Homosexuality/LGBT Collection
General International Standard for Archival Description
Sophia Smith Collection Smith College Northampton, MA
Finding aid encoded in NoteTab Pro. Encoded by Sarah Fitzgibbons. 2012-06-27
Encoded Archival Description
Encoded Archival Description (EAD) Version 2002
collection
Creation of Homosexuality/LGBT Collection
Time of Creation of Homosexuality/LGBT Collection
Multiple donors have contributed to this subject collection.
Scope and Contents of the Collection Pamphlet from the collection, April 1981 The Homosexuality/LGBT Collection consists of articles, books, leaflets, newsletters, newspaper clippings, pamphlets, periodicals and position papers that document the evolution of legal, medical, political, individual and public attitudes and approaches to lesbian, gay, and bisexual people and organizations from 1932 to the present. There are only a few items dating from the period before Stonewall (1969), including a review of the 1932 German film "Maedchen in Uniform" from Literary Digest; psychiatrist Frank Caprio's 1954 book, Female Homosexuality: A Psychodynamic Study; and the Scottish Home Department's 1957 Report of the Committee on Homosexual Offences and Prostitution. Without exception these publications reflect the predominant assumptions about the pathological nature of homosexual identity and behavior that characterize the period before the emergence of the gay liberation movement. The vast majority of the items in the collection date from 1970 to 1978. These document the discursive and political struggles that surrounded the efforts of lesbians, gay men, and bisexuals to oppose the medicalization and criminalization of homosexuality and to oppose homophobic discrimination at every level of U.S. society. Some of this material reflects conservatives' efforts to oppose gay liberation struggles and some demonstrates the widespread confusion and ambivalence about lesbians and gay men shared by mainstream journalists, politicians, and medical and legal professionals during the 1970s. Most of the material, however, documents lesbian, gay and bisexual efforts to raise public consciousness about same-sex sexuality and demonstrates the gradual inroads made by the gay and lesbian liberation movement during the decade of the 1970s, especially in college and university settings. Newspapers such as The Militant and The Village Voice are particularly well-represented among the newspaper clippings in the collection. Also of interest are numerous newsletters, periodicals and leaflets that document lesbian organizing in the Pioneer Valley and surrounding areas.
Periodic additions are expected.
The collection is open to reseach according to the regulations of the Sophia Smith Collection.
Permission is required to cite the papers or for quotations beyond "fair use." Copyright to materials in this collection is owned by the individuals and organizations who authored them, or their heirs and assigns.
Processed by Nichole Calero, 2012. Finding aid written by Kate Weigand and Nichole Calero.
Gay liberation movement--History--20th century--Sources
lcsh
Gay rights -- History -- 20th century -- Sources
Gays -- Periodicals
Gender identity -- History -- 20th century -- Sources
Homosexuality -- Psychological aspects -- History -- 20th century -- Sources
Lesbian feminism -- History -- Sources
Lesbians -- United States -- History -- 20th century -- Sources
Lesbians -- Periodicals
Lesbians in literature
series
General
Bibliographies 1975
Newspaper clippings 1932, 1971-81
The Lesbian-Feminist Movement and Social Change, Female Homosociality, a New Consciousness Ph.D. dissertation by Leana Furgeri, Teacher's College, Columbia University 1976
Pamphlets 1962-1996
Riverfinger Women by Elana Nachman/Dykewomon: typescript, n.d. 1974
Miscellaneous printed material 1971-74
Essay: "Lesbian Separatism: An Amazon Analysis" by Alice, Debbie, Gordon, Mary [sic] 1973
Lesbian Literature- Teaching: The Social Science: The Idea of "Lesbian Community"
Medical pamphlets 1974, n.d.
"The Invisible Minority: Aging Lesbianism," by Chris Almvig 1982
Organizations
Gay Flames: pamphlets (nos. 1,3,4,7-13) circa 1970s
Lesbian Mothers' National Defense Fund: "Mom's Apple Pie" 1975-77
National Gay Task Force: miscellaneous printed material 1974-77
Radicalesbians, "Lesbians and the Health Care System" 1971
Periodicals [SEE ALSO SSC Periodical Collection]
Bad Attitude 1984
The Closet Door 1971-72, n.d.
Coming Out Rage May 1973
Dyke 1975-1978
Dykes and Gorgons May-Jun 1973
Dyke Doings Jan 1976
Gay Activist Jun 1973
Gay Men's Liberation and last motive 1972
Gay People and Mental Health 1973
Gossip 1986
Labyris fall 1978- winter 1979
Lambda Rising Book Report (V.1 No 5-7) 1988
The Leaping Lesbian (V.3 No.2) n.d.
Lesbian Ethics (V. 4 No.1) 1990
The Lesbian Feminist Sept/Oct 1976
Lesbian Feminist Flyer Dec 1988
The Lesbian Outlook circa 1991
A Lesbian Position 1983-1986
Lesbians Rising May/Jun 1976
Long Time Coming Apr/May 1976
Mauve Messages Jul/Aug 1975
Moonstorm Apr 1978
Motive 1972
Old Maid Spring 1975
Out in Comics 2002-2003
Outlook Spring 1988
Prism Comics 2003
Purple Rage n.d.
Wicce Summer 1975
Womanspace News May/Jun 1986
Yoni: Lesbian Erotica Spring 1988
The Lesbian Reader: an Amazon Quarterly Anthology 1975
D.Y.K.E. Do You Know Enough: game 1986
Books
Brown, Rita Mae. A Plain Brown Wrapper1976
Caprio, Frank S., M.D. Female Homosexuality: A Psychodynamic Study of Lesbianism 1954
Childeckel, Maurice. Female Sex Perversion: The Sexually Aberrated Woman as She Is 1938
Counseling the Transexual: five conversations with professionals in transsexual therapy n.d.
Dykewomon/Nachman, Elana. They Will Know Me By My Teeth 1976
Fisher, Peter. The Gay Mystique: the myth and reality of male homosexuality 1973
Gaia's Guide 1971
Grahn, Judy. Edward the Dyke and other poems 1971
Legal Aspects of Transexualism July 1971 (2 copies)
Norday, Michael. Warped 1955
Stewart-Park, Angela and Cassidy, Jules, We're Here: Conversations with Lesbian Women 1977
Vida, Ginny Editor Our Right to Love: a lesbian resource book 1978
Working Papers on Gay/Lesbian Liberation and Socialism 1979
Oversize Materials
Lesbian rights banner and poster n.d.