Ephemera

Abstract

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.

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...

Abstract

Gloria Casarez (1971-2014) was a prominent community activist and civic leader in the LGBTQ community in Philadelphia. The Gloria Casarez papers are made up of materials produced, collected, and saved by Casarez over the course of her professional career. They are arranged into seven series: 1) Empty the Shelters, 2) Kensington Welfare Rights Union, 3) GALAEI, 4) Miscellaneous, 5) News media, 6) Trophies, awards, and artifacts, and 7) Oversize graphics.

Abstract

Grassroot Queers was a Philadelphia-based queer activist organization that operated from 1993 through 1999 to fight for equal rights and increased visibility for the LGBTQ community. The Grassroot Queers records, 1993-1997, includes organizational records and ephemera pertaining to their diverse activist efforts and community events.

Abstract Joan Fleischmann was a homophile and gay liberation activist from late 1950s through the 1990s. The collection contains primarily organizational records collected over several decades by Fleischmann. These organizations include the East Coast Homophile Organizations (ECHO), the Eastern Regional Conference of Homophile Organizations (ERCHO), the Daughter of Bilitis (New York), the Mattachine Society of New York, the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) Lesbian and Gay Caucus, as...

Abstract

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.