herr. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications, 2007. * "Preservation of LGBT History: The ONE Archive."
Pathways to Progress: Issues and Advances in Latino Librarianship
'' eds. John L. Ayala and Salvador Güereña. Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-CLIO, 2012.

''Lesbian News'' articles by Retter

*"Activist and Tenant's Rights Attorney Lisa Korben Dies at 55." Jun. 2005, Vol. 30, Issue 11, p. 15. *"ACW Founder Brenda Weathers Dies." May 2005, Vol. 30, Issue 10, p. 17. *"Alice Dunbar-Nelson." Dec. 1998, Vol. 24, Issue 5, p. 60. *"Barbara Gittings (1932-2007)." Apr. 2007, Vol. 32, Issue 9, p. 5. *"Djuna Barnes." Jan. 1999. Vol. 24, Issue 6, p. 52. *"Dyke March: A Herstory." Jun. 1999. Vol. 24, Issue 11, p. 29. *"Festivals: Born from Womyn's Music." owritten with Renee McBrideAug. 1995, Vol. 21, Issue 1, p. 31. *"Herstory: Catalina de Erauso." Jun. 1998, Vol. 23, Issue 11, p. 68. *"Herstory: Deborah Sampson." Nov. 1998. Vol. 24, Issue 4, p. 52. *"Herstory: Elaine Noble." Sep. 1998, Vol. 24, Issue 2, p. 52. *"Herstory: Eva Le Gallienne." Jan. 1998, Vol. 23, Issue 6, p. 56. *"Herstory: Lillian Wald." Apr. 1998, Vol. 23, Issue 9, p. 56. *"Herstory: Mary Lewis." Feb. 1998, Vol. 23, Issue 7, p. 56. *"Herstory: Mina Meyer and Sharon Raphael." Mar. 1998, Vol. 23, Issue 8, p. 56. *"In Memoriam of Johnnie Phelps." May 1998, Vol. 23, Issue 10, p. 64. *" n Memoriamof Alla Nazimova." Jul. 1998, Vol. 23, Issue 12, p. 52. *"The Ladies of Llargollen." Mar. 1999, Vol. 24, Issue 8, p. 64. *"Lesbian Los Angeles." March 1995, Vol. 20 Issue 8, p. 62-63. *"The LNs Herstory is the Chronicle of Our Story." Aug. 1999, Vol. 25, Issue 1, p. 29. *"Ruth Ellis." Feb. 1999, Vol. 24, Issue 7, p. 56. *"Sarah Josephine Baker." Apr. 1999, Vol. 24, Issue 9, p. 52.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Retter, Yolanda 1948 births 2007 deaths 20th-century American historians 20th-century American LGBT people 20th-century American women 21st-century American women American LGBT rights activists American librarians American women librarians Hispanic and Latino American librarians Lesbian feminists LGBT studies academics LGBT Hispanic and Latino American people Activists from Los Angeles Historians from California Historians from Connecticut LGBT people from Connecticut Writers from New Haven, Connecticut Pitzer College alumni UCLA Graduate School of Education and Information Studies alumni UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs alumni