Gay rights movement
Subtitle: The Mattachine Society of New York records, 1951-1976
Series: Archives of Sexuality and Gender: LGBTQ History and Culture Since 1940, Part I; Archives of Sexuality and Gender: LGBTQ History and Culture Since 1940, Part I
Publisher: [publisher not identified]
Published: 1951
Place of publication: [Place of publication not identified]
Language: eng
Number of pages: 28800
Subjects: Gay rights; Discrimination; Homosexuality; Gay liberation movement; Mattachine Society of New York
Description: This collection of records, spanning from 1951 to 1976, gives an overview of the American homophile movement (the gay rights movement including gay people and their allies) through the activities of the now-disbanded Mattachine Society of New York (MSNY). The Mattachine Society was one of the leaders of the gay rights movement in the latter half of the twentieth century, promoting its cause through education and other peaceful methods. It concentrated on assisting the gay community with mental health issues, educating the public about homosexuality, and lobbying to repeal discriminatory laws. The society came to be regarded as the authority on "the homosexual viewpoint" through its use of mass media. The collection itself is composed of six distinct categories of records: correspondence, topical files, gay organizations, financial records, photographs, and printed ephemera. Correspondence features the communications of principal officers of the MSNY and of other officers. The topical files contain reports, minutes, memoranda, other correspondence, and an assortment of papers relating to specific issues that affected the gay community. Documents from gay organizations include correspondence between the MSNY and its sister organizations, providing insight into the development and progression of the movement. Financial records included consist of miscellaneous financial statements of the MSNY from 1958 to 1974. Photographs in the collection document two major events: the East Coast Homophile Organization's convention in 1965 and a gay pride parade in the early 1970s. The printed ephemera here represents a variety of material related to the gay rights movement. Although the MSNY disbanded in 1987 due to internal feuding and dwindling public support for its more passive approach to civil rights advocacy, these records form a cohesive view of the beginnings of the homophile civil rights movement in New York. Researchers tracing the progression of gay rights will find this collection essential to their analyses, particularly for those focused on the state of New York.
Notes: Date range: 1951-1976.

Source institution: New York Public Library.