Finding Aid to the California Proposition 6 Briggs Initiative Collection, 1977-1980
Coll2011.018
Marc LaRocque and Loni Shibuyama
Processing this collection has been funded by a generous grant from the National Historical Publications and Records Commission.
ONE National Gay & Lesbian Archives, USC Libraries, University of Southern California
909 West Adams Boulevard
Los Angeles, California 90007
(213) 821-2771
askone@usc.edu
Language of Material:
English
Contributing Institution:
ONE National Gay & Lesbian Archives, USC Libraries, University of Southern California
Title: California Proposition 6 Briggs Initiative collection
creator:
Bay Area Committee Against the Briggs Initiative (Organization)
creator:
Kight, Morris
creator:
No on the Briggs Initiative Committee (Organization)
Identifier/Call Number: Coll2011.018
Physical Description:
5.5 Linear Feet
3 boxes, 2 cartons, and 1 flat box.
Date (inclusive): 1977-1980
Abstract: Correspondence, clippings, legislative and legal documents, pamphlets, flyers, photographs, financial records, meeting minutes,
event posters, petition forms, memoranda, speakers' manuals, volunteer forms, and other material documenting the campaign
to defeat California Proposition 6, introduced by State Senator John Briggs in 1978. The initiative's intent was to require
the dismissal of public school teachers and schoolworkers who "engaged in advocating, soliciting, imposing, encouraging or
promoting of private or public homosexual acts."
Biographical / Historical
Beginning in 1977, California State Senator John Briggs from Fullerton authored and introduced State Ballot Initiative 6,
also known as the Briggs Initiative, for the November 1978 election. The initiative's intent was to prohibit hiring or requiring
the dismissal of public school teachers and schoolworkers who "engaged in advocating, soliciting, imposing, encouraging or
promoting of private or public homosexual acts." Proposition 6 was defeated in the November 1978 election with 58.4 (No)
to 41.6 (Yes) percent.
Conditions Governing Access
The collection is open to researchers. There are no access restrictions.
Conditions Governing Use
All requests for permission to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted in writing to the ONE Archivist. Permission
for publication is given on behalf of ONE National Gay and Lesbian Archives at USC Libraries as the owner of the physical
items and is not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright holder, which must also be obtained.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
This collection was separated from the ONE Subject Files Collection, Coll2012-001. A portion of the collection was donated
by Morris Kight. The donor and date of the remaining materials are unknown.
Preferred Citation
[Box/folder #, or item name] California Proposition 6 Briggs Initiative Collection, Coll2011-018, ONE National Gay & Lesbian
Archives, USC Libraries, University of Southern California.
Processing Information
Collection processed by Marc LaRocque and Loni Shibuyama, with assistance from Cooper Moll, October 2014.
Related Materials
California Human Rights Advocates Records, Coll2013-035, ONE National Gay & Lesbian Archives, USC Libraries, University of
Southern California.
Coalition for Human Rights (Los Angeles) Records, Coll2011-025, ONE National Gay & Lesbian Archives, Los Angeles, California
James Goltz and Jean Wood Ethnographic Fieldwork Research on the Committee Against the Briggs Initiative, Los Angeles Chapter,
Coll2014-003, ONE National Gay & Lesbian Archives, USC Libraries, University of Southern California.
Morris Kight Papers and Photographs, Coll2010-008, ONE National Gay and Lesbian Archives, Los Angeles, California.
Long Beach Lambda Democratic Club Records, Coll2013-006, ONE National Gay & Lesbian Archives, USC Libraries, University of
Southern California
New Alliance for Gay Equality (New AGE) Records, Coll2011-058, ONE National Gay & Lesbian Archives, USC Libraries, University
of Southern California.
Scope and Contents
The collection consists of correspondence, clippings, legislative and legal documents, pamphlets, publicity flyers, photographs,
financial records, meeting minutes, event posters, petition forms, memoranda, speakers' manuals, volunteer forms, and other
material documenting the campaign to defeat California Proposition 6, also known as the Briggs Initiative, in 1978. The bulk
of the collection documents the activities of the three groups organized to oppose the initiative: the No on the Briggs Initiative
Committee (NOBIC) and the Committe Against the Briggs Initiative/Los Angeles (CABI/LA), both based in Los Angeles, and the
Bay Area Committee Against the Briggs Initiative (BACABI) based in San Francisco. The collection also includes legal papers
and other material documenting the activists' lawsuits filed against the Briggs Initiative in an attempt to remove it from
the November 1978 ballot.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Discrimination in employment
Gay teachers
Homosexuality -- Law and legislation -- California
Lesbian teachers
Briggs, John V.
Bay Area Committee Against the Briggs Initiative (Organization)
Kight, Morris
No on the Briggs Initiative Committee (Organization)
California Proposition 6 Briggs Initiative collection
box 1, folder 1
Anti-LGBT handouts
1977-1978
box 1, folder 2
Ballot and voter information, general
1977-1978
box 1, folder 3
Ballot fraud complaints
1977-1978
box 1, folder 4-5
Bay Area Committee Against the Briggs Initiative (BACABI)
1977-1978
box 1, folder 6
Boycott activities
1977-1978
box 1, folder 7
Briggs, John, election campaign
1977-1978
box 1, folder 8-9
Briggs, John, and the Defend Our Children publicity materials
1977-1978
box 1, folder 10
Briggs (John) Proposition 7
1977-1978
box 1, folder 11-12
Brochures, information handouts, and publicity material
1977-1978
box 1, folder 13
Bryant, Anita, publicity material
1977-1980
box 1, folder 22
Bumper stickers
1977-1978
box 1, folder 14
California Democratic Party
1977-1979
box 1, folder 15-17
California Proposition 6 Briggs Initiative fact sheets and information resources
1977-1978
box 1, folder 18-19
California Statewide Conference and coalitions
1977-1978
box 1, folder 20
Cartoons and illustrations
1977-1978
box 3, folder 1-18
Clippings
circa 1977-1978
box 1, folder 21
Committee Against Briggs Initiative Los Angeles (CABI/LA)
1977-1978
box 4, folder 5
Ephemera, miscellaneous
1977-1978
box 2, folder 1-2
Event flyers, Greater Los Angeles area
1977-1978
box 2, folder 3
Event flyers, San Francisco and Bay Area
1977-1978
box 2, folder 4
Event flyers, other California cities
1977-1978
box 2, folder 6
Gay Teachers and Schoolworkers Coalition; Lesbian Schoolworkers
1977-1978
box 2, folder 7
Jews Against Briggs
1977-1978
box 2, folder 8
Johnson, Paul, manuscripts
circa 1977-1978
box 5, folder 2-5
California Federation of Teachers, et al. vs. March Fong Eu, et al.
circa 1977-1978
box 5, folder 6-7
It's Fun Going Places, Inc. vs. March Fong Eu, et al.
circa 1977-1978
box 5, folder 8-9
Morris Kight, et al. vs. March Fong Eu; Taxpayers Suit
circa 1977-1978
box 2, folder 9
Media coverage transcripts and manuscripts
1977-1978
box 2, folder 10
Meeting minutes and notes (unidentified creator)
1977-1978
box 2, folder 11
National fundraising campaign against Briggs Initiative
1977-1978
box 2, folder 12
New Alliance for Gay Equality (New AGE)
1977-1978
box 2, folder 13
No on 6 Committee
1977-1978
box 2, folder 14-19
No on Briggs Initiative Committee (NO BIC); Morris Kight
1977-1978
box 2, folder 20
Notes (unidentified creator)
1977-1978
box 2, folder 21
Pamphlets, right wing and conservative
1978
box 2, folder 22
Polls, miscellaneous
1978
box 2, folder 23
Post-election material
1978-1980
box 5, folder 10
Photographs
circa 1977-1978
Physical Description: 4 b&w photographs.
Scope and Contents
Includes publicity photographs of John Briggs with his wife, Carmen, and with Lt. Governor Ed Reinecke; and a group photo
of No on Proposition 6 activists in San Francisco.
box 2, folder 26
San Diego Save Our Teachers
1977-1978
box 2, folder 27
Sermon given by John Dobrer
1978
box 2, folder 28
Solem and Associates campaign proposal
1977
box 2, folder 29
Speakers' manuals
1977-1978
box 4, folder 1-2
Vel, Frank, walk
1977-1978
box 4, folder 3
Volunteer sign-ups
1977-1978
box 4, folder 4
Workers Rights Conference
1977-1978
box 4, folder 6-8
Unsorted material
circa 1977-1978
