Name Change Update

At our most recent AGM in October 2019 the results of the name change consultation were shared. Over 450 people responded to our on-line survey which asked a range of questions about our current name, what people liked, what they didn’t and suggestions for a new name. The majority of respondents support a new name for the Archives. This support was also mirrored in the Discussion forums and correspondance.

Respondents believed the name should be more inclusive to better reflect the diversity of our communities and collection and the majority preferred that we keep the words Archives and Australian in the new name.

The ALGA Committee is now working through some of the most popular suggestions and we will then begin another range of consultation with our key stakeholders. A special general meeting will then be held to change the name. We are hoping this will happen in mid 2020.

The Process of Consultation to date

• Announced at 2018 AGM that ALGA would begin a process of consultation
• Overview of consultation on website
• Flyers outlining the name change at Midsumma Carnival 2019
• 30-40 one-on-one conversations and email correspondence
• 450 responses to on-line survey
• Two facilitated group discussion forums
• Email and phone follow up with people unable to attend forums
• Results reported back at the 2019 AGM

Background to the name change

Here is a little bit of history for you about our name:

• In 1978, when the Archives was founded, it was named the Australian Gay Archives.
• In 1991 the name was changed to the Australian Lesbian and Gay
  Archives (ALGA). The 1991 change was felt to be more reflective of the
  identities within the community.
• In the last few years It has been suggested by some members and
  supporters that the name – ‘Australian Lesbian and Gay Archives’ (often
  referred to as ALGA) needs to be more inclusive of the broader LGBTIQ+
  communities.

Why now? Well, in 2018 ALGA celebrated its 40th Anniversary – a fantastic achievement and as a community archive that actively collects materials from the broad diversity of our LGBTIQ+ communities the time is right. Our holdings have included bisexual and transgender material
since our foundation, and we are increasingly receiving intersex, non-binary, brotherboy, sistergirl, and third gender multicultural material. However, few people are aware of these diverse holdings, and we regularly receive commentary from the community and members about the dissonance between our holdings, our collecting aims and our name.

2019 is the right time to enter into this name consultation and check
in with people about how they feel about the name of this amazing
organisation and whether or not it accurately reflects both who we are
also the communities we represent.

ALGA will be engaging with members, supporters, volunteers and wider
community in the coming months to hear their thoughts, suggestions and
concerns about a potential name change. Any outcome of this consultation
will then be taken to an AGM for consideration. Please note that at the
end of this process ALGA may decide not to change the name. Or, we may
decide to change our name. We really won’t know until the end of this
process. To be clear – the outcome has not been decided as it will be
based on the feedback that we get during this consultation process.

Thanks so much for being part of this process and your on-going support of the Archives.

ANGELA BAILEY

ALGA President on behalf of the ALGA Committee