Lesbian activist's archives destroyed in fire

A fire burned through a Washington, D.C., lesbian activist's home, potentially destroying significant portions of her archives of local gay history, The Washington Blade reported Wednesday.

Cheryl Spector was at work when she discovered that an electrical fire had begun in her apartment, severely damaging her place and putting her years of archives in danger.

"I don't know what I've lost," Spector said to the Blade. She explained she would need the community's help to assess the damage. "We have to go picture by picture, photo album by photo album."

Spector has been an activist for lesbian rights and AIDS awareness for almost 20 years. She became involved in advocacy shortly after her brother's 1986 suicide following his AIDS diagnosis.

In an article published a month ago by the Blade, her apartment was described as "crammed with videos, photos, and memorabilia of gay events that she has attended, planned, and founded over the years."

"You could fill half a museum just with what's in my apartment," Spector said at the time. (The Advocate)

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