Burns (Chris) Papers, 1984-1991

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Scope and content:: Porn star Chris Burns (1958- 1995) founded the Gay Guards, a self-defense league, produced self-defense videos for gays and lesbians and conducted anti-violence workshops. The collection documents his porn career and his work with the Gay Guards and combating ant-gay violence. It includes correspondence; brochures and flyers for shows and performances by Burns, including International Mr. Leather 1989 and his video and programs on self-defense for lesbians and gays; porn magazines and advertisements featuring Burns; newsclippings of press reviews; photographs, negatives, contact sheets, slides; and a videotape of Burns self-defense video "Take Back the Night" (1990). GSSO Linked Terms: http://purl.obolibrary.org/obo/GSSO_000374; http://purl.obolibrary.org/obo/GSSO_003450; http://purl.obolibrary.org/obo/GSSO_002861
Acquisition information:: Gift of Audrey Joseph on June 16, 2006.

Subjects:: Gay men
Erotica
Homophobia
Pornography and Erotica
Homophobia and Anti-Gay Violence
Protests and Activism

Collection Guide Author:: Finding aid created by GLBT Historical Society staff.
Date Prepared:: 1984-1991
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. Mailing lists and other records holding the names, addresses, and/or phone numbers of individuals will be restricted for 20 years. Erotica in this collection may only be viewed by researchers age eighteen and over and it is made available for educational and research purposes.

Location of this collection:: GLBT Historical Society

989 Market Street, Lower Level

San Francisco, CA 94103, US