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Hidden Histories: Discovering Los Angeles' LGBTQ+ Collections Main Menu Hidden Histories: Discovering Los Angeles' LGBTQ+ Collections Welcome to Hidden Histories! Discovering Los Angeles' LGBTQ+ Collections! What is Hidden Histories? A partnership between ONE Archives at USC and L.A. as Subject, Hidden Histories' goal is to create a centralized resource of LGBTQ+ archival material for researchers and community members. Participating Institutions L.A. as Subject member institutions from across Southern California have joined with ONE and LAAS to collaborate on this project. Topical Guide Collections from participating institutions organized based on the subject or topic of the materials.

California State University, Northridge (CSUN) University Library

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The CSUN University Library provides collections, technology, services, information literacy instruction, spaces, and programming, guided by the principles of diversity, equity, inclusion, social justice, and accessibility, in support of student success, research, scholarship, and innovation.

LGBTQ+ topics and themes represented in the collections held by the CSUN University Library include Health, Gender non-conforming people and Transgender people.

Featured Collections

Vern & Bonnie Bullough Collection on Sex and Gender

The Vern & Bonnie Bullough Collection on Sex and Gender was established by former CSUN faculty member Vern Bullough. He donated his personal research library starting in 1973, and continued making donations through the 1990s. Its purpose is to document social attitudes and studies of sex and gender from ancient times to the present, in support of CSUN curricula and research. Bullough also established an endowment that supports the library in continuing to build the collection, and funds special programming relating to sex, gender, and the campus community.

The collection is maintained for research and educational purposes, and is comprised of books, periodicals, manuscripts, and archival materials covering such topics as cross-dressing, gender roles in various time periods, the queer communities in Los Angeles, prostitution, the trans community, children and gender, nudism, gender and medicine, fetishism, and pornography.

The following collections are held within the Vern & Bonnie Bullough Collection on Sex and Gender:

Allen (Mariette Pathy) collection, 1991-2004

The collection consists of photographs relating to cross-dressing and transsexuals published in advertising literature, periodical articles, and brochures.

Bullough (Bonnie) collection, 1954-2000

Bonnie Bullough was a nursing teacher, administrator, researcher, and author. This collection documents her work in those fields, particularly her investigation of job worth (attaching value to nursing jobs), and cross dressing.

Bullough (Vern L.) collection, 1954-2000

Dr. Vern Bullough was an historian, sexologist, nursing researcher, author, and teacher, as well as a husband and father. While this collection touches on all of these facets, its focus is primarily on his research and writing in the field of sexology. Particularly well represented are the subjects of human sexuality, homosexuality, transsexuality, women (biology, gender, politics), and prostitution. The collection also documents Bullough's social, civic, and political advocacy including his run for the California State Assembly, work with the ACLU, and within the LGBTQ Community.

Cross dressing newsletters collection, 1974-2001

This collection consists of newsletters issued by local chapters of Tri-Ess (an educational and support group for heterosexual cross dressers) in the United States, and independent groups in the US and abroad. The newsletters report local activities, discuss current topical issues, and in general serve as a forum for the interests and concerns of the cross dressing community.

Dailey (Jan) & John Money correspondence collection, 1974-1996

Jan Dailey, a sex researcher and author, corresponded with Dr. John Money, sex researcher and co-founder of the Gender Identity Clinic at Johns Hopkins, for 17 years. The correspondence begins with Jan Dailey writing to Dr. Money about the effect of noise on sexual health. The collection consists of correspondence documenting a wide range of topics, from professional to personal matters, over the course of several years.

Evans (Len) collection, 1941-1996

Len Evans was an historian and collector who wrote several articles and chronologies discussing the history of homosexuality in the United States and Mexico. This collection helps to document that history within the United States and consists of information compiled as part of the Gay History Project in San Francisco (ca. 1983-1984) and Mr. Evans' collection of "Physique" Art and Photography.

Flagellation collection, 1954-1967

This collection consists of pamphlets, paperbacks, periodicals, and photographs on spanking, caning, and whipping. Some titles have prices penciled on the cover or flyleaf.

Fleishman (Stanley) collection, 1943-1999

Stanley Fleishman is a lawyer known primarily for trying First Amendment obscenity cases. He was also very active advocating on behalf of the legal rights of the disabled community. Prior to his work, wheelchair users were not permitted to serve on juries in California. This collection documents a small segment of Fleishman's personal and professional life as a trial lawyer in Southern California.

Gay greeting card collection, undated

This collection consists of 33 gay Christmas and Valentine greeting cards.

Harris-Wheeler collection, 1870-2000

This collection documents the efforts of Alvin S. Harris, an amateur erotic photographer, and Richard "Dick" Oliver Wheeler, an enthusiast, to collect, share, and sell cross-dressing and sexual fetish materials, including literature, photographs, periodicals, catalogs, and other types of sexually explicit content.

Homosexual Information Center card file collection, 1954-1995

Founded in the late 1960s by the Tangent Group, the Homosexual Information Center (HIC) is a nonprofit organization committed to gathering and disseminating information and data to the public regarding all aspects of homosexuality. This collection consists of card files believed to be integral to the organization's information distribution activities. They include what appear to be contact cards, and contributor and subscription lists.

Homosexual Information Center subject files collection, 1933-2005

This collection consists of alphabetical subject files containing documents and records created and disseminated by a wide range of social and political organizations, including local organizations in Los Angeles, national organizations, and international organizations. Various topics relevant to the LGBTQ+ community in the late 20th century are represented in the collection, especially the HIV/AIDS epidemic, HIC's interactions with smaller community and religious groups, and numerous political issues.

Jennings (Dale) scrapbook collection, 1950-1996

Scrapbooks in this collection primarily consist of advertisements clipped from periodicals and newspapers, as well as photographs.

Johnson (Victoria Lynn) collection, 1977

This collection consists of photographs of Victoria Lynn Johnson and Bob Guccione, a Penthouse news release, and other materials.

Jorgensen (Christine) Cross Dressing correspondence collection, 1953

This collection consists of four letters concerning cross dressing and Christine Jorgensen, one of the first people in the United States to speak publicly about having sex reassignment surgery. One letter is from Eddie Emory, another is from Stephen G. Vernon, the third is signed "Louise," and the fourth is unsigned.

Laurent (Aristide J.) collection, 1967-2010

Aristide Joseph "A.J." Laurent was a U.S. Airman, writer, publisher, printer, and pioneer activist for the LGBTQ+ community. He clandestinely co-founded The Advocate—the oldest and largest LGBT publication in the United States—in the basement studios of ABC Television in 1967. Consisting primarily of clippings, photographs, correspondence, scrapbooks, and memorabilia, this collection documents aspects of Laurent's personal life and advocacy involvement, and provides a unique perspective for considering the social and political history of the early LGBTQ+ rights movements.

Marks (Carole) papers, 1975-1976

This collection consists of materials from Marks' sex research, including a questionnaire, essays, and notes about sex-related themes in classical literature.

Martinson (Floyd M.) collection, 1940-2000

This collection consists primarily of reproductions of secondary source material used by Dr. Martinson in his research regarding the family and the development of sexuality in children.

Prince (Virginia) papers, 1930-1980

Virginia Prince established, edited, and wrote for the magazine Transvestia. This collection consists of newspaper clippings, magazine articles, cartoons, and photographs on cross dressing that appeared in other print media outlets.

Society for the Second Self (Tri-Ess) records, 1973-2006

Tri-Ess is a non-profit educational, social, and support group for heterosexual cross-dressers, their partners, and their families. The collection contains the records of Tri-Ess and its chapters. It includes correspondence, directories, corporate documents, flyers, ephemera, newsletters, and photographs. There is considerable documentation on the initial organization of Tri-Ess and numerous publications about cross-dressing.

Transgender resources collection, 2000-2014

This collection consists of materials related to the transgender experience in the United States, particularly California. Items in the collection include fliers and brochures for transgender events in Los Angeles, materials from the Transgender Law Center in San Francisco, handbooks for police officers and spiritual advisors on how to interact with or counsel transgender individuals, materials about gay bullying and Gay-Straight Alliances (GSA) in schools, and brochures detailing possible cosmetic procedures and facial feminization surgery (FFS).

Venereal Disease Program scrapbook, 1936-1941

This small collection consists of a scrapbook containing clippings from local newspapers, articles by health officer George Parrish, and issues of the California State Department of Public Health's Weekly Bulletin.

Contact the CSUN University Library

For more information about the CSUN University Library's LGTBQ+ collections and holdings, including citation and copyright information, please contact Special Collections.

✉ Email: asksca@csun.edu
☎ Call: 818-677-2597

The CSUN University Library is an L.A. as Subject member. For more information about L.A. as Subject, visit their website here.