LCJ Senior Fellow Gabriel San Emeterio is the Disability, language justice, and HIV director and board member at the NYC Trans Archive. Gabriel will be speaking about their work with the archive, with a focus on HIV and disability, during roundtables at two upcoming conferences:
Making Trans History: Resisting Censorship, Preserving Culture, and Building Radical Archives
National Women’s Studies Association’s Annual Conference
November 15, 2025
While publications about transgender history increase by the year, there are only a handful of transgender archives around the globe. This interactive conversation offers a critical reflection on recent efforts in transgender history and archiving, merging the scholarly foundations of the archives with practical advice on preserving community knowledge. This roundtable will work directly with participants to answer key questions about archiving for all communities typically left out of the archives.
The panelists are founders of the New York City Trans Archive, the only full-service trans-specific archive on the East Coast. The roundtable will discuss the urgency of community archiving during the growth of global fascism and the Trump administration. Each panelist will offer their expertise as trans archivists, historians, activists, organizers, and culture workers to address vital issues about the politics and ethics of community histories. Why and how do groups start archives? How can archives work to avoid reproducing existing “hierarchies” in history? How do organizers stay safe during the crackdown on cultural institutions? Incorporating audience participation, this roundtable will address the urgent questions surrounding trans history today. Learn more about the panel.
New Directions in Trans Archiving
Annual meeting of the American Studies Association
November 20, 2025
Despite the increasing publication of transgender history texts over recent years, there are only a small number of trans-specific archives across the world. This interactive roundtable will discuss the politics, ethics, and practices of trans archiving. Bringing together the historians and organizers of the New York City Trans Archives, the first trans-specific archive in New York, the discussion addresses key questions about trans archiving today.
How do we apply ethical considerations to the archives? What materials are best suited for archiving? Do trans people need an independent archive? What resources are needed in trans archiving? What qualifies as an archive? Why and how do trans people become involved in archiving? Incorporating audience participation, the speakers will hold an urgently needed discussion of the practical and theoretical frameworks necessary for archiving.