Gay bars

Abstract William (Bill) Goldberg (1937-2019?) performed in drag, going under the stage name “Mame,” and performed as a supernumerary (non-singing or speaking role) in productions of the Opera Company of Philadelphia. He often attended and hosted parties with friends for anniversaries, birthdays, and other holidays; and attended plays, ballets, operas, and concerts. The collection contains a variety of material types that document Bill Goldberg’s interests, hobbies, profession, and social life. The...

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While abroad for work in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, in the early 1960s, American Charles Allyn Weeks began a romantic relationship with a Dutch university student several years his junior. The Weeks collection is comprised of 11 letters sent from the Dutchman in Amsterdam to Weeks in Philadelphia, plus 15 black and white photographs of the pair with their poodle Parké taken in Amsterdam, the Netherlands.

Abstract The Coalition on Lesbian-Gay Bar Policies was a grassroots organization made up of representatives from several of Philadelphia lesbian and gay organizations. Active from 1984-1986, their goal was "to examine the practices and policies of bars serving Philadelphia's gay/lesbian community as they relate to the treatment and employment of women and racial minorities, and to analyze the results of this examination in order to decide on appropriate actions to address problem areas." The records...

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The Gay and Lesbian Switchboard of Philadelphia operated at a series of locations in the city from 1973 to 1998. It aimed to provide information, counseling, and referrals to the gay and lesbian community via a call-in phone line. The Switchboard records are comprised of a range of business-related organizational materials dating from the mid 1970s through the late 1990s.

Abstract Jack Van Alstyne, born ca. 1938, known to his gay friends as "Cheezit," was the son of Howard C. Van Alstyne and Marion G. Fox Van Alstyne. He lived in Camden, NJ for much of his life. His collection includes a scrapbook of Philadelphia and New Jersey gay life of the 1960s through 1980s; grouping of ca. 75 photographs of Philadelphia and New Jersey drag queens and gay men, owned by John Brown, known as Marilyn; photographs taken by Alstyne of gay men in Rittenhouse Square, summer of 1953;...