Iterative Processing, Continued Offerings: Digitizing Negatives in the George Choy Papers

Black and white photograph scanned from negative film of George Choy seated in a home.

George Choy’s archival collection at the GLBT Historical Society–though only consisting of two manuscript boxes and an oversized folder–is rich. Choy’s years of activist work in the Asian and Pacific Islander queer community immediately shine upon opening the boxes. Meeting minutes, organizational records and event ephemera from the early days of the Gay Asian Pacific Alliance (GAPA) illuminate the process of creating infrastructure for a mobilizing community. A cache of 1991 letters exchanged between members of San Francisco’s GAPA and Tokyo-based gay rights organization OCCUR document the formation of a relationship rooted in international solidarity. Touching photographs of Choy, Dean Lacerna, and John Silva’s travels to Japan to meet with OCCUR depict both the critical organizing work and playful joys experienced during the gathering of a group of gay men in their 20’s and 30’s. 

Thanks to an Archival Projects grant from the National Archives’ National Historical Publications & Records Commission, my colleague Devin McGeehan Muchmore and I got to spend precious time delving deeper into the contents of Choy’s collection. Building upon the work of previous GLBTHS archivists, Devin refined the collection’s archival structure and created a finding aid while I was tasked with digitizing a selection of materials. Amongst the heartfelt letters and commanding speeches, I found myself intrigued by the strips of negative film within the “Photographs” series of the collection. The negatives, arranged and preserved in archival sheet protectors, make up three full folders—a significant bulk in a relatively small collection. Some names, dates and labels appear on sheet headers, but most are blank. Given the difficulty of viewing negatives in comparison to prints, it was easy to imagine them being overlooked. 

Photograph of Hiroshi Niimi and George Choy (left to right)

Leaning into my curiosity, I carefully removed individual negative strips from their protective holdings and used our scanner to preview the images. The unassuming film proved to be on par with the surrounding collection contents. Triangulating the images’ visual clues with newspaper clippings and Lavender Godzilla (GAPA’s newsletter) articles, I realized some of the negatives offered rare glimpses into a visit OCCUR and Japan International Lesbian and Gay Association (JILGA) members made to San Francisco in June of 1991. Other images captured GAPA members hosting the visitors for a dinner party and marching together as part of a queer API group contingent in the International Lesbian and Gay Freedom Day Parade. 

Riding the thrill of these sights, I continued to work through the folders. I became increasingly struck by the tender flashes into Choy’s more intimate life—a view that is scarce both within the collection and other online resources. Strips of film depict Choy modeling during several photoshoots. Nature photographs from cross-country ski trips, Top 25 Party shots, and Two Tons of Fun concert pictures offer remnants of other areas of life in which he gave his time. I yearned for greater stories to narrate these images, but further details were undetectable.

Black and white photograph scanned from a series of negative film sheets labeled "Louda Choy 1985" and "Louda Choy Fashion Shots 1985".

This dance between my curiosity and the collection's limited information intensified with the negatives labeled “Louda Choy.” Dozens of images feature a woman, who I assume to be Louda, as the subject. In outfits ranging from baggy streetwear to formal glamour, Louda poses against the San Francisco cityscape. The photos are blooming with creative vision and an editorial feel but offer little context. Who was Louda Choy? How did she relate to George Choy? What were these images for? Attempting to establish informational links, I recalled Choy’s education in graphic design and pulled out another folder in the collection with greeting cards he produced under the name “AQueerian Graphics.” Maybe these pictures of Louda, with all their visual allure, tie into a greater legacy of Choy’s artistic production? Grabbing a folder with Choy’s resume, I see that he won a black and white photography award in college—maybe this was the shoot that earned him the honors? 

Despite the desire for answers, other tasks call and I must find peace in not knowing. Leaving a record of my time with Choy, I provide a brief description of the negative’s contents in the finding aid and create metadata for the selection of digitized images. The collection has been at GLBTHS for 30 years now, passing through the hands of many archivists and users along the way. Maybe my small part in the journey of stewardship was to spotlight these materials, creating more visible entry points for future plunges into Choy’s world. And perhaps when the next archivist or determined researcher comes along, they will build upon this work and find some of the answers. 

Written by Ash Waltz.

Images sourced from the Choy (George) Papers, 1994-35. Digitized in 2024/2025, with funding provided by the National Archives' National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC).