The Gerber/Hart Archives focuses its collections on gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, and queer life in the Chicago metropolitan area and the Midwest. It contains over 160 collections of historically significant personal manuscripts, photographs, audiovisual recordings, and organizational records. These collections include unpublished material such as letters, diaries, and scrapbooks documenting the lives of both average people and community leaders. They also include the records of many community organizations, businesses, and political campaigns.
You can search the archive collections in three ways:
(1) Search via ArchivesSpace platform
This provides additional subject and keyword search options. This database also includes some ephemera files
(2) Search via Preservica platform
This database allows you to visually peruse select archival items in our collection!
(3) Search the HTML Archival Collection Guide (below)
This provides an indexed annotated list of collections in the Archives that can be browsed by scrolling down the page. Use Ctrl+F to open a webpage search box to search for terms.
Please do not hesitate to contact us at info@gerberhart.org with any information requests you may have for your personal or research interests. We look forward to working with you to ensure access to our materials as we complete processing.
Archival Collection Guide
Scroll the page to browse available collections alphabetically. Collections with available finding aids will be linked via the title.
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1987 March on Washington Committee, 1987
3.5 linear feet.
Ephemera including t-shirts, buttons, posters, flyers, brochures, and maps from the political rally that took place in Washington, D.C. on October 11, 1987 and drew 50,000 homosexual men, lesbians, bisexuals, transgender people, and straight allies to demand equal civil rights and urge the passage of protective civil rights legislation.
85% Coalition Collection, 1999 – 2005; (bulk) 2001 – 2005
2 linear feet.
The 85% Coalition was a direct action organization that raised awareness of discrimination against LGBT people by holding demonstrations to put pressure on state legislators to vote for laws that would include sexual orientation and gender identity among the protected classes of people in the Illinois Human Rights Act. The records contain extensive email correspondence and press clippings of the group’s media coverage.
A
AIDS Conference records, 1992-1993
5 linear feet.
The AIDS Conference collection consists of binders, handouts, and flyers from the 8th International AIDS Conference in Amsterdam, The Netherlands and the 9th International AIDS Conference in Berlin, Germany.
AIDS Walk Chicago records, 1990-1998
6 linear feet.
The records reflect the activities of AIDS Walk Chicago, which was dedicated to organizing 5K walks to raise funds for Chicagoland AIDS prevention and care providers. The collection is comprised of administrative records, photo albums, and videotapes documenting various races.
Alvin Ailey Collection, 1957-2005; (bulk) 1980-2003
.5 linear feet.
Alvin Ailey (January 5, 1931 – December 1, 1989) was an African-American choreographer and activist who founded the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater in New York City. He is credited with popularizing modern dance and revolutionizing African-American participation in 20th-century concert dance. The Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater (AAADT) is a modern dance company based in New York, New York and is, as of 2018, made up of 32 dancers, led by artistic director Robert Battle and associate artistic director Masazumi Chaya. The collection includes playbills, periodicals, signed documents, and various ephemera.
Barry Aldridge Papers, 1995 – 1999
1 linear foot.
Barry Aldridge was an active board member of Gerber/Hart Library and Archives in the mid-to-late nineties. The collection contains organizational files and newsletters collected and maintained by Aldridge, including Board of Directors minutes, budget and planning documents, and grant application information.
Ken Allen papers, 1980-1997
10 linear feet.
Ken Allen was a long-time member of Men of All Colors Together (MACT) and the Chicago chapter of the National Association of Black and White Men Together (NABWMT). His collection contains personal papers, photographs, videotapes, posters, memorabilia, and awards that document his involvement in MACT and its national parent organization.
David Altenboro papers, 1989-1992
2 linear foot.
The David Altenboro papers contain materials relating to AIDS treatment and the psychological medical care of AIDS patients at Howard Brown Health Clinic.
Amigas Latinas records, 1995 – 2015
12 linear feet.
Founded in 1995, Amigas Latinas was a volunteer-run organization that specifically served the LGBT Latina community through monthly discussion groups, support groups, workshops, educational training, public programs, and events. The group advocated to ensure that legislators, funders, and other not-for-profit organizations consider the intersection of issues faced by LGBT Latinas, who often struggle within Latina/o communities and within larger LGBT organizations. The records include meeting minutes, agendas, bylaws, financial documents, contracts, fundraising materials, negatives, photographs, plaques, fliers, programs, brochures, newsletters, t-shirts, buttons, stickers, videotapes, cassettes, compact discs, and press clippings.
John Applegate papers, 1931-1959
1 linear foot.
John Applegate was a lifelong Chicago resident who avidly collected clipping from a wide variety of serials dating back to the early 1930s. His collection includes scrapbooks, photographs, postcards, and newspaper, and magazine clippings.
Artemis Singers records, 1980 – 1987
2 linear feet.
Founded in 1980, Artemis Singers was a lesbian chorus committed to singing music written and/or arranged by women, thereby hoping to give recognition to the many women composers forgotten by history and to contemporary songwriters who are often thought of only as singers. The records contain meeting minutes, financial records, various concert preparation papers, cassette recordings of concerts, posters, and press clippings.
B
Lorraine Sade Baskerville papers, 1994 – 2004
1 linear foot.
An American social worker, activist, and trans woman best known for her work as an HIV/AIDS case manager at Howard Brown Health Center and Horizons Community Services, as well as her founding of the transgender advocacy group transGENESIS. TransGENESIS served to address issues of gender identity, substance abuse, HIV/AIDS, sex work, harm reduction, and self-empowerment in the greater Chicagoland area. The collection contents include drawings (over-size), posters (over-size), photographs, autographs, publications, reports, magazines, clippings, awards, certificates, pamphlets, and fliers.
BEHIV [Better Existence with HIV] records, 1993-2009
2 linear feet.
Founded in 1989, BEHIV was a comprehensive HIV/AIDS service provider for Northern Chicago and the Northwest suburbs that provided direct services to individuals and families living with HIV and prevention education programs for the community and those at risk. The records include correspondence, photographs, newsletters, pamphlets, programs, t-shirts, and press clippings.
David Bell Collection, 1988 – 1992
1 linear foot.
From 1985 to his death in 1989, David Bell was a highly visible HIV/AIDS activist, advocate, organizer, and volunteer. His papers include HIV/AIDS education and awareness program information, CDC National AIDS Clearinghouse materials, newsletters, and press clippings.
Joyce Bolinger papers, 1995-1996
1 linear foot.
Administrative files, financial records, board meeting minutes, agendas, bylaws, and newsletters amassed during Joyce Bolinger’s tenure as President of Gerber/Hart Library and Archives.
Tom Boyden Collection, 1980
0.5 linear feet.
The collection contains a master’s thesis written by Tom Boyden in 1980 at Loyola University entitled “Idealized Partner Preference For Males.” Also included in the papers are the survey forms completed for the thesis.
David Boyer papers, 1975-1994
3.5 linear feet.
David Boyer was the longtime owner of Carol’s Speakeasy, the only large gay dance bar in Chicago to remain in business from the 1970s through the 1990s. His papers include records for the Tavern Guild and Gay and Lesbian Coalition of Metropolitan Chicago and an assortment of ephemera such as pamphlets, programs, magazines, t-shirts, and press clippings regarding the AIDS epidemic, as well as national and local LGBT organizations.
Kevin Boyer papers, 1989-1996
2 linear feet.
Organizational files, board meeting minutes, correspondence, and newsletters from Gerber/Hart Library and Archives donated by board member, Kevin Boyer.
Scott Burgh papers, 1992-1999
1 linear foot.
Scott Burgh is the chief law librarian for the City of Chicago Legal Department, a local historian, and former volunteer librarian and board member for Gerber/Hart Library and Archives. His papers contain newsletters, flyers, brochures, programs, and assorted ephemera from various Chicago-based LGBT organizations.
George S. Buse papers, 1943-1989
5 linear feet.
George Buse was a journalist, activist, actor, and minister. He was a WWII Marine veteran who was discharged from a Navy chaplaincy for being homosexual. Buse was also a civil rights and anti-Vietnam War activist in the 1960s. He served as secretary of the Gay and Lesbian Coalition of Metropolitan Chicago in the 1970s, as well as being an active member of Presbyterians for Gay and Lesbian Concerns, Lesbian and Bisexual Veterans of America, and the Midwest Men’s Center of Chicago. Buse’s collection is comprised of correspondence, negatives, photographs, slides, scrapbooks, photo albums, plaques, awards, cassettes, videotapes, flyers, newsletters, news clippings, and assorted ephemera.
Jim Bussen papers, 1972-1995
3 linear feet.
Jim Bussen was a gay rights activist who founded Chicago’s chapter of the gay Catholic group Dignity in January 1972. He served as national president of Dignity USA from 1985-1989. His papers include organizational files, photographs, LGBT awards, press clippings, and numerous newsletters of Dignity U.S.A. and Dignity Chicago.
C
Camp Sister Spirit, 1993-2001
.25 linear feet.
Founded in 1993 by Wanda and Brenda Henson, and located in Ovett, Mississippi, Camp Sister Spirit is a charitable IRS-recognized organization, committed to providing people counseling, information, education, referral, advocacy, and meeting space to address social issues. In addition to being an accepting, non-discriminatory environment catering to women/womyn and LGBTQ folks, the camp also hosted annual summit meeting and training for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender activists. The collection contains extensive press clippings, some handwritten and typed correspondence, press releases, marketing ephemera, photographs, photo negatives, and miscellaneous documents.
Chi-Town Squares records, 1991 – 1992
0.5 linear foot.
Chi-Town Squares is Chicago’s only gay and lesbian square dance club founded in 1987 by Jerry Cohen and Ron Goldman. The records contain meeting minutes, agendas, bylaws, financial reports, correspondence, events attendance records, membership information, and newsletters.
Chicago Area Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce, 1997-2002
1.5 linear feet.
An affiliated branch of the National LBGT Chamber of Commerce, founded in 2002, the Chicago Area Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce aims to expand the economic opportunities and advancement of the LGBT business community. The Chicago Area affiliate promotes businesses that encourage equality as well as serving as a networking and education resource for LGBT businesses in the Greater Chicago Area. The collection contents include correspondence, lists, mailers, fliers, forms, programs, advertisements, pamphlets, posters, newsletters, and information booklets.
Chicago Bi-Ways Collection, 1980 – 1985
0.5 linear foot.
Founded in 1978, Chicago Bi-Ways was an organization that represented a network of people interested in bisexuality. The group sponsored informal drop-in discussions and held social activities such as parties, potluck dinners, picnics, and weekend retreats. Chicago Bi-Ways periodically published a newsletter, which contained a schedule of their events. The collection consists of Bi-Ways purpose and charter, correspondence, committee reports, newsletters, and press clippings.
Chicago Gay Alliance, 1971-1976
1 linear foot.
Founded in 1971 as Chicago’s first gay and lesbian community center, the group was committed to garnering political and equal rights for gay and lesbian individuals. Collection contents include over-sized posters, over-sized calendars, press releases, correspondence, fliers, advertisements, pamphlets, newsletters, leaflets, unbound publications, clippings, bulletins, lists, maps, political ephemera, a bill text, court documents, and financial records.
Chicago Gay and Lesbian Hall of Fame records, circa 1991
0.5 linear foot.
Founded in 1991, the Chicago Gay and Lesbian Hall of Fame is an institution that honors the volunteer and professional achievements of LGBT people and organizations and their allies that improve the quality of life of Chicago’s LGBT community. The collection contains materials regarding twelve individuals and two organizations nominated for 1991 Chicago Gay and Lesbian Hall of Fame including resumes, letters, newspapers, publications, press clippings, and photographs about, or by, inductees.
Chicago Gay Liberation Memorabilia Collection, 1970s – 1980s
1 linear foot.
Inspired by the Stonewall riots in New York, Henry Weimhoff, a former University of Chicago student, spearheaded the organization of the University of Chicago Gay Liberation Front. Over the course of the next two decades, the early activism of both Mattachine Midwest and Chicago Gay Liberation would lead to important political victories for gay men and lesbians in Chicago. The collection includes fliers, articles, press releases, planning documents, newspapers, and some correspondence from Chicago and national gay liberation and gay rights organizations during the 1970s and 1980s.
Chicago Gay Men’s Chorus Video and Sound Archive Collection, 1981 – 1990; (bulk) 1983 – 1989
3 linear feet.
The Chicago Gay Men’s Chorus (CGMC) was founded in 1983 in order to participate in the Come Out and Sing Together (COAST) festival in New York City. They perform choral ensemble work, musical theater, and original work. The chorus performs locally and has traveled throughout the United States and Canada. The collection was donated in memory of Garth Guido, a CGMC member. The collection is majorly made up of audio cassette tapes in good physical condition, but with unknown playback quality.
Chicago March on Washington Committee, 1987
1 linear foot.
Staged in part because of the AIDS epidemic and the 1986 Bowers v. Hardwick Supreme Court ruling, which upheld state sodomy laws, the October, 1987 protest march and subsequent civil disobedience, put the organized LGBT community on the national stage by drawing 500,000 people to Washington. The Chicago March on Washington Committee provided locals with civil disobedience training and education, while seeking monetary and political endorsements, as well as media visibility. The collection contents include correspondence, reports, financial records, receipts, lists, press releases, handwritten notes, pamphlets, stationary, political lobbying documents, maps, advertisements, forms, calendars, fliers, meeting minutes, and newspapers.
Chicago Professional Networking Association (CPNA) Collection, 1987 – 2002
2 linear feet.
The Chicago Professional Networking Association (CPNA) was established in 1987, when a small group of gay and lesbian business people, professionals and friends of the community decided to begin meeting on a monthly basis to share information and support for gays and lesbians in the workplace. Today, CPNA continues to provide a place for gay and lesbian professional people to meet, network, and help each other succeed while being responsibly involved in the gay and lesbian community. The collection consists of board meeting minutes, bylaws, membership reports, call lists, financial records, correspondence, newsletters, and a scrapbook.
Thomas R. Chiola Collection, 1993 – 2010; (bulk) 1994
.25 linear feet.
Elected to the Illinois Circuit Court of Cook Country, Thomas R. Chiola was the first openly gay candidate elected to any federal, state, county or municipal office in Illinois. He served as a judge from 1994 – 2009. Chiola is also an inductee into the Chicago Gay and Lesbian Hall of fame, receiving the honor in 1997. The collection contains mostly clippings and newspapers, but also includes photographs, correspondence, publications, and documents related to the campaign and subsequent election of Judge Chiola.
David Cohen papers, 2003-2009
2 linear feet.
David Cohen was the founder and publisher of the LGBT publications the PINK Pages, Pride Magazine, and PINK magazine. His collection is comprised of the aforementioned publications and photographs of events, which are saved to DVD-Rs.
Jason Cohen papers, 1987-1993
1.5 linear feet.
Jason Cohen co-founded Anderson Gay and Lesbian Employees (ANGELS), served as a volunteer advisor at Horizons Training and Youth Services, and was active in the Chicago chapter of the Names Project. His collection includes meeting minutes, correspondence, financial records, press releases, and training materials.
D
Jon-Henri Damski papers, 1961-1997
13 linear feet.
Jon-Henri Damski was a weekly columnist in the LGBT press, journalist, essayist, poet, author and community activist who chronicled gay life in Chicago from the mid-to-late 1970s through the late 1990s. Through his tireless lobbying efforts as a member of the “Gang of Four” he played a pivotal role in helping to secure the passage of the Chicago Human Rights Ordinance in 1988 and the city hate crimes bill in 1990. His collection includes manuscripts, publications, photographs, and press clippings.
James C. Darby Collection, 1991 – 2005
0.5 linear foot.
James C. Darby was President of the Chicago chapter of the American Veterans for Equal Rights, a non-profit association of active, reserve, and veteran service members dedicated to full and equal rights and equitable treatment for all present and former members of the U.S. Armed Forces. His collection includes 181 copies of Vet Pride, the newsletter for the Chicago chapter of Gay, Lesbians and Bisexuals of America/American Veterans for Equal Rights (GLBVA/AVER), and 51 copies of the GLBVA/AVER newsletter, The Forward Observer, dating January 1991 to September 1995.
Brian L. David papers, 1990-1996
1 linear foot.
The collection contains papers amassed during Brian L. David’s tenure as President of Impact Illinois, Inc., and includes board of directors’ meeting minutes and agendas, correspondence, financial records, and press clippings.
Tim Dean papers, 1984-1988
0.5 linear foot.
The papers consist of manuscripts by playwright Jeff Hagedorn donated by his friend Tim Dean and includes drafts of Crusaders (1988), High Risk Romance (1986), In a Room with a Brass Bed (1984), and Teddie’s Murder (1985).
Thomas Dombkowski papers, 1985-1990
2.5 linear feet.
Thomas Dombkowski helped to establish Chicago House, an HIV and AIDS hospice, eventually becoming its executive director. He also worked for the Howard Brown Health Center and for the Chicago Department of Heath, and founded the Chicago Gay and Lesbian Hall of Fame. His collection is comprised of materials related to Chicago House and Social Service Agency, and includes board meeting minutes, patient care policies, financial records, correspondence, appointment diaries, and press clippings.
Robinn Dupreé Oral History Project, 1997
.5 linear foot.
Oral history project of Robin Dupreé conducted by Erin Roth (by interview). The interview contains biographical information regarding the life of a transgender person and her career as a “female impersonator.” The collection includes three audiotapes, three indices of the transcriptions, one summary of the interview, and a manuscript detailing the interview.
Martin Dupuis papers, 1974-2001
5 linear feet.
The collection consists of extensive research notes, press clippings, and photocopies of articles for a book on sexual orientation by Assistant Professor Martin Dupuis of the Department of Political Science at Western Illinois University.
Veronica Drake Collection, 1989 – 1995
.5 linear feet.
Veronica Drake served as a Gerber/Hart Board of Directors member for three years. She founded Lesbian Chicago, helped organize the March on Washington, and worked with the Lambda Force at Columbia College as an adviser. Her collection includes letters, notes, minutes, and newsletters associated with Lesbian Chicago, Lambda Force, and Gerber/Hart.
Patrick Dwyer papers, 1996
1 linear foot.
The collection is comprised of personal papers and memorabilia of Patrick Dwyer, primarily documenting his 1996 campaign for Cook County Recorder of Deeds. His papers include an essay and platform, a letter to the lesbian and gay community after his coming out, a police report of phone threats, an Impact questionnaire, political signs, flyers, photographs, business cards, buttons, badges, and refrigerator magnets.
E
Robert Klein Engler papers, 1978-2001
6 linear feet.
Robert Klein Engler is an acclaimed professor, author, and poet. His stories and poems have appeared in Boarderlands, Hyphen, Christopher Street, Kansas Quarterly, and many other magazines and journals. He was the recipient of Illinois Arts Council Literary Award for his poem “Three Poems for Kabbalah,” which appeared in Fish Stories, II. His papers include personal journals, publications of his writings, and literary and poetry magazines.
Guy Estinvil Collection, 1963 – 2009; (bulk) 1990–2009
3 linear feet.
The collection includes documents and materials relating to the life and professional works of Guy Estinvil. Estinvil was born in Haiti, but attended college in the United States. He has received three Masters of Arts degrees– one in Philosophy, another one in Education, and a third in French Literature. He also holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in French Literature. Mr. Estinvil came to the United States at a very early age and has resided here ever since. He has worked with the Chicago Board of Education as a teacher as well as dedicating time to the craft of writing. His professional writing includes several works of prose, most notably his collection of short stories, In Love With a Straight Man: A Collection of Gay Short Stories, published in 2009. The collection consists of manuscripts, drafts, photographs, and personal ephemera.
F
Family AIDS Support Network (FASN), 1993-2001, (bulk) 1995-1996
2 linear feet.
A Chicago volunteer-run organization founded in the early 1990s, FASN held self-help groups for family, friends, relatives, partners, and caregivers of HIV/AIDS affected individuals. They sought to provide a confidential support setting, helping individuals to lead longer, more positive lives. The collection content includes drafts, manuscripts, clippings, notes, lists, brochures, memorandum, forms, booklets, administrative documents, floppy discs, and oral history ephemera.
Paul Fini diaries, 1976-1985
2 linear feet.
The collection consists of thirty-one personal diaries; most bound in leather, of artist, Paul Fini.
Scott E. Flack Collection, [1980] – 1987
.5 linear foot.
Scott Flack’s collection is made up of materials donated by his parents after his death from AIDS on August 25, 1987. His papers include a resume, a 1985 photograph of Flack and his parents, and two school essays: “Greek Male Homosexuality” and “Prohibitions on Consensual Sexual Behavior Between Adults.”
Edward Fleming papers, 1946 – 1987
1 linear foot.
Edward Fleming’s collection is made up of executive committee bylaws, financial records, correspondence, membership information, newsletters, and brochures for Mattachine Midwest.
Clyde P. Foster papers, 1994-1996
1 linear foot.
Clyde P. Foster was an active Girth & Mirth Board Member. His collection is made up of meeting minutes, agendas, treasurer’s reports, correspondence, flyers, and newsletters.
Frontrunners/Frontwalkers records, 1982-2007
8 linear feet.
Established in July 1982 by Peg Grey, Rob Williams, and Jim White, Frontrunners/Frontwalkers Chicago serves the gay and lesbian community by promoting activities related to running and walking. The club provides a healthy and supportive outlet for gay and lesbian individuals to meet, exercise, and socialize. The Frontrunners/Frontwalkers collection includes numerous award plaques, photo albums depicting various races, press clippings pertaining to the organization, and newsletters.
G
Rick Garcia, nd
1 linear foot.
One of the most high-profile activist for sexual-minority rights in Chicago, particularly in the Edgewater community, Rick Garcia was the founding executive director of Equality Illinois, and has facilitated lobbying units, alliances with local and national political leaders, and raised his voice to add visibility and credibility to LGBT human rights initiatives. He has also worked extensively in behalf of the Roman Catholic church’s lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender adherents. The collection contents include correspondence, clippings, legal documents, financial documents, permits, forms, newspapers, newsletters, programs, promotions, pins, and slides.
Gay and Lesbian Building Trade Professionals, 1995-2002; (bulk) 1995 – 2000
.25 linear feet.
Founded in 1995 by Stuart Keeshin and Victor Salvo, the Gay and Lesbian Building Trade Professionals aimed to bring openly Gay and Lesbian professionals in the building industry, including painters, carpenters, plumbers, mortgage brokers, among others, together. It served as an informal network which created a necessary mechanism for referring and advertising work to the LesBiGay market in the greater Chicagoland area. The collection contents includes directory booklets, correspondence, lists, meeting minutes, a floppy disc, reports, faxes, and documents related to membership, and administrative duties, among other ephemera.
Gay & Lesbian Coalition of Metropolitan Chicago records, 1976 – 1981
1 linear foot.
The Gay and Lesbian Coalition of Metropolitan Chicago held monthly meetings of Chicago-based organizational representatives and individual activists to share information and plan projects. The collection consists of meeting agendas, bylaws, correspondence, administrative records, member lists, workshop packets, and minutes of various committees, including Media Affairs and Discrimination.
Gay Horizons records, 1975-1994
2.5 linear feet.
Founded in 1973, Gay Horizons started as a volunteer-run information clearinghouse and meeting place for gays and lesbians. Today, the organization continues to serve as the Midwest’s largest and most comprehensive social service agency meeting the needs of Chicago’s diverse LGBT community and is now called Center on Halsted. The records contain board of directors minutes, organizational charts, by-laws, election records, election records, photographs, flyers, and newsletters.
Gay, Lesbian, and Straight Teachers Network (GLSTN) Chicago papers, 1995 – 2004
1 linear foot.
The Gay, Lesbian & Straight Education Network (GLSTN) was formed in 1990 to work with educators, policy makers, community leaders, and students to address homophobic and heterosexist behavior and bias in schools. GLSEN aims to protect students from bullying and harassment, to advance comprehensive safe schools laws and policies, to empower principles to make their schools safer, and to build the skills of educators to teach respect for all people. The collection consists of printed ephemera, photographs, correspondence, and reports form the Gay, Lesbian & Straight Education Network (GLSEN), as well as its predecessor organization, the Gay, Lesbian & Straight Teacher Network (GLSTN).
Girth & Mirth of Chicago, Inc. records, 1995-1996
3 linear feet.
Girth & Mirth of Chicago is a club for large men and their admirers to socialize and network in Chicago and the surrounding areas. The records include meeting minutes, agendas, newsletters, fliers, publications and related print ephemera.
Barbara Gittings and Kay Tobin Lahusen Collection, 1964 – 2007
3 linear feet.
The papers document the work of two pioneers in the gay and lesbian rights movement. Activist, editor and writer, Barbara Gittings was an active member of the LGBT rights movement from the 1960s until her death. She organized the New York chapter of the Daughters of Bilitis (DOB) from 1958 to 1963 and edited the national DOB magazine, The Ladder: A Lesbian Review, from 1963-1966. In 1972 Gittings was instrumental in lobbying the American Psychiatric Association to declassify homosexuality from its list of mental illnesses. Gittings also worked with the library community for the inclusion of books by and for gays in library collections. Her partner, Tobin Lahusen, is known as the first openly gay American woman photojournalist and is responsible for many famous pre-Stonewall photographs. In addition, she helped to found the original Gay Activist Alliance (GAA) in 1970, contributed to the New York-based newspaper Gay Newsweekly, and co-authored Gay Crusaders. Their collection contains flyers, newsletters, brochures, publications, videotapes, copies of The Ladder: A Lesbian Reader, and a funeral program from Gittings’ funeral.
GLAAD Chicago [Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation] records, 1992-1997
7 linear feet.
The records document the internal organization of the Chicago chapter of the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD), an advocacy group that monitors the media and holds it accountable for its representation of LGBT individuals and the LGBT community at large. The collection includes correspondence, by-laws, budgets, memos, fundraising materials, volunteer information, membership lists, program planning files, newsletters, membership brochures, press clippings, a banner, and t-shirts.
George Martinez/Steven Jones, 1994-2007
.5 linear feet.
An advocate for HIV/AIDS awareness and a coordinator in the Chicago Latin-American community, George Martinez was a positive presence within the gay community as a health activist. The collection contents include various awards and certificates.
Good Shepherd Parish – MCC* records, 1974-2004
32.5 linear feet.
The Good Shepherd Parish Metropolitan Community Church was started in Chicago in 1970 by the Reverend Arthur Green and served Chicago’s LGBT community for thirty-seven years before closing in 2007 due to declining membership. The Metropolitan Church doctrine included open acceptance of gays and lesbians and Good Shepherd Parish was the first MCC to minister specifically to Chicago’s gay and lesbian population. Among its efforts at outreach to the community was its participation in the Night Ministry in the Lake View neighborhood, care for AIDS patients, and ministry in state prisons. The collection includes the records of Reverend Ken Martin, who expanded the church’s outreach to the community, treasurer’s files, audiovisual materials, financial records, and materials related to the Universal Fellowship of Metropolitan Community Churches.
The Great Angling Lesbian Society (GALS) Collection, 1992 – 2006; (bulk) 1992 – 1999
.25 linear feet.
The Great Angling Lesbian Society was a club established in the 1990’s in which Lesbian members would travel around the US and Canada, often to national parks, on fishing trips together. In 1995 they stated in one of their newsletters that they “[were] going to be famous someday” and that “Gerber/Hart [would] be clamoring for [their] stuff.” The collection includes newsletters, meeting notes, booklets, handwritten and typed correspondence, invitations, advertisements, pamphlets, memos, maps, clippings, legal documents, itineraries, photographs, stickers, postcards, and membership related documents and ephemera.
Great Lakes Bears papers, 1994 – 2000
1 linear foot.
Great Lakes Bears – Chicago (GLB-C) is a not-for-profit organization serving the bear community in Chicagoland and surrounding areas. Founded in 1989 with the goal of creating an open and inviting atmosphere for all members of the local Bear Community, Great Lakes Bears is one of the oldest bear clubs in the United States. The collection contents include mostly fliers and newsletters, with pamphlets, booklets, correspondence, calendars, forms, news releases, and posters.
William W. Greaves, 2001-2011
1 linear foot.
An advocate and activist in politics, running-and-walking clubs, and as an editor focusing on HIV/AIDS, William W. Greaves took an important part in local LGBT rights advances from the late-70s onward. He served as director of the city Advisory Council on Gay and Lesbian Issues (later, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Issues) from 2000-2011 and holds a place in the Chicago Gay and Lesbian Hall of Fame. The collection contents include awards, photographs, and one DVD.
Joe Gregg papers, 1970-1987
5 linear feet.
Joe Gregg served as librarian for Gerber/Hart Library and Archives from 1982-1987 and archivist from late 1981 to early 1982. His papers include minutes from Gerber/Hart Library and Archives meetings, materials from ALA (ACT), correspondence with Barbara Gittings, plaques and awards, and bar regalia from Chicago.
Randy Gresham papers, 1978-1983
2 linear feet.
Former Gerber/Hart Library and Archives board member, Randy Gresham’s collection documents the internal organization of the Gay Academic Union (GAU), a founding organization of Gerber/Hart. The GAU, which was established in April 1973 by a group of gay and lesbian scholars, sought to institutionalize gay and lesbian studies and activism at colleges and universities throughout the United States by holding conferences, organizing academic activities for its members, and publishing a newsletter. Gresham’s papers include board of directors meeting minutes, bylaws, treasurer’s reports, correspondence, membership information, press releases, flyers, newsletters, brochures, and publications.
Peg Grey papers, 1982-2007; (bulk) 1985-2005
10 linear feet.
Peg Grey was an athlete, educator, community organizer, and activist in Chicago and the Midwest’s LGBT community who worked for over two decades to increase the visibility and inclusiveness of gay and lesbian competitive and recreational activities by establishing numerous significant athletic programs and organizations. As a teacher Grey also organized LGBT educators. Her papers contain documents such as financial records and organizational records documenting the formation and planning of races and leagues, correspondence relating to Metropolitan Sports Association (MSA) the Chicago-area Teachers Union, Gay, Lesbian, and Straight Education Network (GLSEN) and newsletters such as Women Together in Sports and Front Lines (the newsletter of Frontrunners). The collection also includes personal possessions and ephemera such as trophies, t-shirts from races, handmade race signs, photographs, slides, press clippings, and the memorial program from her funeral.
Barbara Grier and Donna McBride papers 1966-1991
9 linear feet.
Barbara Grier wrote and edited The Ladder: A Lesbian Review, the first nationally distributed lesbian publication in the United States, under the pseudonym Gene Damon. Later, Grier, her companion Donna McBride, Anyda Marchant, and Muriel Crawford co-founded Naiad Press, which has grown to become the world’s largest lesbian book publisher. Their collection is comprised of a large selection of slides.
H
William C. Haddad, 1994-1999
3 linear feet.
William C. Haddad’s collection documents his involvement with the Chicago Radical Faerie Circle and his membership on the Gerber/Hart Library and Archive Board. His papers include meeting minutes, communication lists, correspondence, flyers, newsletters, and press clippings.
Jeff Hagedorn Collection, 1984 – 1988
.5 linear foot.
The collection includes paper documents relating to the works of Jeff Hagedorn. Hagedorn was a playwright who relocated to Chicago in the early 1980’s, becoming a founding member and resident playwright for the Lionheart Gay Theatre. In 1983, his play, One, became the first publicly produced theatrical work with main themes relating to AIDS. He also formed a production company, SYZYGY, that went on to revive Chicago’s pub theater movement with quick witted plays such as The Layman’s Guide to Safe Sex, among a multitude of others.
John Daniel Hagenhofer Collection, 1913 – 2016
3 linear feet.
John Daniel Hagenhofer (1913-1981) was born on December 6, 1913 in Chicago, IL and [resided] in Boston, MA. He has worked as a painter, illustrator, cartoonist, designer, and WPA artist. Hagenhofer studied at the Art Institute of Chicago and the Chicago Academy of Fine Arts. He was a member and exhibitor of the Boston Artists Union. The materials of this collection were donated by Eva Hagenhofer (the niece of John Daniel Hagenhofer) in 2016, and consist of documents, correspondence, photographs, and artwork in a variety of mediums.
Dennis Halan Papers, 1970 – 1974
1 linear foot.
Dennis Halan was the co-founder of the Roman Catholic Mass for the Lesbian and Gay Community and an active member of the gay organizations Unity and Dignity. His papers contain meeting minutes, agendas, flyers, and press clippings related to the Catholic Mass for the Gay and Lesbian Community, Dignity and Unity, from the early 1970s.
Michael Hemmes papers, 1975-1999
7 linear feet.
Michael Hemmes was an internationally known health care journalist, a reporter and editor of UPI wire service, and a talented magician. As a journalist he launched the Health Facilities Management magazine while he was employed by American Hospital Publishing in Chicago. During this period, Hemmes authored the book Managing Health Care Construction Projects: A Practical Guide, and created the first VISTA award that recognizes excellence in health care projects. His collection is comprised of twenty-one scrapbooks that document his writings from childhood to adulthood through numerous school essays and press clippings from his career.
Grant Hornston papers, 1980 – 1985
.5 linear foot.
Grant Hornston’s papers contain newsletters, brochures, and flyers relating to various Chicago gay and lesbian groups including Chicago Men’s Gathering, Chicago Bi-Ways, Chicago Bi-Women, Bi-Gays, and Dignity.
Howard Brown Health Center records, 1976-1999
16 linear feet.
Founded in 1974, the Howard Brown Health Center became the Midwest’s leading provider of support services to, and for, people living with HIV/AIDS throughout the 1980s and 1990s. The center offered a safe and confidential place where gay men and lesbians could get empathetic psychosocial counseling and sexually transmitted infection (STI) testing and treatment without political, professional, or personal implications or intrusions. The collection contains board of directors meeting minutes, subject files, photographs, and press clippings.
Dave Howser papers, circa 1993
.5 linear foot.
Dave Howser’s papers contain the Regional AIDS Agenda ’93, copies of the AIDS Agenda for Clinton Administration and the 103rd Congress, the Senate calendar from 1993, and a draft of the AIDS Action Foundation’s “Developing a Blueprint on Federal HIV Prevention Programming.”
David Hull/Richard Wellman papers, [1994?]
1 linear foot.
A philosopher and academic, David Hull (1935-2010) was an active presence in the fight for rights of gay and lesbian philosophers. Over a distinguished 40 year teaching career at first the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, then Northwestern, Hull published several books and papers pertaining mainly to the philosophy of biology, among other topics. Collection contents are largely undated, and consist solely of framed photographs of varying sizes, some over-sized.
Stan Huntington papers, 1976 – 1985
1 linear foot.
The Stan Huntington collection consists of documents and ephemera mostly related to different Chicago-based groups and clubs Huntington helped run and/or was a member of. Most notably the groups included the Lincoln Park Lagooners (LPL), the Gay Academic Union (GAU), and an interesting 1970s queer-run academic institution called “The Lavender University.” The collection consists of meeting minutes, agendas, bylaws, grant proposals, treasurer’s reports, financial records, correspondence, newsletters, press clippings, and other Chicago club-related ephemera.
Willard Hyatt papers, 1891 – 1988
5 linear feet.
William Hyatt’s collection includes diaries (1909-58) by his mother and father (Mertie Clark Hyatt and Jesse Hyatt), correspondence (1891-1940s), journals, diaries, photo albums, an autobiography (1922-49), unpublished poetry (1950-1978), as well as negatives, photographs, awards, essays, and press clippings.
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Illinois Lesbian and Gay Task Force, 1969 – 1995
8 linear feet.
Like the New York-based National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, The Illinois Gay and Lesbian Task Force (originally called the Illinois Gay Rights Task Force) was formed to support the rights of gay and lesbians in Illinois by monitoring legislative bills (including the long-running campaign to pass an anti-discrimination bill that would make sexual orientation a protected class in Illinois) and providing sensitivity training to law enforcement and other officials. The collection consists of records from the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, subject files on state and municipal gay politics, report cards for many Illinois elected officials, files on specific state bills, flyers, and press clippings.
IMPACT Illinois, Inc. records, 1987-1996
9 linear feet.
IMPACT was one of Chicago’s earliest gay and lesbian action committees. Formed in 1987, its mission was to increase politicians’ responsiveness to the needs of Chicago’s gay and lesbian community. The collection contains board meeting minutes, bylaws, financial records, correspondence, press releases, and questionnaires submitted by municipal, state, and federal politicians to help IMPACT endorse candidates.
Integrity, Inc., records, 1975-1981
5 linear feet.
Integrity Inc. is a ministry by and for gay and lesbian Episcopalians and their friends. Integrity/Chicago was founded in January 1975 and was the “mother chapter” of Integrity, Incorporated, which currently numbers over sixty chapters in the United States. The records consist of meeting minutes, agendas, bylaws, articles of incorporation, calendars, correspondence, financial statements, annual reports, treasurer’s reports, guest books, newsletters, and press clippings.
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Bruce Johnson papers, 1983 – 2000; (bulk) 1983 – 1995
1 linear foot.
Heavily connected to ACT-UP Chicago, as is evidenced by his papers, Johnson was an active AIDS advocate from the 80s onward. Documented by his collection, he participated in, and had organizational records of, civil disobedience demonstrations that took place in Chicago in the late 80s. The collection is comprised of research papers from his master’s thesis, notes from early ACT-UP precursor meetings, civil disobedience ACT-UP files for a 1989 demonstration, ACT-UP ephemera including stickers and posters, research papers from Johnson’s master’s thesis, and HIV-related education materials and periodicals.
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Irwin Keller papers, 1986 – 1987
0.5 linear feet.
Irwin Keller’s papers include correspondence, financial reports, and press releases from the Chicago Conference on Sexual Orientation and the Law held at the University of Chicago Law School in April 1987.
William B. Kelley and Chen K. Ooi Collection, mid 1955-2015
288 linear feet.
William B. Kelley was a pioneering gay rights activist for over 50 years. He was an early member of the Mattachine Midwest chapter writing and editing its newsletter. In addition, Kelley organized the first National Gay and Lesbian Conferences (1966), co-founded the Chicago Gay Crusader newspaper and Illinois Gays for Legislative Action (early 1970s), attended the first White House gay rights meeting (1977), co-chaired the Illinois Gay Rights Task Force (late 1970s), and co-founded the National Lesbian Law Association (1988). His extensive papers include personal documents and documents relating to several local and national organizations including meeting minutes, agendas, bylaws, financial records, correspondence, photographs, newsletters, publications, programs, brochures, flyers, press clippings, and assorted ephemera.
Ruth Ketchum papers, 1987-1994; (bulk) 1991-1994
2 linear feet.
Ruth Ketchum was a librarian and activist involved with Gerber/Hart Library and Archives and other LGBT organizations in Chicago. Her collection consists of correspondence, newsletters, political documents, and press clippings.
David Kieschnick papers, 1975-1991
6 linear feet.
David Kieschnick was a founding member of Lutherans Concerned-national and local, as well as an early Board member of Horizons. His papers contain material from Lutherans Concerned, National and Chicago material from early operations of Horizons, publications of Mattachine, photographs, and newsletters.
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Lakeside Pride Music Ensembles records, 1997-2014
2.5 linear feet.
Lakeside Pride is a musical organization committed to the education of the public at large about the positive aspects of the Metropolitan Chicago gay and lesbian communities through public and musical performances, workshops, and non-musical events. The collection consists of photographs, scrapbooks, posters, flyers, programs, brochures, press clippings, and numerous recordings of Lakeside Pride concerts on compact disc.
Lambda Digest (video tapes), [1988?]
1 linear foot.
The collection contents are solely videocassette tapes, with the content being of a religious nature.
Lambda Resource Center for the Blind (LRC for the Blind) records, 1981 – 1983
1 linear foot.
Founded in 1979, Lambda Resource Center for the Blind was an organization that sought to provide cassette and braille literature on gay and lesbian issues to visually disabled people throughout the United States. The records include correspondence, budgets, negatives, photographs, and press clippings.
Donald G. Landers Collection, 1998 – 2001
3 linear feet.
Donald G. Landers was a Gerber/Hart Library and Archives board member and President. His papers are comprised of board meeting minutes, agendas, bylaws, membership lists, financial records, and newsletters produced during his tenure.
Lesbian and Gay News Telegraph records, 1982-1989
5 linear feet.
The Lesbian and Gay News Telegraph was a St. Louis-based newspaper, edited by Jim Thomas, which was founded in 1980. The publication covered national and global legislation affecting gays and lesbians. The collection contains correspondence, press kits, press releases, fact sheets, photographs, newsletters, and press clippings.
Lesbian Chicago Archives Collection [previously part of the Veronica Drake Collection], 1989-1995
1.5 linear feet.
Lesbian Chicago Archives was formed in 1989 as a community center for lesbians. Donated by Veronica Drake, the collection consists of binders with planning documents from the Lesbian community center at Pat Parker Place, printed materials related to Lambda Force at Columbia College Chicago and Lesbian Chicago, and meeting minutes from the board of the Gerber/Hart Library and Archives.
Lesbian Community Center records, 1963 -1983; (bulk) 1980 – 1983
2 linear feet.
The Lesbian Community center was a non-profit, women-staffed organization that provided referral and information for Chicago-area women and visitors, as well as a drop-in space for members of the lesbian community to socialize and participate in planned activities. The records contain financial reports, flyers, newsletters, resource books, cassettes, and an ink stamp.
Lesbian/Gay Interfaith Alliance records, 1982 – 1996; (bulk) 1982 – 1989
1 linear foot.
Founded in 1982, the Lesbian/Gay Interfaith Alliance was an organization that sought to enable cooperation and development within the lesbian and gay interfaith community by facilitating and sharing of resources, tasks, and strategies. The collection is made up of meeting minutes, correspondence, financial records, brochures, and press clippings.
Steve Lewis papers, 1984-1988
3 linear feet.
Steve Lewis’ collection contains subject files, bibliographies, and press clippings pertaining to LBGT history, as well as his dissertation from Western Michigan University entitled “Gay Masquerade: Male Homosexuals in American Cities, 1910-1940.”
Little Jim’s Tavern collection, 1970s-1990s
3 linear feet.
Chicago’s longest running gay bar, Little Jim’s Tavern, named after its original owner Little Jim Gates, has been open at the northeast corner of Halsted and Cornelia in the Boystown neighborhood since 1975. The collection consists of four framed collages of photographs, ephemera, and press clippings.
Joe Loundy papers, 1963 – 1977; (bulk) 1975 – 1997
3.5 linear feet.
Joe Loundy served as president, chair of the board and executive chair of Gay Horizons. His collection is comprised of personal files and papers accumulated throughout his involvement with Gay Horizons including board and committee minutes, board packets and documents related to staff and volunteers; materials used by professional and volunteer staff (bibliographies, reference resources, training manuals), documents and brochures pertaining to Gay Horizons’ services and programs (e.g., GPCS, Legal Services), and materials from organizations affiliating, supportive of, or cooperating with Gay Horizons.
Lutherans Concerned/North America records, 1974-1994
10.5 linear feet.
Lutherans Concerned (now ReconcilingWorks) is a society of gay, lesbian and non-gay Christians that works to foster within the Lutheran church a climate of understanding, justice, and reconciliation among all women and men, regardless of their affiliation. The collection consists of national assembly files, national assembly binders, audio recordings, videotapes, photographs, board records and correspondence with other gay organizations, planning committee notes, incorporation documents, publications, programs, brochures, national publications, and chapter newsletters.
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Mary Mack papers, 1983-1991; (bulk) 1991
0.5 linear feet.
Mary Mack’s collection is comprised of materials relating to the proposed Gay Rights Ordinance in Chicago (1986), Indianapolis Human Rights Ordinance to limit pornography (1984), and Greater Chicago Gay and Lesbian Democrats (GCGLD). The papers include legal documents, meeting minutes and notes, correspondence, and assorted ephemera.
MalCru Publications Collection, 1984 – 1987
.5 linear feet.
In 1984, with editor H. Robert Malinowsky and co-editor W.W. Crumet, MalCru Publications sought to compile a comprehensive directory of Gay and Lesbian periodicals: including magazines, journals, annuals, irregular reports, newspapers, and newsletters. The directory would be indexed by subject, geographical location, and organization, and include publications originating domestically or abroad. A letter states that “no title will be too unknown, too small, too explicit, or too controversial to be included.” The collection contents include correspondence, lists, pamphlets, mailers, publications, reports, newsletters, informational booklets, press releases, journals, and documents relating to the compiling of the Gay and Lesbian Periodicals. The collection notably includes documents and publications from, and related to, the Illinois Gay and Lesbian Task Force (IGLTF), and the Gay and Lesbian History on Stamps Club (GLHSC).
James Manahan Collection, 1966 – 1982; (bulk) 1971-1982
1 linear foot.
James Manahan was a member of the Gay Academic Union (GAU), Professionals Over Thirty (POT) and assisted in founding Gerber/Hart Library and Archives. His collection includes newspapers, magazines, articles, notes, files for organizations, bylaws, files related to the genesis of Gerber/Hart, and some correspondence with prominent scholars like Jonathan Katz and Louie Crew.
George Martinez Collection, 1994 – 2007
0.5 linear feet.
George S. Martinez was a Chicago activist and advocate of HIV/AIDS organ donation legislation. He was an advocate in taking the Illinois HIV Organ Donation law to the federal level by going to Washington D.C. He was on the National Institutes of Health, Steering Committee and Community Advisory Board for the “Multisite Study on Transplanation with HIV” and was part of the HIV Prevention and Planning Group (HPPG), CDPH Hepatitis C Task Force, EASE Caucus, Northside HIV/AIDS Health Coalition, AIDS Foundation Advocacy/Policy Committee, TPAN, TORCH, Vital Bridges, and other community groups. Scope and Content: The collection contains awards won by Martinez from his work at Kraft General Foods Technology Center and HIV/AIDS advocacy.
Hugh Mathis papers, 2002 – 2003
3 linear feet.
Hugh Mathis served as Gerber/Hart Library and Archives CFRE Secretary and Board of Directors Chair. His papers contain correspondence, financial documents, fundraising materials, donor files, and press clippings.
Mattachine Midwest records, 1947-1982; (bulk) 1979-1987
2.5 linear feet.
Chicago’s first successful gay rights organization, Mattachine Midwest was founded in 1965 as a non-profit organization for educating the public in all aspects of homosexuality, assisting individual homosexual in coping with problems related to his homosexuality, and for effecting changes in social attitudes towards gays. From its inception, the group was both political and service-oriented in its mission. On the political front, Mattachine Midwest monitored police harassment of gay and bars, published a conscious raising newsletter, and obtained support from the ACLU in defending gay men arrested by the police. The collection is comprised of Board meeting minutes, fourteen cassettes, address lists, publications, and research files.
Maturity Collection, 1973-1987
0.5 linear feet.
Maturity was an organization, which catered to gay men over the age of forty. The collection includes correspondence, a list of bars, newsletters and press clippings
Melissa Ann Merry Collection, 1983 – 1996; (bulk) 1990 – 1995
3 linear feet.
Melissa Ann Merry was a co-founding member of the Bisexual Political Action Committee (BiPac) and a regional representative for BiNet USA, a committee member of March on Washington 1993, local chair of Stonewall 1994, member of Queer National and Coalition Against Bashing, Nation Bisexual Constituency Representative. Her papers contain organizational notes, press releases, photographs, fliers, newsletters, and endorsements from elected officials, organizations and individuals.
Metis Press Collective records, 1972-1982
15 linear feet.
The Metis Press was a woman-owned and operated lesbian feminist literature publishing house that existed in the early 1970s through the mid-1980s. The papers contain records of the feminist literary magazine Black Maria, correspondence, publications, press clippings, grant applications, materials from “Women in Print” conferences, and publications.
Jack Meyer papers, 1977-1986
7 linear feet.
Jack Meyer was the last treasurer of Mattachine Midwest. His papers consist of a financial journal of Mattachine Midwest, Mattachine Midwest newsletters, and photographs from last Mattachine Midwest banquet.
H.D. Motyl, 1988-1990
2 linear feet.
Howard Moytyl is a documentary director, writer, producer, and cinematographer. His collection is comprised of 28 videotapes of raw footage shot for various documentaries. The footage includes the construction of the Names Project at Navy Pier in 1988 and interviews for a proposed documentary about Chicago’s initial reaction to the AIDS crisis in the early 1980s.
MSMTA/Cook County Department of Health records, 1996-1999
8 linear feet.
The collection materials pertain to the efforts of the Cook County Department of Health to prevent and treat HIV/AIDs among the LGBT population including outreach resources, programming packets, surveys, subcontractor reports, correspondence, subject files, newsletters, and pamphlets.
Dale R. Muehler papers, 1987 – 1988
0.5 linear foot.
Dale Muehler, a longtime Chicago activist, co-founded Chicago For AIDS Rights (C-FAR), which later evolved into ACT/UP Chicago. His papers primarily contain materials from C-FAR and the Chicago chapter of the Names Project including membership lists, volunteer information sheets, sign-up sheets, membership meeting notes, and AIDS-related pamphlets and press clippings.
Rosemary Mulryan papers, 1989 – 1992
1 linear foot.
Rosemary Mulryan served as the President of the Gerber/Hart Board of Directors from 1989 – 1992. Mulryan is an attorney focusing on adoption law and LGBT families. In 1988, she co-founded one of Chicago’s first woman-owned law firms. The collection is largely made up of meeting minutes, membership files, fundraising materials, correspondence, and financial records accumulated by Rosemary Mulryan during her term as President of the Gerber/Hart Library and Archives Board of Directors.
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National March on Washington for Lesbian and Gay Rights records, 1979
.5 linear feet.
The National March on Washington for Lesbian and Gay Rights was a large political rally that took place in Washington, D.C. on October 14, 1979. The first such march on Washington, it drew between 75,000 and 125,000 gay men, lesbians, bisexuals, transgender people, and straight allies to demand equal civil rights and urge the passage of protective civil rights legislation. The collection is comprised of a program, a t-shirt, buttons, press clippings, and a Mattachine Midwest newsletter covering the historic event.
Gary Nepon papers, 1977-1978
3 linear feet.
Gary Nepon was the first openly gay political candidate for state office in Illinois. In 1977, he ran for the state house of representatives from the Mid-North Side’s 13th District. His collection includes print materials and ephemera related to his campaign such as photographs, posters, flyers, t-shirts, newspapers, and magazines.
Lee A. Newell II papers, 1978-1990
3 linear feet.
Lee A. Newell II acted as Chairperson of Gay Horizons (an early precursor of today’s Center on Halsted) from 1976 to 1977 and led its financial revival and growth. He also documented local events, assembling what is now a Chicago History Museum collection of some 5,000 photographs, led the city’s first LGBT PAC, and was an officer in neighborhood groups. His papers contain board meeting minutes, bylaws, annual reports, fundraising files, correspondence, press releases, photographic negatives, photographs, videotapes, buttons, and matchbooks.
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Larry Osburn papers, 1999-2001
10 linear feet.
Larry Osburn served as President of Bailiwick Repertory Theater in Chicago. His collection consists of board of director meeting minutes, correspondence, programs, flyers, and press clippings from his tenure.
David Ostrow papers, 1985-1989
12 linear feet.
As a medical student in 1974, David Ostrow was one of the founding members of the Howard Brown Health Center. His papers consist of nineteen cassette tapes containing “VD updates,” records from American Association for Human Rights meetings, HIV/AIDS surveys, newsletters, records from NIH AIDS conferences, records of Illinois chapter of NAPEN (National AIDS Prospective Epidemiologic Network), and records from the Cook County Department of Health.
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Andrew Papadolias, 1982-2007
2 linear feet.
Andrew Papadolias was a writer, poet, and high school English teacher from the greater Chicagoland area. The collection contents include manuscripts, drafts, bound books, poetry, drawings, paintings, anthologies, zines, sheet music, a comic book, and miscellaneous ephemera.
John Paquet papers, 2000-2006
6 linear feet.
John Paquet served on the Chicago Gay Games Executive Committee. His papers contain board of directors meeting minutes, agendas, strategic plans, bylaws, maps, brochures, and press clippings.
Dean Peerman papers, 1983-1985
0.5 linear foot.
Dean Peerman served on the Board of Directors of Mattachine Midwest and edited its newsletters from 1983 through 1985. His papers include copies of the Mattachine Midwest newsletters he worked on and related correspondence and notes.
Roland Peña Collection, 1977 – 1993
0.5 linear foot.
Collection of artist and activist Roland Peña, which contains his drawings, poems, correspondence, and press clippings.
Robert C. Peppard papers, 1972-1984
2 linear feet.
Robert C. Peppard was a member of the Chicago Gay and Lesbian History Project and the Gay Academic Union (GAC). His collection consists of papers from his life in Cincinnati, Ohio, which pertain to the Ohio Gay Rights Organization and national organizations such as Dignity, as well as materials from his time living in Chicago, which include documents concerning the Gay and Lesbian Coalition of Metropolitan Chicago and Gay Horizons. The papers also contain academic papers, newsletters, flyers, and press clippings that portray gay life in Ohio, Chicago, and nationally from the late 1970s and early 1980s.
Marc Peurye papers, 2002-2006
2 linear feet.
Marc Peurye was actively involved with, and held various positions in the Royal Imperial, Sovereign, Barony of the Windy City, Inc. His collection is comprised of correspondence, photographs, photo albums, awards, posters, pins, t-shirts, and publications.
Carole Powell papers, 1988 – 1991
4 linear feet.
Carole Powell was the Treasurer of the Gerber/Hart Library from 1989-1991, served on the Board of Directors of Impact, a Chicago based gay and lesbian political action committee, and was involved with the Illinois Gay and Lesbian Task Force. In 1989, she served as Assistant to the Director Eugene Sawyer’s campaign for Mayor of Chicago. She also worked on IMPACT founder Ron Sable’s campaign for alderman. The collection includes notes, meeting minutes, financial records, press releases, mailing lists, voter registration forms, and other materials related to Carole Powell’s work for lesbian and gay rights issues and her involvement with a variety of Chicago political campaigns.
Professionals Over Thirty Collection, 1983 – 1997
0.5 linear foot.
Professionals Over Thirty was a social club for mature gay men. The records include articles of incorporation, bylaws, newsletters, a “welcome to members” pamphlet, and an obituary of the first president of the group.
James Przeslawski papers, 1986-1992
2 linear feet.
James Przeslawski’s collection consists of videotapes from a Michigan television show. The tapes are labeled as “Lambda Report”, “Elaine Noble”, “Dignity/Integrity”, “Pride March on Washington”, and “Michigan Organization for Human Rights”. Seven folders of documents are also included and contain signed photo releases for the television program and Barry Frank scripts.
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Rainbow Bridges Collection, 1992 – 1994
0.5 linear foot.
Rainbow Bridges was a not-for-profit social organization aimed at providing a safe and comfortable environment for people to share and discuss interests and concerns that affect persons with disabilities who are gay, lesbian or bisexual. The collection includes board meeting minutes, bylaws, an organization manual, membership information, financial records, correspondence, and press clippings.
John Rash, 1974-1999; (bulk) 1979 – 1985
.5 linear feet.
A graduate of the Loyola Institute of Pastoral Studies in Chicago, John P. Rash provided spiritual direction to gay men in the greater Chicagoland area in the late 90s/early 2000s. Though now retired, he has spent the large majority of his life informally counseling gay men both personally and spiritually. The collection contents include mostly color and black and white photographs, negatives, and sheets, with additional correspondence, mailers, lecture notes, handwritten notes, and receipts.
Wendell Reid Papers, 1988-2005; (bulk) 1995-2002
2.5 linear feet.
From 2000-2004, Wendell Reid served as co-chair of the National Association of Black and White Men Together (NABWMT), a gay multiracial organization committed to overcoming racism, sexism, homophobia, HIV/AIDS discrimination, and other inequities through educational, political, and social activities. The collection includes conference materials concerning NABWMT financial records, publications, and ephemera.
Jack Rinella Collection, 1965 – 1966; (bulk) 1974 – 1976
2 linear feet.
Jack Rinella was a freelance writer and part-time college professor. His papers contain photocopies of Volume I and Volume II of Mattachine Midwest’s notes (1965-1966), membership letters, and an introductory address by President Robert Sloane in July 1965, which were originally donated to Rinella by William B. Kelley. The collection also includes oral histories conducted by Rinella and Gregory Sprague as part of his research on the history of gay liberation in Chicago. For his interviews Rinalla spoke with gay and lesbian individuals, including some prominent figures, who were familiar with, or actually involved, in the making of Chicago’s gay and lesbian historical past.
Rodde Center Collection, 1987 – 1988
0.5 linear foot.
Established in 1977, with funds donated by a group of gay bartenders who were members of the Tavern Guild, the Rodde Center was a gay and lesbian community center that provided space for LGBT organizations to do their work. The collection consists of board meeting minutes, annual reports, bylaws, and financial statements.
Royal Imperial Sovereign Barony [of the Windy City] Collection, 2002 – 2004
0.5 linear foot.
The Royal Imperial, Sovereign Barony of Windy City, Inc. is a group that raised funds for the LGBT community, as well as other charities and organizations through special events and galas. The collection includes board meeting agendas, budgets, financial documents, travel schedules, correspondence, brochures, posters, and press clippings.
Art Rubin Resources on Sexual Wellness and Disabilities, 1973 – 1978
0.5 linear foot.
The papers include materials regarding sex and spinal injured individuals, as well as resources concerning sex and the disabled in general. Rubin’s collection is comprised of printed materials such as correspondence, medical charts, article manuscripts, flyers, and press clippings.
John H. Ryan papers, 1989-1992
6 linear feet.
John H. Ryan was the producer of The 10% Show, a monthly newsmagazine about gays and lesbians in the Chicagoland area, which was released by the Gay Cable Network-Chicago. The program was cablecasted on five Chicagoland cable systems serving over one million people four times a month. The collection is comprised of a booklet of program descriptions and videotapes.
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Ron Sable, M.D. papers, 1979-1991
12 linear feet.
Ron Sable was an openly gay physician in the Department of Medicine of Cook County Hospital in the mid-1970s and co-founder of the Sable-Sherer AIDS Clinic, the first comprehensive HIV/AIDS clinic at the hospital. He was the founder of IMPACT, a charter member of the Illinois Democratic Party Altgeld Institute, a member of Independent Voters of Illinois Independent Precinct Organization (IVI-IPO). Sable was a member, director, or officer of: Vietnam Veterans of America, Lakeview Community Planning Committee, The Crossroads Fund, Chicago Health Project, AIDS Foundation of Chicago, Network 44, and Illinois Public Action. His papers include questionnaires, polls, correspondence, budgets, financial records, fundraising information, subject files, framed photographs, awards, pamphlets, brochures, press clippings, buttons, matchbooks, flyers, posters, and a banner.
Vincent Samar papers, 1986 – 1991
0.5 linear foot.
Vincent Samar is an attorney, instructor of law, and a professor who ran for the Office of Alderman for the 46th Ward in the City of Chicago as an openly gay man in 1990. He is the author of Justifying Judgment: Practicing Law and Philosophy, The Right to Privacy: Gays, Lesbians and the Constitution, and editor of The Gay Rights Movement. In addition, he has published numerous articles and review articles on matters of law, philosophy, same-sex marriage, gay rights, and human rights. His papers contain materials relating to his campaign including press releases, correspondence, publications, brochures, and press clippings.
Norman Sandfield Collection, 1981-1998
47 linear feet.
For decades, Norman Sandfield has served as an organizer of gay and lesbian Jewish activities and AIDS programs in Chicago and internationally as part of his membership in Chicago’s Congregation Or Chadash. He notably co-founded the Jewish AIDS Network and was a delegate from the World Congress of Gay and Lesbian Jewish Organizations to the Lesbian/Gay Interfaith Alliance. Throughout his extensive activist career Sandfield worked to support relations between Jews and persons of other religions in Chicago’s gay and lesbian communities, to foster those communities’ growth and welfare, to strengthen Congregation Or Chadash as a center for gay and lesbian Jews in Chicago, and to maintain liaison with the larger Jewish community. The Sandfield collection includes newsletters, flyers, pamphlets, periodicals, catalogs, programs, buttons, t-shirts and other textiles, and press clippings, all from various Chicago-based and national religious and AIDS advocacy organizations, as well as events/campaigns such as Gay Games, AIDS Ride, Rainbow Run, and the Red Ribbon AIDS Awareness Campaign. Some notable collection inclusions are Red Ribbon AIDS Awareness (RRAA) stained glass panels, PRIDE and RRAA Hard Rock Café pins, and documentation relating to Sandfield’s induction into the Chicago Gay and Lesbian Hall of Fame.
Arthur Schenck, 1980-1992
7 linear feet.
Arthur Schenck began volunteering with the Illinois Gay and Lesbian Task Force (IGLTF) in 1982. From 1983 through 1988 he served as Treasurer and from 1988 to 1989 he was Secretary. In addition, he served as newsletter editor from 1987 on, as well as serving as chair or participant in a number of IGLTF committees. His papers include meeting minutes, bylaws, budgets, donation information, correspondence, photographs, flyers, subject files, and report cards for Illinois politicians regarding their support for the gay and lesbian community.
Seventh Day Adventist Kinship, 1978-1999; (bulk) 1983-1987
2 linear feet.
Serving as a support organization that provides a spiritual and social community to current and former Seventh-day Adventists who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, asexual and/or intersex (LGBTI), Seventh Day Adventist Kinship offers individuals the compassion and support they might find lacking in the organized Adventist Church. The collection contents include pamphlets, brochures, booklets, newsletters, publications, journals, articles, reviews, correspondence, clippings, financial documents, handwritten notes, reports, fliers, and posters.
Gregg Shapiro, 1983-2005
.5 linear feet.
Poet, fiction-writer, and pop-culture journalist, Gregg Shapiro is a Chicago native whose works include “Protection,” a collection of poems published in 2008, among other works of fiction and poetry. Collection contents include publications, journals, and books, all of which feature Shapiro’s articles, writings, or poetry within them.
James Monroe Smith papers, 1985-1991
9 linear feet.
James Monroe Smith was a Chicago lawyer who founded the AIDS Legal Council of Chicago (ALCC), an organization that aided the city’s legal community in serving individuals with HIV/AIDS. Prior to leaving ALCC in 1993, Smith was given the Maurice Weigle Award by the Chicago Bar Association for his significant contributions. He authored two textbooks concerning AIDS and health care and taught AIDS-related college and law school courses. His wide-ranging collection consists of numerous subject files pertaining to LGBT legal issues, HIV/AIDS articles, and several journals.
Janet Soule Papers, 1975 – 1992; (bulk) 1980 – 1989
2 linear feet.
Janet Soule was co-owner of WomanWild, a unique woman-identified art/gift gallery located in Chicago. Her papers include correspondence, financial records, photographs, brochures, newsletters, bibliographies, books catalogs, and press clippings.
Gregory A. Sprague Collection, 1910 – 1989; (bulk) 1975 – 1989
2 linear feet.
Historian, educator, and author, Gregory Sprague was nationally renowned for his research in lesbian and gay history. He co-founded the Committee on Lesbian and Gay History of the American Historical Association and was active in the Gay Academic Union (GAC). In 1978 he founded the Chicago History Project, a precursor of the Gerber/Hart Library and Archives. Sprague’s papers include his Ph.D. dissertation materials, copies of articles he wrote, secondary source research materials, correspondence, photographs, and extensive subject files.
Steve Starr papers, 1973-2006
17 linear feet.
Steve Starr was a photographer, writer, designer, artist, chronicler of film personalities, and owner of Steve Starr Studios, a store which specialized in original Art Deco artifacts and photo frames. Starr’s column on movie stars of the 1920s through the 1940s, named Starrlight, appeared in publications including Entertainment Magazine Online, Windy City Times, and the Chicago Art Deco Society Magazine. Starr was also the author of Picture Perfect-Deco Photo Frames 1926-1946, published by Rizzoli International Publications in 1991. His collection contains numerous photographic negatives, photographs, slides, photo albums, award plaques, and press clippings.
Paul Stensland, [previously National Association of Black and White Men Together (NABWMT) records], 1981 – 1984
.5 linear feet.
Paul Stensland (1952-1993) was a longtime community activist in Chicago, involved in gay organizations such as Black and White Men Together, The Gay Liberation Front, the Chicago Gay Alliance, ACT-UP, and Queer Nation, among others throughout his life. The collection contents include a large steno-journal with handwritten notes, newsletters, reports, committee meeting notes, correspondence, advertisements, marketing material, and event calendars, all relating to Black and White Men Together (BWMT).
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Valerie Taylor Collection, 1913 – 1998; (bulk) 1926 – 1998
0.5 linear foot.
Valerie Taylor was a pioneering lesbian and feminist activist, as well as a nationally acclaimed novelist and poet. She was a co-founder of Mattachine Midwest and the Lesbian Writers’ Conference (Chicago), an early member of Daughters of Bilitis, and was interviewed by Studs Turkel in “Coming of Age.” Her papers consist of photocopies of her correspondence and poems.
Team Chicago Athletics records, 1990-2010
15 linear feet.
Team Chicago Athletics was founded in 1992 to maximize the number of participants from Chicago at the Gay Games IV in New York through energizing the gay and lesbian community in Chicago, acting as a clearinghouse for information coming from New York, and fundraising for uniforms. The collection includes meeting minutes, strategic plans, member lists, athlete registration books, mailers, newsletters, brochures, awards, videotapes, cassettes, posters, flyers, t-shirts, water bottles, buttons, pins, stickers, and press clippings.
Test Positive Aware Network (TPAN), 1992-1998
14 linear feet.
Chris Clason and sixteen other HIV-positive Chicagoans founded the Test Positive Aware Network (TPAN) in 1987. The organization’s primary mission is to provide HIV-positive individuals with peer-led support group services led by other HIV-positive individuals, offering up-to-date HIV treatment information, and publishing the internationally known Positively Aware magazine. The collection contains press releases, subject files, brochures, pamphlets, and press clippings.
Miss Tillie papers, 1947 – 1972
1.5 linear feet.
Miss Tillie was a drag performer affectionately known as “The Dirty Ol’ Lady of Chicago.” She was one of the early performers at The Chesterfield and was arrested there in several bar raids in the early 1960s. She also frequently performed at House of Landers and later worked with Chuck Renslow to start a drag show at Sparrow’s. Tillie passed away in 2005 at which point Gerber/Hart received the collection as a donation. Tillie’s photos have been featured weekly on Gerber/Hart’s Instagram and Gerber/Hart’s 2019 exhibition “The City that Werqs: A History of Chicago’s Drag Revolutionaries.” The collection primarily consists of photographs, as well as oversized materials such as posters and photographs.
R. E. Tippet Collection, 1967 – 2010
.5 linear feet.
Richard “Dick” E. Tippet kept journals throughout his entire life, mostly in reference to entertainment and current events. The scope of the collection includes 8 hand-bound volumes, containing hundreds of papers of essays and journal entries related to literature, music, poetry, and personal musings from 1967 – 2009.
Garrett Evangelical Theological Seminary Matter papers, 1978 – 1980
0.5 linear foot.
These papers were collected by Samuel Todes, an Associate Professor and Chairman of the Department of Philosophy at the Northwestern University (NU) of Arts and Sciences in Evanston, Illinois. They document the exclusion of avowed homosexuals from the Garrett Evangelical Seminary’s Master of Divinity program, a joint Ph.D. program with NU, and the subsequent work done by members of the faculty to overturn institutional policies, which discriminated against academic training for openly gay and lesbian students. The collection includes correspondence, report drafts, a petition, and press clippings.
Patricia Tomaso Papers, 1969 – 2009; (bulk) 1994 – 2009
1 linear foot.
Patricia Tomaso was an educator and an activist who was a founding member of the Chicago chapter of the Gay, Lesbian, Straight Teachers Education Network (GLSTEN), and chaired the Gay and Lesbian Issues committee for the Chicago Teachers Union (CTU) for a decade. Her papers detail the progress that was made, and the changes that ensued, as a result of her years of service. The collection includes meeting minutes, agendas, press releases, correspondence, phone records, and press clippings.
TRI-Women records, 1993 – 1998
.5 linear feet.
TRI-Women was an organization established to encourage women to be active in the sport of triathlons and to create a healthy environment in which lesbians and bisexual women could socialize. Collection contents include meeting minutes, agendas, correspondence, events planning calendars, member interviews and biographies, pres releases, triathlon maps, and press clippings.
University of Chicago Women’s and Gender Studies Department Records, 1974-1987
2 linear feet.
The collection consists of newsletters, publications, subject files, and press clippings from the Women’s and Gender Studies Department at the University of Chicago.
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Up North Restaurant & Bar Collection, 1971 – 1989
1 linear foot.
Up North Restaurant & Bar was an establishment owned by Jack David that catered to Chicago’s gay and lesbian community. It was originally located on North Western Avenue and then moved to the Southport/Wrightwood area. The collection contains scrapbooks, photo albums, correspondence, and press clippings, and various ephemera.
University of Chicago Women’s & Gender Studies Department Collection, 1969 – 2006; (bulk) 1974 – 1987
1.5 linear feet.
The Women’s Union was an active student organization at the University of Chicago and focused on second-wave feminism and general activism. Interested faculty and students organized teaching and research on women’s and gender studies into the Center for the Study of Gender and Sexuality in 1996. The collection includes materials such as newsletters, publications, subject files, press clippings on feminism, women’s issues, and academic women’s studies.
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William Verick papers, 1985-1990
4 linear feet.
Collection of William Verick, longtime Chicago gay activist and member of Chicago’s leather community who served on the Board of Directors of Illinois Gay and Lesbian Task Force (IGLTF) for many years. Verick’s papers consist of records from his work with IGLTF and other organizations he was involved in, such as the Names Project 1988 and Mayor’s Committee on Gay and Lesbian Issues (COGLI). Papers also include minutes, bylaws, and videotapes of CAATF’s cable TV program AIDS Call-In Live.
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Allen C. Wardell papers, 1987 – 1995
2 linear feet.
Allen Wardell was an activist and community leader who was heavily involved with the Illinois Gay and Lesbian Task Force (IGLTF). He helped to spearhead the first sensitivity training on gay and lesbian concerns for the Chicago Police Department and developed gay and lesbian counseling materials for Illinois public schools. Wardell’s papers document his personal and professional life through photographs, a piece of artwork, an address book, correspondence, manuscripts, a Gay and Lesbian Hall of Fame award, Gay Chicago Award, and press clippings.
Earl Welther Collection [previously Midwest Men’s Center of Chicago Collection], 1987 – 2006
0.5 linear foot.
The collection includes some information related to Midwest Men’s Center of Chicago, but also includes a large amount of documents from the Windy City Naturists Society. Both Midwest Men’s and Windy City Naturists were founded by Earl Welther (1942-2009) in the late 1980s. Welther was an active participant and gay-rights advocate in the greater Chicagoland gay community, in addition to being a member of several gay clubs including those he founded. There was an attempt in the early 2000s to induct him into the Chicago Gay and Lesbian Hall of Fame, though the campaign was ultimately unsuccessful.
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John Zeh papers, 1959-1984
29 linear feet.
John Zeh was a longtime activist and journalist who worked for numerous social justice causes including gay rights, anti-racism, and homeless advocacy. In 1979 he founded the Gaydreams radio show. He also edited the Rainbow News online service, moderated the Rainbow Talk list, and was a contributor to Streetvibes, the Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless’ newspaper, the Greater Cincinnati GLBT News and the Gay People’s Chronicle. His collection includes reel-to-reel recordings of his radio shows, 8mm films, photographs, slides, cassettes, posters, buttons, and press clippings.
Yvonne Zipter papers, 1978-2004
1 linear foot.
Yvonne Zipter is an award-winning poet, humorist, essayist, and columnist in the gay and lesbian press. She is the author of an essay collection titled Ransacking the Closet, selections from which won an Illinois Arts Council finalist award. She also wrote a nonfiction retrospective of lesbian softball, Diamonds Are a Dyke’s Best Friend, and a poetry collection, The Patience of Metal, which was a runner-up for the Poetry Society of America’s Melville Cane Award and a Lambda Literary Award finalist. Her papers include drafts of Diamonds Are a Dykes Best Friend, correspondence, ten cassettes of interviews, questionnaires, photographs, and press clippings.
