Our Story
Founded in the Bay Area as the West Coast Lesbian Collections, the Archives were moved to Southern California in 1987 by June L. Mazer and Bunny Mac Culloch. Stewarded by generations of committed volunteers for 45 years, the Archives transitioned to a small full-time staff in 2025.
JunE L. Mazer
June L. Mazer (left) seen here with Bunny Mac Culloch, was born in Baltimore, Maryland in1929. Her educational experiences combined with her tenure at the Children’s Experimental Theatre in Baltimore, the Center for the Healing Arts in Los Angeles, and the California Institute of Psychodrama in Los Angeles led her to the practice of Psychodrama Therapy at several different medical institutions throughout the country. In 1970, she moved to Los Angeles and became active in the lesbian activist community.
She was a member of SCWU (Southern California Women for Understanding) where she met her partner Bunny. Together they worked on the SCWU Newsletter and remained involved in the organization for the rest of their lives. June died of cancer in 1987. After her death the Archives were renamed to honor her commitment to lesbian activism and historical preservation.
Nancy “Bunny” Mac Culloch
Bunny Mac Culloch was born Nancy Winifred Mac Culloch in Salem, Massachusetts in 1928. She majored in journalism at Vermont Junior College in Montpelier for two years before traveling throughout Europe. She was an accomplished film editor, avid film collector, and lifelong activist and community partner. She served as an active member and board member of several organizations including SCWU and Connexxus. A dedicated preservationist, Bunny visited lesbian’s homes and cleared out their closets (literally) in order to keep from losing lesbian history.
She and partner June Mazer held the Archives in their Altadena home from 1986-1989 at which point with the help of Jodi Curlee, Lauren Jardine and Del Martinez of Connexxus/Centro de Mujeres, Jean Conger and the Gay and Lesbian Task Force it was moved from Altadena to the Werle Building in West Hollywood. Later that same year, Bunny died of cancer.
