2025#02. It's Voting Time

Please take some time to review the candidate statements for the 2025-2027 Diverse Sexuality and Gender Section leadership positions before submitting your vote once the ballots open.

You will be voting for:

• 1 Junior Co-chair / Elect Co-chair, and
• 1 Social Media / Web Liaison

Ballots will be managed by SAA staff through Survey Monkey; keep an eye on your inbox for when the ballot opens!

Junior Co-chair / Elect Co-chair Candidate:

A. R. Flynn

A.R. Flynn (they / them) is Project Archivist for the Glenn Miller Collections (University of Colorado Boulder). Flynn received their MLIS in 2024 from the University of Denver (DU) and their BA in History and Russian from Amherst College in 2020. Flynn’s work focuses primarily on the music of the Big Band Era, with an emphasis on highlighting the stories of individuals often underrepresented in archives.

Flynn’s research interests center on the sustainability of community archives by and for community members and their research on this topic appeared in the Spring 2025 newsletter of the Society of Rocky Mountain Archivists (SRMA). Flynn served as the president of the SAA student chapter at DU and was awarded the Dean’s Award for Commitment to Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Justice, and Accessibility for their work with the Park County Local History Archives on Chinese communities in Park County, Colorado at the turn of the century. Originally from Massachusetts, Flynn has resided in the West since 2021 and enjoys reading and gardening.

Statement of interest: As an early career archivist, I am looking to engage more closely with the professional archival community and build further experience in service and leadership. The Diverse Sexuality and Gender Section Steering Committee matches both my professional and research interests and centers a community that I feel connected to on a personal level but have only found my way to in recent years. Through my graduate research, I am familiar with community organizations such as the Lesbian Herstory Archives, the Digital Transgender Archives, the Mazer Lesbian Archives, and others featured on the DSGS’ Archives In Rainbow blog. One of my professional goals is to explore the ways in which archivists describe individuals in archival metadata, not just those who identify as LGBTQIA+, to find ways to use more gender-neutral language without compromising user accessibility and material discoverability. As the Junior Co-Chair/Chair Elect I would look to support, facilitate, and ultimately lead the identified and common goals of the DSGS Steering Committee. Thank you for your consideration.

Social Media / Web Liaison Candidate:

Kate Burns

Kate Burns (she or they) is Archives Librarian at Regis University in Denver, CO. Their experience includes work at History Colorado, Special Collections and Archives at the Denver Public Library, Arvada Historical Society, Sage Singer Chorus for LGBTQ+ elders archive, and the Colorado Golf Hall of Fame Museum. Over the years they have taught courses at colleges and universities in archival research oral history, gender and women's Studies, social justice, feminist theory, digital storytelling and writing. They identify as genderqueer and their research interests include LGBTQIA2S+ history, gender in the 19th century U.S. West community archives, serving older adults, and Open Education Resources (OER). They have a MLIS from the University of Denver along with an MA in Literature and Cultural Studies from the University of California, San Diego.

Statement of interest: I want to serve on the DSGS Steering Committee because LGBTQ+ rights are increasingly under attack; I believe it is more important than ever to safeguard our histories and cultural heritage. In the face of rising repression and erasure, I am committed to doing whatever I can to support the collecting, processing, and preservation of queer archival and museum collections. These materials are vital records of resilience, resistance, and identity, and I want to help ensure they remain accessible and protected for future generations. I would also like to work with the Steering Committee to continue to deliver meaningful programming, Archives in Rainbow blogs, and key communications to our Section and the membership of Society of American Archivists.