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Laurent (Aristide J.) Collection
SC.AL
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Contributing Institution:
Special Collections & Archives
Title: Aristide J. Laurent Collection
Creator:
Laurent, Aristide J., 1941-2011
Identifier/Call Number: SC.AL
Extent:
7.30 linear feet
Date (inclusive): 1967-2010
Abstract: Aristide Joseph "A.J." Laurent was a
U.S. Airman, writer, publisher, printer, and pioneer activist for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual,
and Transgender (LGBT) communities. He clandestinely co-founded
The
Advocate
—the oldest and largest LGBT publication in the United States—in the
basement studios of ABC Television in 1967, two years prior to the infamous Stonewall Riots
of NYC which marked the beginning of the gay liberation movement in America. Consisting
primarily of clippings, photographs, correspondence, scrapbooks, and memorabilia, the
Aristide J. Laurent Collection documents aspects of Laurent's
personal life and advocacy involvement, and provides a unique perspective for considering
the social and political history of the early LGBT rights movements.
Language of Material: English
Aristide Joseph "A.J." Laurent was born in Magnolia Springs, Alabama on September 15, 1941
to farm hand Duval "Buck" Laurent and Elizabeth "Betty" Weeks. He had one younger sister,
Carol Elizabeth Weeks (1945-2010). After graduating from Weeks High School in 1960, he
enlisted in the United States Air Force and served four years, first as a signals
intelligence operator in Karamursel, Turkey and later as an instructor at the Keesler Air
Force Base in Mississippi.
Upon discharge in 1964, Laurent moved to Los Angeles, California and began living as an
openly gay man. He took a job with the American Broadcasting Company where he worked from
1964-1967 producing scripts for ABC Television. Laurent allegedly participated in the
Compton's Cafeteria Riots during the summer of 1966 as well as the Black Cat Tavern Riots
which occurred on New Year's Day 1967. Following these demonstrations he became involved
with the Los Angeles organization PRIDE (Personal Rights in Defense and Education) which
published a local newsletter documenting police violence and harassment against the LGBT
community.
In the basement print shop of ABC studios alongside Richard Mitch, Bill Rau, and Sam
Allen, Laurent transformed PRIDE's newsletter into
The Los Angeles
Advocate,
later known simply as
The Advocate—the
oldest and largest LGBT publication in the United States and the only pre-Stonewall
publication of its kind still in existence today. Under the pseudonym "P. Nutz," Laurent
penned the nightlife column, "Mariposas de la Noche" ("Butterfly of the Night").
Laurent continued his work in publishing and printing until retirement in the 1990s and
remained an active LGBT rights activist into the first decade of the twenty-first century.
He participated in the 1976 charity "slave auction" at the Mark IV Bathhouse in Hollywood to
benefit the Gay Community Services Center and was one of forty arrested by Los Angeles
Police after a mistaken tip indicated that the event was an actual, illegal slave trade. In
the 1980s Laurent joined the ACT UP (AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power) movement to fight
discrimination, inequality, and indifference to the AIDS crisis. In 1993 he attended the
March on Washington for Lesbian, Gay, and Bi Equal Rights and Liberation and visited the
capitol again in 2000 for the Millennium March on Washington.
On October 26, 2011 Aristide Laurent passed away after a fifteen year battle with prostate
cancer. His work, efforts, and advocacy involvement can be considered the foundation for the
modern LGBT equality movements in the United States.
The
Aristide J. Laurent Collection documents aspects of
Laurent's life in Los Angeles as a pioneer activist for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and
Transgender (LGBT) communities. His involvement precedes the infamous 1969 Stonewall Riots
of New York City which traditionally mark the beginning of the LGBT liberation movement in
America. The collection dates from 1967-2010 and is composed of three series:
Personal Materials (circa 1975-2010),
LGBT
Advocacy
(1967-2009), and
Scrapbooks (circa 1970-2000).
Many items in the collection are sexually explicit in nature.
Series I,
Personal Materials, documents Laurent's personal life
in Los Angeles. It consists primarily of calendars, clippings, correspondence, collected
essays and personal writings, party announcements and fliers, and photographs. The files are
arranged alphabetically by subject and arranged chronologically within.
Series II,
LGBT Advocacy, highlights aspects of Laurent's
involvement in the LGBT rights movements. It consists primarily of event programs and
fliers, news clippings, and photographs. Of particular note is a copy of the 1976 arrest
report from the charity slave auction at Hollywood's Mark IV Bathhouse as well as a radio
transcription featuring the event and police action. The files are arranged alphabetically
by subject and arranged chronologically within.
Series III,
Scrapbooks, consists of five scrapbooks compiled by
Laurent. Three scrapbooks are comprised of magazine clippings, the bulk of which are from
the 1970s. Two scrapbooks highlight his travels: one documents a 1999 trip to Florida and
Alabama where he attended pride events and visited with family, and the second documents a
2000 trip to Washington, D.C. and Philadelphia where he attended the Millennium March on
Washington and Pride Fest America. The series is arranged alphabetically by subject.
Related Material
The collection is open for research use.
Copyright for unpublished materials authored or otherwise produced by the creator(s) of
this collection has not been transferred to California State University, Northridge.
Copyright status for other materials is unknown. Transmission or reproduction of materials
protected by U.S. Copyright Law (Title 17, U.S.C.) beyond that allowed by fair use requires
the written permission of the copyright owners. Works not in the public domain cannot be
commercially exploited without permission of the copyright owners. Responsibility for any
use rests exclusively with the user.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Homosexual Information Center, 07/12/2012.
Series I: Personal Materials, ca.1975-2010
Series II: LGBT Advocacy, 1967-2009
Series III: Scrapbooks, ca.1970-2000
For information about citing items in this collection consult the appropriate style
manual, or see the
Citing Archival
Materials
guide.
Christine Hertzel, 2015
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Albums (Books)
Ephemera
Documents
Photographs