Liz Throop and B. Joy Wasson papers
Scope and Contents
This collection contains papers from Liz Throop and B. Joy Wasson's LGBTQ+ advocacy. Included are financial planning materials and insurance policies for same-sex couples. Personal items include a Valentine's Day card, B. Joy Wasson’s resume, and a drawing notebook from Throop’s freshman year of college. Of particular note are a booklet and newspaper clippings from the National March on Washington for Lesbian and Gay Rights in 1987. The collection also contains hand-made protest signs and queer magazines.
Dates
- 1977-2013, undated
Creator
- Throop, Liz, 1957- (Person)
- Wasson, B. Joy, 1956- (Person)
Conditions Governing Access
This collection is open for research.
Conditions Governing Use
Unpublished manuscripts are protected by copyright. All requests to publish, quote, or reproduce must be submitted through the Kenan Research Center.
Biographical / Historical
Liz C. Throop (1957- ) was born in Akron, Ohio, and moved to Atlanta, Georgia, in 1975. She received her Bachelor of Fine Arts from Georgia State University in 1985 and her Master of Graphic Design from North Carolina State University in 1996. In October 1987, she participated in the Second National March on Washington for Lesbian and Gay Rights. Specifically, on October 10 she symbolically married her partner Joy Wasson (1956- ), alongside 2,000 other same-sex couples, in a mass wedding organized by Couples, Inc. (also known as The National Organization for the Advancement of Lesbian and Gay Couples) and presided over by Minister Dina Bachelor (1945- ).
In 1991, Throop helped found the Atlanta Lesbian and Gay History Thing (ALGHT) to preserve and house Atlanta’s LGBTQ history and promote understanding and appreciation of Atlanta’s lesbian and gay history. She also served as its president. In addition, Throop helped found the First Tuesday Association for Gay Rights and served on its board from 1977-1982. She taught graphic design at Georgia State University from 2018 to 2022.
B. Joy Wasson (1956- ) received her Associate in Arts degree from the Art Institute of Atlanta in 1979 and her Bachelor of Arts from Georgia State University. She worked for the DeKalb County Public Library, Theatre Gael, Trillium Asset Management, and the High Museum of Art. Between 2001 and 2017, she was the Academic Degree Program Coordinator for Emory University for 16 years before her retirement. She was also founding member of the Atlanta Lesbian and Gay History Thing.
Extent
.42 linear ft. (one document case and one oversize folder)
Language
English
Arrangement
This collection is arranged alphabetically by titles supplied by staff.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Gift, 2022
Bias in Description
As archivists, we acknowledge our role as stewards of information. We choose how individuals and organizations are represented and described in our archives. We are not neutral, and bias is reflected in our descriptions, which may not accurately convey the racist or offensive aspects of collection materials. Archivists make mistakes and might use poor judgment. In working with this collection, we often re-use language used by the former owners of the material. This language provides context but often includes bias and prejudices reflective of the time in which it was created. The Kenan Research Center’s work is ongoing to implement reparative language where Library of Congress subject terms are inaccurate and obsolete.
Kenan Research Center welcomes feedback and questions regarding our archival descriptions. If you encounter harmful, offensive, or insensitive terminology or descriptions, please let us know by emailing reference@atlantahistorycenter.com. Your comments are essential to our work to create inclusive and thoughtful description.
Processing Information
This collection was processed in 2023.
- Gay activists
- Gay couples -- Georgia -- Atlanta
- Gay couples -- Legal status, laws, etc.
- Gay liberation movement -- Georgia -- Atlanta
- Gay rights -- Georgia -- Atlanta
- Homosexuality -- Georgia -- Atlanta
- Lesbianism -- Georgia -- Atlanta
- Lesbians -- Georgia -- Atlanta
- National March on Washington for Lesbian and Gay Rights (2nd : 1987 : Washington, D.C.)
- Same-sex weddings
- Throop, Liz, 1957-
- Wasson, B. Joy, 1956-
- Women -- Georgia -- Atlanta -- Societies and clubs
- Women -- Political activity -- Georgia -- Atlanta
- Title
- Liz Throop and B. Joy Wasson papers
- Subtitle
- ahc.MSS1246
- Author
- Erica Freed
- Date
- February 2023
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
Repository Details
Part of the Kenan Research Center at Atlanta History Center Repository