Alternative Prom/Take Back the Night media coverage, 1998 - 1999

The Gloria Casarez papers are made up of materials produced, collected, and saved by Casarez over the course of her professional career. They are arranged into seven series: 1) Empty the Shelters, 2) Kensington Welfare Rights Union, 3) GALAEI, 4) Miscellaneous, 5) News media, and 6) Trophies, awards, and artifacts, and 7) Oversize graphics.

The first series, Empty the Shelters, contains materials produced while Casarez served as Program Director of the student poverty organization from 1991-1996. Of note are the materials produced for the organization's Summer of Social Action program, 1992-1995. While working for Empty the Shelters, Casarez became involved with the Kensington Welfare Rights Union. Materials from this organization make up the second series and include flyers and brochures as well as news clippings about the organization, 1993-1996.

The third series, GALAEI, is the largest, and includes a variety of materials related to her work as Youth Program Coordinator and Executive Director. There is material concerning the organization's Alternative Prom program, the Trans-Information Health Program (TIP), as well as grant applications in support of the organization's Reaching Adolescents Via Education (RAVE), PhillySafe Internet, and Midnight Cowboy initiatives. There are also flyers and brochures for a number of programs, as well as photographs of the staff and the organization's participation in the Philadelphia Pride Parade.

The miscellaneous materials series includes a range of materials that do not fit into the preceding categories, among them clippings, articles, brochures and flyers on LGBT youth/education and other issues; transgender materials; as well as documentation of awards from the National Campaign for Tolerance, and Casarez's inclusion in Out Magazine's Top 100 of the Millennium issue (2000). This file also includes a copy of Casarez's resume from that time.

The News media series includes articles about Casarez or the many organizations, programs, and initiatives she was involved in. Except in a few cases where only clippings were retained, most of these are in the form of complete issues of magazines, newsletters, or newspapers, from LGBT, Hispanic, and mainstream news sources. While not exhaustive, this is a significant accounting of the wide recognition accorded Casarez during her working years.

The series, Trophies, awards, and artifacts, includes a near complete collection of the many awards give to Casarez over the years. These are arranged in three boxes by size and material, but are listed in the finding aid in chronological order. Also in this series is a pair of figure skates signed "With love to Gloria, Johnny Weir" probably from the Olympic figure skating medalist's visit to the city of Philadelphia in 2010.

The final series, Oversize graphics, includes a framed and matted photograph of Casarez at the first rainbow flag raising at City Hall in 2010. It was posthumously signed for Tricia Dressel by Mayor Michael Nutter in 2014. Also, there are two posters and an original photograph for the GALAEI SexoLatex campaign.