Christopher Street West Association Collection Coll2012-135

Michael C. Oliveira

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

URL: http://one.usc.edu

Language of Material: English

Contributing Institution: ONE National Gay & Lesbian Archives, USC Libraries, University of Southern California

Title: Christopher Street West Association collection

creator: ONE National Gay & Lesbian Archives

Identifier/Call Number: Coll2012-135

Physical Description: 9 Linear Feet 2 archives boxes, 4 archives cartons, 3 binder boxes, and 1 flat box.

Date (inclusive): 1970-2009

Abstract: Agendas, minutes, clippings, correspondence, fliers, parade and permit applications, press releases, souvenir programs, photographs and slides of the Christopher Street West Association (CSW) parade and festival. The collection documents the pride parade and festivals held in Los Angeles and later West Hollywood, California, 1970-2009.

Scope and Content

Agendas, minutes, clippings, correspondence, fliers, parade and permit applications, press releases, souvenir programs, photographs and slides from the Christopher Street West Association (CSW). The collection documents the pride parade and festivals held in Los Angeles and later West Hollywood, California. The records document the transformation of a simple evening parade with few vehicles and marchers attended by a few thousand, to a three day festival and parade with music and floats attended by over a half million people.

Arrangement

The collection is arranged by format and then chronologically within each series:

Series 1. Documents Series 2. Photographs and slides Series 3. Programs

Adminstrative History

The Christopher Street West Association (CSW) was formed in 1970 to organize a parade in commemoration of the 1969 Stonewall riots. The concept of a celebratory parade and naming of the association were the result of a collaborative effort by community leaders Reverend Bob Humphries, Morris Kight, and Reverend Troy Perry.

The Los Angeles Police Commission required bonds totaling 1.5 million dollars and a payment of $1,500 for police overtime before they would issue a permit for the first parade. The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) was contacted and attorney Herbert Selwyn appealed the commission's demand before the Superior Court of California. The court ordered the issuing of the permit and charged the police department with the responsibility to protect the parade participants. CSW became the first organization to obtain a parade permit for its pride parade.

In 1973 the Los Angeles parade was suspended; in 1974 new leaders organized the annual parade with the addition of a pride festival. The parade and festival continued in Hollywood on Hollywood Boulevard through 1978. In 1979 the festival and parade were moved to an unincorporated section of Los Angeles County, west of Hollywood on Santa Monica Boulevard. In 1984 the residents of this unincorporated section of Los Angeles County voted to incorporate as the City of West Hollywood where the parade has been held since 1979.

"History of Christopher Street West / LA Pride." LA PRIDE LGBT Pride in West Hollywood. 2012 Web. 31 July 2012. http://www.lapride.org/about/history.html

Souvenir Pride Programs 1972 and 1975

Access

The collection is open to researchers. There are no access restrictions.

Publication Rights

Researchers wishing to publish material must obtain permission in writing from ONE National Gay & Lesbian Archives as the physical owner of the material. Note that permission to publish does not constitute copyright clearance. ONE National Gay & Lesbian Archives can grant copyright clearance only for those materials for which we hold copyright. It is the responsibility of the researcher to obtain copyright clearance for all other materials from the copyright holder(s).

Acquisition Information

The collection represents an artifical collection created by the archives prior to 2006. Materials were removed from the Pat Rocco photographs and and papers, the Larry C. Kephart Christopher Street West collection, and other collections.

Preferred Citation

[Box/folder #, or item name] Christopher Street West Association Collection, Coll2012-135, ONE National Gay & Lesbian Archives, USC Libraries, University of Southern California.

Related Archvial Materials

Christopher Street West Association Collection, Coll2012-134, ONE National Gay & Lesbian Archives, Los Angeles, California.

Eugene (Gene) Bricker Photographs, Coll2012-057, ONE National Gay & Lesbian Archives, Los Angeles, California.

Rob Cole Papers, Coll2009-019, ONE National Gay and Lesbian Archives, Los Angeles, California.

Jeanne Cordova Papers and Photographs, Coll2008-064, ONE National Gay and Lesbian Archives, Los Angeles, California.

Larry C. Kephart Christopher Street West Collection, Coll2014-111, ONE National Gay & Lesbian Archives, USC Libraries, University of Southern California.

Bunny MacCulloch Christopher Street West photographs, Coll2014-114, ONE National Gay & Lesbian Archives, USC Libraries, University of Southern California.

Jim Kepner Papers, Coll2011-002, ONE National Gay & Lesbian Archives, Los Angeles, California.

Morris Kight Papers and Photographs, Coll2010-008, ONE National Gay & Lesbian Archives, Los Angeles, California.

Pat Rocco Photographs and Papers, Coll2007-006, ONE National Gay & Lesbian Archives, Los Angeles, California.

Bill Wuzzy Spaulding Papers, Coll2013-097, ONE National Gay & Lesbian Archives, USC Libraries, University of Southern California.

Adele Starr Collection on Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays, Coll2009-012, ONE National Gay and Lesbian Archives, Los Angeles, California.

William S. Tom Photographs, Coll2008-017, ONE National Gay and Lesbian Archives, Los Angeles, California.

Vaughn Taylor Photographs, Coll2011-007, ONE National Gay & Lesbian Archives, Los Angeles, California.

Jason Wittman Los Angeles Event Photographs, Coll2012-102, ONE National Gay & Lesbian Archives, Los Angeles, California.

Subjects and Indexing Terms

Gay pride parades -- California -- Los Angeles

Festivals -- California -- Los Angeles

Photographs

Christopher Street West Association

ONE National Gay & Lesbian Archives

Documents 1970-2003

Scope and Content

The series contains records and publicity materials related to the planning and execution of the annual parade and festival organized by the Christopher Street West Association (CSW) in Los Angeles, 1970-1978, and West Hollywood, 1979-2003. The records and publicity materials consist of agendas, minutes, clippings, correspondence, fliers, parade and permit applications, and press releases.

Arrangment

The series is arranged in chronological order.

Box 1, Folder 1

Applications, fliers, maps, resource guide, sketch of festival grounds, and stamps undated

Box 7, Folder 2

Plastic shopping bag undated

Box 1, Folder 2-4

Correspondence, fliers, meeting notes, and permit applications 1970-1972

Physical Description: 3 Files

Box 1, Folder 5

Applications, fliers, minutes, notes, and press releases 1974

Box 1, Folder 6-8

Clippings, correspondence, minutes, and notes 1975

Physical Description: 3 Files

Box 1, Folder 9-13

Correspondence, fliers, minutes, and notes 1976

Physical Description: 5 Files

Box 7, Folder 2

Carnival layout sketches, logos, and iron-on decals 1976

Box 1, Folder 19-21

Correspondence, fliers, minutes, and notes 1977

Physical Description: 5 Files

Box 1, Folder 14-18

Board members manual 1976-1977

Physical Description: 5 Files

Box 2, Folder 1-2

Correspondence, fliers, minutes, and notes 1977

Box 2, Folder 3-6

Clippings, fliers, lawsuit, and minutes 1977-1978

Physical Description: 4 Files

Box 7, Folder 2

Banner and logo sketch 1979

Box 2, Folder 7-8

Applications, correspondence, fliers, and minutes 1978

Physical Description: 2 Files

Box 2, Folder 13-14

Agendas, correspondence, fliers, press releases, and reports 1981

Physical Description: 2 Files

Box 2, Folder 11-12

Applications, clippings, correspondence, fliers, and notes 1980

Physical Description: 2 Files

Box 7

Scrapbook 1982

Box 7

Poster mock-up 1988

Box 2, Folder 22

Clippings, correspondence, fliers, and press releases 1988

Box 2, Folder 15

Correspondence, fliers, notes, and press releases 1982

Box 2, Folder 18-19

Clippings, correspondence, fliers, and press releases 1985

Physical Description: 2 Files

Box 2, Folder 20-21

Clippings, correspondence, fliers, and press releases 1986-1987

Physical Description: 2 Files

Box 2, Folder 16-17

Correspondence, fliers, notes, and press releases 1983-1984

Physical Description: 2 Files

Box 2, Folder 23-24

Clippings, correspondence, fliers, and press releases 1989-1990

Physical Description: 2 Files

Box 3, Folder 1-10

Clippings, fliers, and press releases 1991-2001

Physical Description: 10 Files

Box 3, Folder 11

Clippings and images from couples event 2003

Box 2, Folder 9-10

Applications, clippings, fliers, and minutes 1979

Photographs and slides 1970-1992

Christopher Street West Association Collection photographs, sample

view online item

Scope and Content

Photographs and slides of the Christopher Street West pride parades and festivals. The parade was held on Hollywood Boulevard in Los Angeles from 1970-1978, and in 1979 the parade and festival were relocated to Santa Monica Boulevard, an unicorporated section of Los Angeles county. In 1984, the area would become part of the City of West Hollywood.

The photographers are unknown for the majority of the images.

Arrangement

The series is arranged in chronological order.

box-binder 8

Parade and festival photographs undated

Physical Description: 74 Photographic Prints

box-binder 10

Parade slides 1970

Physical Description: 23 slides : col.

box-binder 8

Parade photographs 1971

Physical Description: 16 Photographic Prints

box-binder 8

Parade photographs 1970

Physical Description: 36 Photographic Prints

box-binder 8

Parade photographs 1972

Physical Description: 3 Photographic Prints

Box 7, Folder 1

Parade photographs 1970

Physical Description: 2 Photographic Prints

box-binder 8

Parade photographs 1974

Physical Description: 3 Photographic Prints

box-binder 8

Parade photographs 1975

Physical Description: 3 Photographic Prints

box-binder 8

Parade photographs 1976

Physical Description: 15 Photographic Prints

Box 7, Folder 1

Parade photographs 1976

Physical Description: 1 Photographic Prints

box-binder 8

Parade photographs 1977

Physical Description: 1 Photographic Prints

box-binder 8

Parade and festival photographs 1978

Physical Description: 60 Photographic Prints

box-binder 8

Parade photographs 1979

Physical Description: 135 Photographic Prints

box-binder 8

Parade and festival photographs 1980

Physical Description: 60 Photographic Prints

Box 7, Folder 1

Parade and festival photographs 1980

Physical Description: 2 Photographic Prints

box-binder 9

Parade and festival photographs 1981

Physical Description: 31 Photographic Prints

box-binder 9

Run, parade, and festival photographs 1982

Physical Description: 54 Photographic Prints

box-binder 10

Run, parade, and festival slides, Walker and Myers, photographers 1982

Physical Description: 444 slides : col.

box-binder 9

Parade and festival photographs 1983

Physical Description: 3 Photographic Prints

box-binder 10

Run, parade, and festival slides, Walker and Myers, photographers 1983

Physical Description: 58 slide : col.

box-binder 9

Parade and festival photographs 1984

Physical Description: 34 Photographic Prints

box-binder 9

Parade photographs 1986

Physical Description: 2 Photographic Prints

box-binder 10

CSW events slides undated, circa 1986

Physical Description: 292 slide : col.

box-binder 9

Parade and festival photographs 1988

Physical Description: 20 Photographic Prints

box-binder 9

Parade photographs 1991

Physical Description: 2 Photographic Prints

box-binder 9

Festival photographs 1992

Physical Description: 33 Photographic Prints

box-binder 9

Pride parade photographs 1985

Physical Description: 4 Photographic Prints

Programs 1972-2009

Scope and Content

The series consists souvenir programs from the Christopher Street West Association, 1972 and 1974-2009. The programs contain information concerning the history of the organization, schedules of festival performers and related events, and maps of the grounds.

Box 4

Programs 1972

Physical Description: 1 Files

Box 4

Programs 1974-1997

Physical Description: 23 Files

Box 5

Programs 1998-2003

Physical Description: 14 Files

Box 6

Programs 2004-2009

Physical Description: 9 Files