Description
Meeting minutes, flyers, correspondence, bylaws, press releases, proposals, policy statements, articles, pamphlets, surveys,
financial documents, advertisements, articles of incorporation, clippings, municipal permits, legal documents, event programs,
constitution, photographs, manuscripts, and other material documenting activities of the Society for Individual Rights (S.I.R.),
1964-1977. Founded in San Francisco in 1964, SIR's goals included public affirmation of gay and lesbian identity, elimination
of victimless crime laws, providing a range of social services (including legal aid) to "gays in difficulties," and promoting
a sense of a gay and lesbian community. This collection documents SIR's existance into the late-1970s.
Background
Founded in San Francisco in 1964, the Society for Individual Rights (SIR)'s goals included public affirmation of gay and lesbian
identity, elimination of victimless crime laws, providing a range of social services (including legal aid) to "gays in difficulties,"
and promoting a sense of a gay and lesbian community. In particular, SIR's "leaders were more assertive and confident [as
compared to older homophile organizations] in their gay identity. Taking a cue from the burgeoning civil rights movement,
SIR demanded equal rights and decried government-sanctioned discrimination." The organization also departed from older groups
in its emphasis on the democratic process. By the late 1970s, however, SIR's influence diminished.