Halifax woman who photographed 2SLGBTQ+, women’s rights movements has work archived
Eric Smith is deeply engrossed in flipping through the pages of a photo album in his best friend’s apartment in Halifax’s west end. As he turns each page, memories flood back as he comes across a photo of himself taken decades earlier, alongside one of the first female members of the Nova Scotia Persons With AIDS Coalition. The black and white image transports him back in time, and he can’t help but think of the woman behind the camera — his dear friend, Anita Martinez.
Martinez, a talented professional photographer, passed away on Feb. 4 at the age of 85 after battling lymphoma. In the wake of her death, members of the 2SLGBTQ+ community and women’s rights activists rallied together to preserve the tens of thousands of photos she captured of these movements in Halifax from the 1980s onwards. These snapshots include early Pride Parades, Take Back the Night marches, and intimate portraits of marginalized community members.
“Her contribution has been huge,” Smith reflects. “For over 40 years, she essentially documented the history of the queer movement.”
The Elderberries, an organization for 2SLGBTQ+ elders in Atlantic Canada, raised over $2,400 to repair Martinez’s computer, recover external drives, and back up the photos before archiving them at the Nova Scotia LGBT Seniors Archive at Dalhousie University. Creighton Barrett, an acquisitions and reference archivist at the university, emphasizes the importance of Martinez’s collection in bringing the past to light and showcasing the ongoing battles for human rights and anti-discrimination.
Martinez moved to Halifax from the United States in 1983 and came out as a lesbian to her youngest daughter two years later. Lori Anne Goldammer, Martinez’s daughter, fondly remembers her mother’s dedication to social causes, particularly her involvement in the women’s rights movement and AIDS activism. Martinez’s photography not only captured the essence of these movements but also served as a means of preserving the legacies of those affected by HIV/AIDS during a time of heavy stigma.
Daniel MacKay, the secretary of the Elderberries, took on the task of sorting through Martinez’s extensive collection of photographs and personal documents stored on 13 external drives. With the community’s support, he raised funds to ensure the preservation of Martinez’s legacy for future generations. MacKay’s efforts will continue as he seeks the community’s help in identifying the individuals in Martinez’s photos, ensuring that her work as the documentarian of Halifax’s queer community in the ’80s and ’90s is celebrated and remembered for years to come.
As attendees of Martinez’s celebration of life added sticky notes to photos, providing context and identifying individuals, the commitment to honoring her legacy through community engagement and collective memory preservation was evident. The project to archive and share Martinez’s photographs serves as a testament to her lasting impact on the 2SLGBTQ+ and women’s rights movements in Halifax and beyond.
