Image:Queer liberation banners, Philadelphia 1972.jpg

Photo by Kay Tobin Lahusen. From the New York Public Library collection.

About this photo:

April 25, 2007, New York, NY - The New York Public Library has acquired a major archive of letters, photos, handbills, manuscripts, publications and other materials accumulated over decades by two pioneers in the long-term campaign for gay and lesbian civil rights. The materials were donated by Barbara Gittings, an activist, editor, and writer who died in February in Pennsylvania, and by her life partner, photojournalist and author Kay Tobin Lahusen. The Barbara Gittings and Kay Tobin Lahusen Gay History Papers and Photographs will reside at the Humanities and Social Sciences Library's Manuscripts and Archives Division on Fifth Avenue and 42nd Street. The Manuscripts and Archives Division is a world-class repository of literary, historical and political records that includes among its collections an extensive range of materials documenting the history of gay and lesbian organizations and individuals.

"The collection donated by Barbara Gittings and Kay Tobin Lahusen is a remarkable first-hand chronicle detailing the battles of gays and lesbians to overcome the prejudice and restrictions that were prevalent prior to the activism and protest movements that started in the 1960s," said Paul LeClerc, President of The New York Public Library. "It also provides an invaluable view of an era of dynamic change in which new ideas flourished and new freedoms were gained in all corners of society."

Gittings' papers document her activism on behalf of lesbian and gay rights from her founding in 1958 of the east coast chapter of the Daughters of Bilitis (first national lesbian organization, established 1955) and the editorship of its publication, The Ladder, until shortly before her death. Her files of correspondence and related material highlight her participation in numerous gay rights organizations over the years, and her crucial work with religious leaders, mental health professionals, and the library community to change public attitudes toward homosexuality. Gittings' writings, protests and other efforts influenced the American Psychiatric Association's removal of homosexuality from the list of mental illnesses and the inclusion of books by and for gays in library collections. She received awards from both the APA and the American Library Association for her lifetime achievements.

In one letter to fellow activists from 1967, Gittings wrote, "I keep trying to convince people in the movement that the charge of sickness is perhaps our greatest problem... we can't really progress in other directions until the unsubstantiated assumption of sickness... is demolished! ... It's almost always there, however slyly or covertly or even unconsciously, however 'sympathetic' the person: the attitude that homosexuality is somehow undesirable, some sort of twist or malfunction or failure or maladaptation or other kind of psychic sickness. And in our society sick people, by any definition of sick, just DO NOT get equal treatment. Equal treatment - no more, no less - is what we want! And compassion - which many homosexuals gladly swallow because they think it represents an improvement in attitudes toward them - is not equal treatment."

Lahusen's extensive photographic collection documents gay activism - from images of early pickets, portraits of lesbian women for covers of The Ladder, and photos chronicling gay activists and activities including protests, parades, and political campaigns through 2005. Included also are her files and oral histories used in the preparation of her book The Gay Crusaders (1972).

In addition to their personal papers and photographs is their extensive research collection of gay and lesbian newspapers, magazines, newsletters, fliers, T-shirts, buttons, press clippings, and sound and video recordings from across the country and around the world.

"The Gittings and Lahusen archive adds depth and dimension to a substantial body of materials at the Library documenting gay and lesbian history and culture," said David Ferriero, Andrew W. Mellon Director and Chief Executive of the Research Libraries. "The collection will reside in our Manuscripts and Archives Division with such major collections as the International Gay Information Center Archives (IGIC), and the records of Gay Men's Health Crisis, and ACT UP/NY. Along with other collections throughout the Research Libraries, The New York Public Library provides a multifaceted view of the personalities, progress, challenges, and achievement that embody gay and lesbian history."

Asked to comment about the archive, Kay Tobin Lahusen said, "Barbara and I always wanted our papers and photographs to be cared for and made available in a secure, world-class repository, located geographically in a major research center. We wanted strong capabilities for preservation and digitization. And we wanted our letters and photos to be surrounded by those of friends and colleagues in the cause. The New York Public Library's marvelous archive division was the obvious choice."

originally posted to Flickr as Queer liberation banners, Philadelphia 1972

2008-04-21 10:34:54

Bob Bobster