Gay youth

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.

This collection consists of a single item: an 8-page handwritten memoir by John Brown, who also went by Sammy as well as by the drag name Marilyn. It tells the story of how Brown was introduced to gay life in Philadelphia, how he and friend Jack Van Alstyne met queens in Rittenhouse Square in 1953, and how he took on the drag name Marilyn. It also has details about Brown serving time in juvenile detention in 1954.