The LAGROC Collection includes materials from circa 1983-1989 in one manuscript box of approximately 0.25 linear feet.
Materials include clippings, meeting minutes, correspondence, various ephemera such as posters, flyers, and brochures, reports, and transcripts for two radio plays. They detail early lesbian and gay groups on campus and LAGROC's activities to add "sexual orientation" to the University of Michigan bylaws, advocacy and outreach efforts such as Lesbian and Gay Awareness Week, support groups, meeting minutes, and protests.
LAGROC (Lesbian and Gay Rights on Campus/Lesbian and Gay Rights Organizing Committee), otherwise known as LAGROC or LaGROC, was a student-led organization at the University of Michigan established in the 1980s. Originally known as "Lesbian and Gay Rights on Campus", members sought the inclusion of sexual orientation in the university's anti-discrimination policies. After an initial compromise with President Shapiro in 1984, LAGROC were largely inactive until 1987 with renewed efforts to address continued discrimination against lesbians, gay men, and other sexual minorities at the university.
Through their organizing efforts, they presented a list of demands to the university, particularly the inclusion of "sexual orientation" in the University's Non-Discrimination Logo and Regental Bylaw, along with mechanisms to address instances of discrimination, outreach, educational programming, a Gay Studies program, and a Gay Studies collection and reading room. To increase visibility and raise support for gay rights, members of LAGROC drew chalk slogans and spray paint messages on campus, wrote to the Michigan Daily on key issues, carried out Lesbian and Gay Rights Awareness Week with a "Blue Jean Day" where they asked students who support gay rights to wear jeans, led support groups, and did outreach to various student organizations, departments, and colleges.
Although Regents failed to approve the inclusion of "sexual orientation" in the bylaws in early 1988, LAGROC members continued efforts to change the university bylaws and additional outreach to raise awareness of lesbian and gay issues on campus. Their efforts led to a teaching assistant training workshop to address prejudice and the campus-wide, "Tell Someone" campaign to address discrimination against lesbians and gay men.
