Call Number:

Coll.59

Repository:

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

Extent:

.4 linear feet ((3 document boxes, 2 flat boxes))

Language:

English

Preferred Citation:

LGBT calendars, 1971-2017, Ms. Coll. 59, John J. Wilcox Jr. LGBT Archives, William Way LGBT Community Center, Philadelphia, PA.

Date:

1971-2017 (inclusive)

Form:

Appointment books, Calendars, and Gay pornography

Abstract:

Decorative calendars have a long and varied history. Those marketed to the LGBT community began to flourish in the 1970s with the advent of the gay liberation movement. The LGBT calendar collection contains various sorts of historic calendars with an LGBT theme including those aimed at gay men which feature nude or nearly nude male models, and those that celebrate or commemorate other aspects the LGBT community.

Decorative calendars have a long and varied history. Those marketed to the LGBT community began to flourish in the 1970s with the advent of the gay liberation movement. Pin-up or nude calendars, once the province of an underground press, became more wide-spread with the loosening of laws related to the production, distribution, purchase, or possession of pornography.

The LGBT calendar collection contains various sorts of historic calendars with an LGBT theme. Most frequent are those aimed at gay men which feature nude or nearly nude male models. Some of these fetishize a particular racial or ethnic group, including Black, Latino, or Asian men, and others focus on physical characteristics such as youth, hairiness, or endowment, or on subcultures such as the Levis and leather scene or drag. Many of the producers of these calendars are in fact publishers of pornography magazines and videos marketed to gay men.

There are also calendars that celebrate or commemorate other aspects the LGBT community, such as Pride or the AIDS crisis, or feature the visual work of LGBT artists, such as Keith Haring. Only a few of the calendars in this collection feature or are targeted specifically at women, but include some featuring the popular lesbian cartoon "Dykes to Watch Out For" as well as a calendar/journal that features lesbian "herstory." None in this collection are directly marketed to the transgender community.

The calendars range from 1971 to 2017. Some of the earliest calendars from the 1970s are quite rare. Some of the calendars have been "used" before being donated and include handwritten appointments and other inscriptions throughout. Others are in mint condition. Some have undergone water damage in the past.

The calendars are arranged physically by size but appear in the finding aid in alphabetical order by title.