LibGuides: LGBTQ Studies: Find Primary Sources

Primary Sources

What is a primary source?

Primary sources are materials that provide firsthand accounts of events by people who participated in or were present at the time the event occurred. Some examples of primary sources are letters, diaries, speeches, company records, government documents, films, photographs, Tweets, maps, audio recordings, posters, postcards, or other materials. According to the Library of Congress, "Primary sources provide a window into the past—unfiltered access to the record of artistic, social, scientific and political thought and achievement during the specific period under study, produced by people who lived during that period."

Primary Source Databases:

Sixties, The: Primary Documents and Personal Narratives, 1960 to 1974 This link opens in a new window Documents the key events, trends, and movements in 1960s America, vividly conveying the zeitgeist of the decade and its effects into the middle of the next. Covers the 1960s through Watergate and the evolution of society, politics, and culture in the United States during those times. Terms of Use. Coverage: 1960-1974.

Archives, Repositories, and Other Primary Source Collections

25 Years of Political Influence: The Records of the Human Rights Campaign Drawing from the original documents preserved in the HRC records, this online exhibition spotlights some of the key issues HRC has addressed as well as the organization’s primary activities: building the organization, supporting and educating candidates, lobbying for legislative change, mobilizing voters, and serving as a think tank.
1969: The Year of Gay Liberation The IGIC archives, along with other archives and collections subsequently donated to the Library, comprehensively document the gay and lesbian civil rights struggles in New York since the 1950s.
Central Coast Queer Archive Project Documents related to the development and activities of the Central Coast Queer Archive Project. Includes photographs and personal statements used for an interactive exhibit during Central Coast Pride 2017.
GLBT Historical Society Museum & Archives: Online Collections While the majority of our collections must be consulted in person, access to our digital collections continues to expand. The following collections are currently available in digital formats and can be consulted online.
Hormel LGBTQIA Center Collection Digitized photographs, manuscripts, documents, and other primary source materials from the James C. Hormel LGBTQIA Center.
Independent Voices: LGBT The LGBT collection contains 25 publications that chronicle the birth of the Gay and Lesbian movements in the United States. The gay liberation movement of the 1970s saw political action explode through the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, the Human Rights Campaign, the election of openly gay and lesbian representatives, and the first march on Washington for gay rights in 1979. Frustrated with the male leadership of most gay liberation groups and influenced by the feminist movement of the 1970s, lesbians formed their own collectives, music festivals, newspapers, bookstores, and publishing houses and called for lesbian rights in mainstream feminist groups like the National Organization for Women (NOW).
The Lesbian Herstory Archives Digital resources from The Lesbian Herstory Archives, whose mission is to gather and preserve records of Lesbian lives and activities so that future generations will have ready access to materials relevant to their lives.
The LGBT Community Center National History Archive The LGBT Community Center National History Archive serves to preserve the history of our community and its rich heritage. Founded in 1990 by volunteer archivist Rich Wandel, the archive provides a look into the lives and experiences of LGBT people throughout the years. The Center Archive contains a wide range of media from as early as 1920.
LGBTQ+ Studies: A Research Guide These resources are freely available online, anywhere with an internet connection. The collections are not affiliated with the Library of Congress and their inclusion here is for informational purposes only, and do not constitute endorsement or favoritism.
Lost and Found: The Lesbian and Gay Presence at the Archives of American Art The Archives of American Art contains numerous letters, photographs, unpublished writings and rare printed material that document the lives of gay American artists. This exhibition presents glimpses into their sometimes private, sometimes “out” lives, careers and communities.
Marie Ueda Collection Photographs from Marie Ueda of gay events during the 1970's to 1990's. Photos of Harvey Milk, Pride Parades, White Night Riots, Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, AIDS and other LGBT events.
Nazi Persecution of Homosexuals 1933-1945 This online exhibition examines the campaign of persecution and violence against the homosexuals of Germany. The Nazi campaign against homosexuality targeted the more than one million German men who, the state asserted, carried a "degeneracy" that threatened the "disciplined masculinity" of Germany.
ONE National Gay and Lesbian Archives ONE National Gay & Lesbian Archives at the USC Libraries is the largest repository of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer (LGBTQ) materials in the world. Founded in 1952, ONE Archives currently houses over two million archival items including periodicals, books, film, video and audio recordings, photographs, artworks, organizational records, and personal papers.
Stonewall and Beyond: Lesbian and Gay Culture This exhibition, originally on display from May 25 to September 17, 1994 at Columbia University's Butler Library, was drawn from the collections of Columbia Libraries as well as from the private libraries of the guest curators. Its display was planned to coincide with "Stonewall 25," the international celebration of the 25th anniversary of the U.S. gay and lesbian civil rights movement, held in New York City in June 1994.
wearing gay history Wearing Gay History is home to the digitized t-shirt collections of numerous lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender archives across the United States.