Finding aid of the Concerned Americans for Individual Rights (CAIR) Records

Michael P. Palmer
ONE National Gay and Lesbian Archives
909 West Adams Boulevard
Los Angeles, California 90007
Phone: (213) 741-0094
Fax: (213) 741-0220
Email: askone@onearchives.org
URL: http://www.onearchives.org
© 2008
ONE National Gay and Lesbian Archives. All rights reserved.

Finding aid of the Concerned Americans for Individual Rights (CAIR) Records

Collection number: Coll2008-056

ONE National Gay and Lesbian Archives

Los Angeles, California
Processed by:
Michael P. Palmer
Date Completed:
October 21, 2008
Encoded by:
Michael P. Palmer
© 2008 ONE National Gay and Lesbian Archives. All rights reserved.
Processing this collection has been funded by a generous grant from the National Historical Publications and Records Commission.


Descriptive Summary

Title: Concerned Americans for Individual Rights (CAIR) records
Dates: 1984-1985
Collection number: Coll2008-056
Creator: Decker, Bruce B., 1950-1995
Collection Size: 1 archive half-carton. 0.25 linear foot.
Repository: ONE National Gay and Lesbian Archives.
Los Angeles, California 90007
Abstract: Position papers, correspondence, financial reports, planning papers, press releases and other materials relating to Concerned Americans for Individual Rights (CAIR), an organization of moderate to conservative gay and lesbian members of the Republican party formed by Bruce Decker to work to change the negative image of the GLBT community within the party and to counter the rising influence of the Religious Right. The materials date from the foundation of the organization in the spring of 1984 until the spring of 1985.
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

Americans for Individual Rights (CAIR) records, Coll2008-056, ONE National Gay and Lesbian Archives, Los Angeles, California.

Acquisition Information

Date and method of acquisition unknown.

Processing Information

Collection processed by Michael P. Palmer, October 21, 2008.
Processing this collection has been funded by a generous grant from the National Historical Publications and Records Commission.

Administrative History

Concerned Americans for Individual Rights (CAIR) was formed in the spring of 1984 by Bruce B. Decker (1950-1995), a gay Republican political consultant who had served as an advance man for President Gerald R. Ford and Vice President Nelson A. Rockefeller. Decker intended CAIR to be a national organization of moderate and conservative gays and lesbians whose goal was to expand Republicans' awareness of GLBT issues and to counter the rising influence of the religious right. The original Board of Directors consisted of Decker, Robert Bauman, Leonard Matlovich and Bonnie McGinley, who succeeded Decker as president in December 1984. Little is known about the activities of the organization: a national convention was announced for April 5-7, in Dallas, at which congressman Bill Green (R-NY) was to speak, but the extant records end before the event was scheduled to be held. In January 1986, the organization honored the two Log Cabin Clubs of Southern California ( Advocate, February 18, 1986, p. 26). Christopher Hitchins states that the organization was "shipwrecked by the AIDS crisis", although it continued to exist, at least on paper, as late as 1993 ( For the Sake of Argument, 1993, p. 53).

Scope and Content of Collection

The collection consists of a single loose-leaf notebook containing Bruce Decker's records of CAIR. The materials, which date from June 1984 through March 1985, include position papers, minutes, reports, budgets, correspondence, lists of contributors, press releases, and a small number of newspaper clippings, all but one from the Washington Blade, found loose. The annual meeting materials include signed letters of regret from senators William S. Cohen, Charles E. Grassley, Arlen Specter, and Lowell Weicker, and from representatives Silvio Conte and Olympia Snowe.

Indexing Terms

The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the library's online public access catalog.
Concerned Americans for Individual Rights (CAIR)
Gay rights--United States--1980-1990
Homosexuality--Political aspects
Republican Party (U.S. : 1854-)
Gay activists


Box 1 : 1-6

Notebook 1984-1985

Physical Description: 6 folders.
Box 1 : 1

1: Minutes 1984-1985

Box 1 : 2

2: Contacts 1984-1985

Box 1 : 3

3: Press 1984-1985

Box 1 : 4

4: Annual Meeting 1984-1985

Box 1 : 5

5: Symposium 1984-1985

Box 1 : 6

6: Budget 1984-1985

Box 1 : 7

Newspaper Clippings 1984-1985