Mikhail Itkin Papers, 1956-1989 Coll2011-055

Marc LaRocque, Scott Reed, and Kyle Morgan
ONE National Gay & Lesbian Archives, USC Libraries, University of Southern California
(c) 2011, 2016
909 West Adams Boulevard
Los Angeles, California 90007
askone@usc.edu


Language of Material: English
Contributing Institution: ONE National Gay & Lesbian Archives, USC Libraries, University of Southern California
Title: Mikhail Itkin Papers
creator: Itkin, Mikhail (Michael Francis Itkin)
Identifier/Call Number: Coll2011-055
Physical Description: 1 Linear Feet 22 folders
Date (inclusive): 1958-1989
Abstract: Correspondence, flyers, newsletters, clippings, memoranda, notes, meeting notes, depositions, receipts, articles, essays, broadsides, legal papers, medical certificates and other material from activist and gay religious leader, Mikhail (Michael) Itkin, 1956-1989. A religious leader of various congregations, Itkin was also a gay rights and political activist.
Container: 1

Biographical Note

Mikhail Itkin was born Michael Francis Itkin on February 7, 1936. Working alternately out of New York, San Francisco, and Los Angeles in the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s, Itkin was a leader of churches of various names and was an activist advocate for gay rights and political causes. Itkin died on August 1, 1989.

Access

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

Publication Rights

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.

Preferred Citation

Mikhail Itkin Papers, Coll2011-055, ONE National Gay & Lesbian Archives, Los Angeles, California

Processing Information

Processing this collection has been funded by a generous grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities. In order to provide access to this collection, minimal processing on this collection was expedited in 2011. Full processing of the collection and acrural was completed by Scott Reed in 2016.

Scope and Content

Correspondence, flyers, newsletters, clippings, memoranda, notes, meeting notes, depositions, receipts, articles, essays, broadsides, legal papers, medical certificates and other material documenting the activities of gay religious leader and activist Mikhail (Michael) Itkin, 1956-1989. The bulk of the collection consists of Itkin's essays, flyers, and correspondence on gay, political, and spiritual themes from the 1970s.

Acquisition Information

Some materials were sent to the International Gay and Lesbian Archives from Reverend Carol J. Davis of the Community of the Love of Christ, circa 1991. Other materials were donated by Reverend Mikhail Itkin, circa 1982.

Arrangement

The collection is arranged chronologically. Writings and miscellaneous materials are listed at the end.

Subjects and Indexing Terms

Homosexuality -- Religious aspects
Gay activists -- United States -- California
Gays -- Religious life
Itkin, Mikhail (Michael Francis Itkin)

Box 1, Folder 11-13

Early papers 1958-1973

Scope and Contents

Includes his involvement with the Gnostic Catholic Church, Brotherhood of the Way, Primitive Catholic Church, Brotherhood of the Love of Christ, Holy Orothodox Catholic Synod, Community of Jesus our Brother, Quest Institute, and Radical Gay Christians. Also includes the titles "Homosexual Liberation and Nonviolent Revolution" and "Towards Creative Revolution" as well as issues of "High Watch," "Koinonia (community)," and "Agape and Action."
Map-case 14:3

Les Petites Bon-Bons 1973

Box 1, Folder 1

Les Petites Bon-Bons 1973-1974

Box 1, Folder 14

The Community of the Love of Christ 1973-1974

Box 1, Folder 15

The People's Church Collective 1974-1975

Box 1, Folder 16-17

The Community of the Love of Christ 1975-1977

Box 1, Folder 3

Wedding to Lawrence 1977

Box 1, Folder 18

Christopher Street West, Libertarian Party, and Gay Liberation 1977-1978

Box 1, Folder 19-20

Syro-Chaldean and Order of the Divine Love 1977-1979

Box 1, Folder 21-22

Community of the Love of Christ 1980-1986

Box 1, Folder 4-10

Writings 1960-1989

Scope and Contents

Inclues titles "Gay Oppression + Radical Christian Analysis and Alternatives," "The History and Development of the Contemporary Gay Movement," "Edward Carpenter: Prophet of Gay Freedom," "Fourth Way Christianity," "The Radical Jesus and Gay Consciousness: Notes for a Theology of Gay Liberation - Preface to the Second Edition," "Margaret Anderson: Gay Seeker for an Unimaginable Freedom," "Gay Liberation and the Gospel," "Christ and the Homosexual," "Church of the East Reponse to Briggs," "The Gospel and Gay Liberation - A Radical Gay Christian Perspective," "It's Gonna' Be A Long Hot Summer! A radical gay liberationist news analysis," "Toward Androgynous Consciousness: A Note on the Gay Window," "Farewells and a New Beginning: An Open Letter to the Movement," "Margaret Anderson: Gay Seeker for an Unimaginable Freedom," "Abortion vs. Alchemy: The Dilemma Facing Gay Liberation," "The Alchemical Transformations of Gay Liberation or, Against the Confusion of Elements," "The Androgynous Spirit in the Christian Mysteries," "A Gay Liberation Chronology," "Discovery/Voyage Early Memories of Harvey Milk," "The Radical Jesus and Gay Consciousness," and "Transcendental Foundations of Human Liberation: The Revolutionary Spiritual Science of Edward Carpenter, New Age Prophet of Androgyny."
Box 1, Folder 2

Miscellaneous circa 1970-1986

Scope and Contents

Includes correspondence, notes, letterhead, and flyers.