Camera Obscura Papers, circa 1995

Printable guide [HTML]

Scope and content:: The collection includes Camera Obscura’s film “Virtue,” a 66-minute film that the creator describes as a “transgender musical [that] is a Twilight-Zone-style cautionary tale about technology.” It debuted at the Lumiere Theater in San Francisco. The film showcases the 1990s queer punk club scene alongside a critique of the burgeoning tech sector in Silicon Valley. Performers featured in the film include: Elvis Herselvis, Henry Steele, Arturo Galster as Patsy Cline, the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, composer Beth Custer of Club Foot Orchestra, and others. Jello Biafra of the Dead Kennedys makes a cameo appearance. The film is stored on a hard drive.
Acquisition information:: Gift of Camera Obscura, January 2023.

Collection Guide Author:: Finding aid created by GLBT Historical Society staff.
Date Prepared:: circa 1995
Date Encoded:: This finding aid was produced using Record Express for OAC5 on July 14, 2025, 2:54 p.m.

Access and use

Restrictions:: Collection is open for research.
Terms of access:: Copyright to material has not been transferred to the GLBT Historical Society. Copyright is retained by the donor. All requests for reproductions and/or permission to publish or quote from material must be submitted in writing to the GLBT Historical Society Archivist. Permission for reproductions and/or permission to publish or quote from material is given on behalf of the GLBT Historical Society 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 by the researcher.

Location of this collection:: GLBT Historical Society

989 Market Street, Lower Level

San Francisco, CA 94103, US