Descriptive Summary
Access
Publication Rights
Preferred Citation
Acquisition Information
Processing Information
Biography
Scope and Content
Indexing Terms
Related Material
Descriptive Summary
Title: Allen Young papers
Dates: 1975 -
1987
Bulk Dates: 1977 -
1979
Collection number: Coll2008-004
Creator:
Young, Allen, 1941-
Collection Size: 3 archive boxes + 3 archive
cartons + 2 oversize flat boxes (6.2 linear feet).
Repository:
ONE National Gay and Lesbian Archives.
Los Angeles, California 90007
Abstract: Manuscripts, survey responses, correspondence,
galley proofs, notes, and miscellaneous typescripts created and collected by
writer, journalist and activist Allen Young. The bulk of the collection
consists of materials relating to the gay male portion of
The Gay Report: Lesbians and Gay Men Speak Out
About Sexual Experiences & Lifestyles
(1979), the first
comprehensive survey of the homosexual community, which Young co-authored with
writer Karla Jay. The collection also includes materials relating to the
article, "The Gay Report on Sexually Transmitted Diseases," published in the
American Journal of Public Health (1981),
on which Young collaborated with Karla Jay, Don Barrett and William W.
Darrow.
Languages: Languages represented in
the collection: English
Access
The collection is open to researchers. There are no access
restrictions.
Publication Rights
Researchers wishing to publish materials must obtain permission in
writing from ONE National Gay and Lesbian Archives as the physical owner.
Researchers must also obtain clearance from the holder(s) of any copyrights in
the materials. Note that ONE National Gay and Lesbian Archives can grant
copyright clearance only for those materials for which we hold the copyright.
It is the responsibility of the researcher to obtain copyright clearance for
all other materials directly from the copyright holder(s).
Preferred Citation
Allen Young Papers, Coll2008-004, ONE National Gay and Lesbian Archives,
Los Angeles, California.
Acquisition Information
Donor and date of gift unknown.
Processing Information
Formerly housed in boxes 103-105; 103-112; 103-113; 104-009 and 104-2.
Collection processed by Loni Shibuyama,
March 13, 2008.
Processing this collection has been funded by a generous grant from the
National Historical Publications and Records Commission.
Biography
Allen Young was born in Liberty, New York in 1941, and spent his
childhood on a poultry farm in the Catskill Mountains. An openly gay writer,
journalist and activist, he earned an MA from Columbia School of Journalism and
a second MA from Stanford University's Institute of Latin American Studies. He
was the recipient of a Fulbright Scholarship and a grant from the
Inter-American Press Association, which allowed him to live and research in
Brazil and Chile. Young has written on gay liberation, politics and Latin
America for numerous publications, including
The Advocate,
Gay Sunshine,
The Body Politic,
Fag Rag,
Christian Science Monitor,
The New York Times and the
New Left Review (London). He has also been a
staff writer for
The Washington Post and the
Liberation News Service, and was once
characterized by the CIA as an "infamous homosexual writer."
In 1970, Young met lesbian writer, Karla Jay, with whom he shared
similar interests in the gay liberation movement. The two began a professional
partnership and went on to collaborate on several projects. Together they
edited a few seminal books, including
Out of the Closest: Voices from Gay
Liberation
(1972),
After You're Out: Personal Experiences of Gay Men
and Lesbian Women
(1975), and
Lavender Culture (1978). In 1977, Young and
Jay began researching and writing
The Gay Report: Lesbians and Gay Men Speak Out About
Sexual Experiences & Lifestyles
(1979), which is described as "the
first comprehensive survey of the homosexual community."
In 1973, Young moved to Royalston, in rural Massachusetts, where he has
lived as a writer and antiwar and community activist. In 1983, he founded
Millers River Publishing Company, which focused on publishing books of regional
interests. After retiring, Young continued to be an active community advocate
for protecting the farms and forests of his rural Massachusetts home. In 2004,
he received the Writing and Society Award from the University of Massachusetts
English Department, honoring a distinguished career of commitment to the work
of writing in the world. In addition to his collaboration with Karla Jay, Young
is the author of twelve other books, including
Gays Under the Cuban Revolution (1981) and
North of Quabbin Revisited: A Guide to Nine
Massachusetts Towns
(2002).
As of March 2008, Allen Young continues to live in Massachusetts.
Sources: Allen Young Papers, Coll2008-004, ONE National Gay &
Lesbian Archives, Los Angeles, California
Jay, Karla and Allen Young.
The Gay Report: Lesbians and Gay Men Speak Out About
Sexual Experiences & Lifestyles
. New York: Summit Books, 1979.
Scope and Content
This collection consists of manuscripts, survey responses,
correspondence, galley proofs, notes and miscellaneous typescripts created or
collected by writer, journalist and activist, Allen Young. The collection is
divided into two series: (1)
The Gay Report and (2) Other Publications
and Miscellaneous Material. The first series, which forms the bulk of the
collection, relates to the research and publication of
The Gay Report: Lesbians and Gay Men Speak Out About
Sexual Experiences & Lifestyles
, the first comprehensive survey of
the homosexual community, based on a 1977 survey of over 5,000 gay men and
lesbian women, which Young co-authored with writer Karla Jay and published in
1979. The materials relate primarily to the gay male portion of the study (the
lesbian materials are in Box 22, Karla Jay Papers, Manuscripts and Archives
Division, New York Public Library). The second series consists of material not
directly related to
The Gay Report. It includes manuscripts and
correspondence relating to the article, "The Gay Report on Sexually Transmitted
Diseases," on which Young collaborated with Karla Jay, Don Barrett and William
W. Darrow, which was published in the
American Journal of Public Health in 1981,
as well as
The Millers River Reader, a book Young
edited and published through his Millers River Publishing Company in 1987.
Indexing Terms
The following terms have been used to index the description of this
collection in the library's online public access catalog.
Gay men--Health & social
issues--United States
Gay men--Sexual behavior
Homosexuality--Research--United
States
Jay, Karla,
1947-
Sex surveys--United States
Sexual behavior surveys--United
States
Young, Allen,
1941-
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