Periodicals

Back Stage and Key West were two Philadelphia queer establishments that anchored the brunch and cabaret performance scenes from 1974-1997 and 1982-2008, respectively. The collection contains advertisements, ephemera, photographs, and press from both businesses. The bulk of the collection comprises material from Back Stage, and paints a picture of the enduring necessity of nightlife and queer spaces as anchors in the community for building joy, power, and connection.

This collection began as a box of LGBT magazines, chapbooks, and other material that was left on the side of the road for trash collection in Burlington, Vermont in November of 2018 and subsequently went on to be the subject of a successful gallery exhibit and Instagram account. This collection is made up of three series: Series I includes the contents of the found box, Series II includes the preserved Instagram account, and Series III includes materials related to the exhibit.

Tommi Avicolli Mecca (b. 1951) is a writer, singer/songwriter, performance artist, and activist. Throughout the 1970s and 1980s, Avicolli Mecca was involved in many Philadelphia-area Gay rights organizations. The collection is comprised of six series: 1) Subject files; 2) Gay Activists Alliance (Philadelphia) records; 3) Gay Media Project (Philadelphia) records; 4) Gay Community Center of Philadelphia records; 5) Photographic slides; 6) Audiovisual material.