Yolanda Retter Explained

Yolanda Retter
Birth Date:4 December 1947
Birth Place:New Haven, Connecticut, United States
Death Place:Van Nuys, Los Angeles, United States
Occupation:Librarian
Known For:lesbian activist

Yolanda Retter (December 4, 1947 – August 18, 2007) was an American lesbian activist, librarian, archivist, and author.[1] [2]

Early life

Retter was born in Connecticut but spent most of her childhood in El Salvador. 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 inspired her activism.

Education

Retter attended Pitzer College in Claremont, California, and graduated in 1970 with a degree in sociology.[3] In the 1980s she completed master's degrees in library science (1983) and social work (1987) from the University of California, Los Angeles, and in 1996 she received her Ph.D. in American Studies from the University of New Mexico, Albuquerque.[4]

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.[5]

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, Leslie's children, Martin and Belinda, and women she chose.

Publications

Lesbian News articles by Retter

External links

Notes and References

  1. News: Woo . Elaine . Yolanda Retter, 59; controversial activist for lesbian, minority rights . . August 29, 2007 . April 20, 2014.
  2. Obituaries - Yolanda Retter Vargas . . 2007 . 38 . 9 . . 0002-9769 . 27771345.
  3. In Memoriam: Yolanda Retter '70 . The Participant . . Fall 2007 . 49 . October 14, 2016 . September 6, 2015 . https://web.archive.org/web/20150906011207/http://pitweb.pitzer.edu/communications/wp-content/uploads/sites/17/2014/05/Fall-2007-Participant.pdf . dead.
  4. News: Cordova . Jeanne . Ballen . Lynn Harris . Memorial set for lesbian scholar Yolanda Retter Vargas . . September 19, 2007 . October 14, 2016.
  5. Gay Latina leader Yolanda Retter Vargas dies . . August 23, 2007 . October 14, 2016.