Call Number:

Coll.19

Repository:

John J. Wilcox, Jr. LGBT Archives, William Way LGBT Community Center

Extent:

5 linear feet

Language:

English

Date:

circa 1998-2001

Creator:

Capsuto, Steven

Abstract:

Steven Capsuto is the author of Alternate Channels: The Uncensored Story of Gay and Lesbian Images on Radio and Television, 1930s to the Present (New York: Ballantine, 2000). The Steven Capsuto book research files for Alternate Channels, circa 1998-2001, are comprised of research materials, outlines, notes, and drafts of his book.

"Steven Capsuto earned a B.A. in Spanish from Rutgers University in 1986, with a double minor in U.S. History and Mass Media & Journalism. Since 1989, he has been presenting video-illustrated lectures about how television portrays lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender lives.

"He began researching the media's LGBT images in the late 1980s, while volunteering at a crisis hotline. Many of the callers were suicidal gay teens who had built their self-image on the grim depictions seen on television at that time.

"His book, Alternate Channels, traces the radical changes in queer imagery on radio and TV from 1930 to 2000. It has a five-star rating on Amazon.com and was a semifinalist for a 2001 ALA Book Award. Alternate Channels has been used in college courses and is widely cited by other researchers and authors.

"Steven has contributed related articles to periodicals and reference books, has presented LGBT-history papers at academic conferences in several countries, and served on the research teams for documentaries seen on PBS and Bravo cable (including The Question of Equality and TV Revolution).

"He was the head archivist of the GLBT Archives of Philadelphia from 1997 to 2003, and has been involved in LGBT equality causes since the 1980s.

"He is a full-time professional translator, mainly translating texts into English from Catalan, French, Portuguese and Spanish."

Bibliography:

Quoted text from: Capsuto, Steven. "Bio." Accessed June 25, 2012. http://www.stevecap.com/bio.html.

This collection consists of files compiled by Steven Capsuto while writing his book Alternate Channels: The Uncensored Story of Gay and Lesbian Images on Radio and Television, 1930s to the Present (New York: Ballantine, 2000). His research includes original and copy newspaper/magazine clippings, press releases from GLAAD (Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation) and other LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender) advocacy groups, excerpts from television show scripts, and some emails regarding his research. The collection also contains outlines, notes, and drafts from various stages of Capsuto's book-writing process.