- Scope and Contents
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The collection includes correspondence, writings, legal documents, photographs, ephemera, and artwork concerning Jeanne C. Barney, leather culture, and gay rights activism in California, circa 1968-1982. Present are original letters and typescript drafts for Barney’s advice columns, subscription forms and correspondence for the Leather Fraternity, and legal documents concerning Barney’s arrest and trial after the Mark IV raid. Also included are letters from Robert A. Sullivan, who was convicted of the 1973 murder of Donald Schmidt; John Wojtowicz, who was convicted of robbing a bank in 1972; and other gay prisoners, which Barney used for her “Prison Rap” column and to coordinate pen pal programs for gay prisoners. The collection also includes photographs, artwork, and paste-ups for Leather Fraternity publications and H.E.L.P. events, including drawings and prints by Sean, one of the pseudonyms of artist John Klamik.
- Conditions Governing Access
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The materials are open for research.
- Conditions Governing Use
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The Jeanne C. Barney Papers is the physical property of the Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library, Yale University. Literary rights, including copyright, belong to the authors or their legal heirs and assigns. For further information, consult the appropriate curator.
- Immediate Source of Acquisition
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Purchased from William Reese Co. (Swann Galleries Pride sale, New York, 2019 June 20, lot 137-138) on the Frederick W. and Carrie S. Beinecke Fund for Western Americana, 2019. Purchased from Langdon Manor Books, LLC on the Frederick W. and Carrie S. Beinecke Fund for Western Americana, 2019. Purchased from Daniel Oliver LLC on the Frederick W. and Carrie S. Beinecke Fund for Western Americana and Edwin J. Beinecke Book Fund, 2021.
- Arrangement
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Organized into three groupings: May 2021 Acquisition; October 2019 Acquisition; July 2019 Acquisition.
- Dates
- 1968 - 1982
- Extent
- 4.17 Linear Feet (7 boxes)
- Related Names
- Barney, Jeanne C.
- Language of Materials
- English