The bulk of the collection consists of printed matter collected by gay activist Arthur Corbin that provides background information on gay issues and organizations he was involved with or interested in. This primarily includes newsletters, reports, flyers and other printed matter generated by gay organizations. The Gay People's Union at Stanford (GPU) is the most thoroughly documented organization in the collection.

At the time these papers were donated, Arthur Corbin was a gay activist in Santa Cruz County. First involved in the Gay People's Union at Stanford University, he later was affiliated with the Lesbian and Gay Men's Union, centered at Cabrillo College in Aptos, California. He also edited a newsletter, the Gay Yellow Star Sheet (1975), which was essentially a compilation of news clippings relating to gay events. Corbin's activism included public speaking and lobbying city and county governments in the South Bay to enact affirmative action policies. He also filed a sex discrimination charge with the San Francisco Equal Employment Opportunity Commission against a Palo Alto restaurant that refused him employment (1976).

0.6 linear feet

Collection is open for research. Funding for processing this collection was provided by the National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC).