Bert Hansen papers

Collection

Call Number: MS 2042

Scope and Contents

The papers document the work and research interests of academic and activist Bert Hansen. The original accession of material is divided into three categories: Hansen correspondence with Susan Chambré, AIDS Committee of Toronto (ACT) records, and newspaper clippings. There are also three additional accessions: one consisting of subject files, and two consisting of additional files.

The AIDS Committee of Toronto (ACT) records consist of administrative files related to operations of the group, board and committee-related minutes, agendas, and correspondence, and printed ephemera. The ACT records include source materials from different advocacy groups and reports on the Gay Men's Health Crisis's model of activism and work with AIDS patients. These materials mainly date from 1983 to 1984, the length of Hansen's involvement with ACT.

Newspaper and magazine clippings are generally focused on the AIDS epidemic in Canada and the United States, starting from the early period of the epidemic in 1982 until 1996. Some of the aspects of the epidemic that these clippings document include activism in the gay and lesbian community, medical research, human interest stories about people living with AIDS, and discrimination against AIDS patients. There are also a small number of clippings on other topics, such as discrimination within and towards the gay community, visibility of gay men and lesbians in media and history, and anti-pornography activism. The bulk of these date from 1980 to 1984.

Subject files, dated from 1838 to 1996, bulk 1970-1996, consists of materials pertaining to Bert Hansen’s research on lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) activism, medical history and academia, and the intersection of both fields. It includes magazines, news clippings, annotated research papers, conference schedules, correspondence, academic journals, and informational pamphlets. Topics covered in the subject files include the history of the gay rights movement, sociology and sexuality, and portrayals of the gay community in the media. Additionally, these subject files contain personal testimonials of and news clippings documenting discrimination against members of the gay and lesbian community.

Additional material includes two accessions. Series Accession 2020-M-0012, dated from 1955 to 2019, documents Bert Hansen's work and research interests, particularly his research on women in medicine, biology and sexual orientation, and medical history in advertising; his work with an academic center at the City University of New York (CUNY); and his compilation of organizational newsletters and publications pertaining to gay and feminist culture and history. The accession also includes Hansen’s personal medical files from 1994 through 2015.

Series Accession 2021-M-0011, dating from 1978 to 1996, contains files relating to the history of AIDS, records of Hansen’s research for an exhibition called “Epidemics in New York City History,” held at the Museum of the City of New York, and two videocassette recordings of an interview with Bert Hansen held on The Morning Show in Binghamton, New York.

Dates

1838 - 2019
Majority of material found within 1970 - 2009

Creator

Hansen, Bert, 1944-

Language of Materials

The material is in English and French.

Conditions Governing Access

The materials are open for research.

Conditions Governing Use

Copyright for unpublished materials authored or otherwise produced by Bert Hansen,whether such works are at Yale or physically located elsewhere in the world, was transferred to Yale University in 2015. These materials may be used for non-commercial purposes without seeking permission from Yale University as the copyright holder. For other uses of these materials, please contact mssa.assist@yale.edu. Copyright status for other collection materials is unknown. Transmission or reproduction of materials protected by U.S. Copyright Law (Title 17, U.S.C.) beyond that allowed by fair use requires the written permission of the copyright owners. Works not in the public domain cannot be commercially exploited without permission of the copyright owners. Responsibility for any use rests exclusively with the user.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Gift of Bert Hansen, 2015, 2018, 2019, and 2020.

Arrangement

The original accession material is arranged under the following headings: Hansen correspondence with Susan Chambré, AIDS Committee of Toronto (ACT) files, and Newspaper clippings. There is one accession consisting of subject files, and two accessions of additional files.

Extent

14.33 Linear Feet (36 containers)

Catalog Record

A record for this collection is available in Orbis, the Yale University Library catalog

Persistent URL

https://hdl.handle.net/10079/fa/mssa.ms.2042

Additional Description

Overview

The papers document the work and research interests of academic and activist Bert Hansen. The original accession is divided into three categories, AIDS Committee of Toronto (ACT) records, newspaper clippings, and subject files, followed by three subsequent accessions consisting of subject files and additional files. The AIDS Committee of Toronto records consist of administrative files related to operations of the group, board and committee related minutes, agendas, and correspondence, and printed ephemera. These files date from 1983 to 1984. Newspaper and magazine clippings are generally focused on the AIDS epidemic in Canada and the United States, starting from the early period of the epidemic in 1982 until 1996. Some of the aspects of the epidemic that these clippings document include activism in the gay and lesbian community, medical research, human interest stories about people living with AIDS, and discrimination against people with AIDS. There are also a small number of clippings on other topics, such as discrimination within and towards the gay community, visibility of gay men and lesbians in media and history, and anti-pornography activism. The bulk of these date from 1980 to 1984. Subject files date from 1838 to 1996, though the bulk of the materials date from 1970-1996. They consist of materials pertaining to Bert Hansen's research on lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) activism, medical history and academia, and the intersection of both fields. Topics covered in the subject files include the history of the gay rights movement, sociology and sexuality, and portrayals of the gay and lesbian community in the media. Additionally, these subject files contain testimonials of and clippings documenting discrimination against members of the gay and lesbian community. Two additions consist of files on Hansen's life, work, and research interests, particularly his research on women in medicine; biology and sexual orientation; medical history in advertising; gay and feminist culture and history; and the history of AIDS. One of the additions also documents his work with an academic center at the City University of New York (CUNY) and contains his personal medical files.

Biographical / Historical

Bert Hansen

Bert Hansen was born on February 5, 1944 in Chicago, Illinois. He received his bachelor's degree in chemistry from Columbia College in 1965 and earned his doctorate in the history of science from Princeton University in 1974. Hansen received a Mellon Fellowship at Harvard University in 1978 and taught medical history courses there until 1979. His academic work focuses on the history of medicine and the history of science, such as the relationship of magic and science in the Middle Ages and the medicalization of homosexuality. Hansen held academic appointments in multiple institutions including Binghamton, State University of New York, the University of Toronto, New York University, and Baruch College, City University of New York. In 1973, Hansen and several other colleagues founded the Gay Academic Union, an organization which brought together gay and lesbian and allied academics across the country. He was also a founding member of the AIDS Committee of Toronto (ACT) and served as their first chair in 1983. Hansen worked with ACT from 1983 to 1984 and returned to the United States in 1985.

Hansen's publications include a 2009 book entitled Picturing Medical Progress from Pasteur to Polio: A History of Mass Media Images and Popular Attitudes in America and his doctoral dissertation: Nicole Oresme and the Marvels of Nature: A Study of His De Causis Mirabilium. In 2015, Hansen retired from Baruch College. He continues to present at academic conferences across the country, and his current research projects include the American Pasteur Institutes, nineteenth century homosexuality in New York City, and gay and lesbian scientists.

AIDS Committee of Toronto

The AIDS Committee of Toronto (ACT) was founded in 1983. The first Canadian organization of its kind, the ACT has its roots in a public health forum on AIDS and Hepatitis B held on April 5, 1983 at the Hassle Free Clinic in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Some of the people who participated decided to form an "ongoing AIDS committee." On July 19, 1983 the Toronto AIDS Committee held their first press conference to announce their organization and their work. They changed their name to the AIDS Committee of Toronto soon after. Their services have two major focuses: supporting people living with HIV and AIDS, and educating the community at large in Toronto on HIV and AIDS, especially the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) community. ACT projects that support people living with HIV and AIDS include counseling, social events, meals, support groups, and programs that provide job training and placement. Educational programming includes substance abuse counselling, community health forums, and outreach activities at bars, night clubs, festivals, bath houses, and online.

Separated Materials

Lesbians Rising: Lesbian Feminist Newspaper, has been separated from this collection and added to the Queer Zines, Magazines, and Newspapers Collection (MS 1847).