Primary Source Set: LGBTQ life, 1920-1960
LGBTQ people and their communities became more visible with the social movements of the 1960s, but queer people have a much longer history in the U.S. and the world more generally. This collection explores the experiences of LGBTQ people during the early part of the 20th century: 1920 to 1960. These documents describe military service, nightlife, literature and performance, LGBTQ people’s complicated relationships with medicine, and the challenging process of cultivating queer relationships under laws that banned same-sex intimacy and even the use of the postal system to mail sex-related correspondence.
Advertisement for a Gladys Bentley performance at Mona’s 440, circa 1940s. From the Wide Open Town Records (2003-05).
Selected Source Set
Additional Resources
World War II Project Papers (#1995-16).
Wide Open Town History Project Records
Phyllis Lyon and Del Martin papers
Primary Source Set: Gay Men in the Military
Primary Source Set: Elsa Gidlow
Primary Source Set: Lesbians in the Military
Primary Source Set: José Sarria
Contact reference@glbthistory.org for research questions or information about reproductions and permissions.
These primary source sets are just a small sampling of our digitized materials. Additional resources are available in our digital collections. Our extensive archival holdings are searchable through our catalog.