Collection context
Summary
- Title:
- Brian Coyle journals and papers
- Dates:
- 1948-1992
- Abstract:
- The collection consists of photographs; articles by and about Brian Coyle; electoral materials documenting his unsuccessful senatorial, mayoral and city council campaigns, as well as his successful 1983 city council campaign; flyers; photocopies of family correspondence and greeting cards; and photocopies of articles, papers, photographs and drawings from Coyle’s childhood, high school and college years. A 1960s civil rights and anti-war activist who became the first openly gay Minneapolis City Council member, Brian Coyle died of AIDS on August 23, 1991.
- Extent:
- 1.0 linear feet.
- Language:
- Preferred citation:
-
[Box/folder #, or item name] Brian Coyle journals and papers, Coll2013-107, ONE National Gay & Lesbian Archives, USC Libraries, University of Southern California.
Background
- Scope and content:
-
The collection consists of photographs; articles by and about Brian Coyle; electoral materials documenting his unsuccessful senatorial, mayoral and city council campaigns, as well as his successful 1983 city council campaign; flyers; photocopies of family correspondence and greeting cards; and photocopies of articles, papers, photographs and drawings from Coyle’s childhood, high school and college years. The collection also includes seven volumes of his personal journals, from the fall of 1989 up until days before his death. The journals focus on Coyle’s experience of his illness, including plans for his funeral. Also included in the collection are newspaper obituaries and documents from his memorial service.
- Biographical / historical:
-
A 1960s civil rights and anti-war activist who became the first openly gay Minneapolis City Council member, Brian Coyle died of AIDS on August 23, 1991. A community activist during his 20s, Coyle entered electoral politics in the late 70s, running unsuccessfully for U.S. Senate in 1978, for the mayor of Minneapolis in 1979, and, in 1981, for the Minneapolis City Council. Coyle was elected to the Minneapolis City Council in 1983, and was chosen by his Council peers as Vice-President in 1990. As a council member, Coyle was an advocate for senior citizens, the poor and homeless, people of color, and gays and lesbians. He lobbied for increased AIDS funding, and his last and proudest political achievement was the passage, in 1990, of a local domestic partners ordinance, at its time, the most progressive legislation of its kind in the Midwest. Coyle made his first public disclosure about his HIV status in the fall of 1990 at the annual meeting of Lesbian and Gay Appointed and Elected Officials. He went public about his HIV in the Twin Cities in April of 1991, making his disclosure an opportunity to educate the citizens of Minneapolis about HIV. His health deteriorated quickly following his public disclosure.
- Acquisition information:
- Materials donated to the International Gay Lesbian Archives by Clark Miller in 1992-1993.
- Processing information:
-
Collection processed by Ian Stulberg, 2013.
- Arrangement:
-
This collection reflects the original chronological arrangement by the donor.
- Rules or conventions:
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
About this collection guide
- Sponsor:
- Processing this collection has been funded by a generous grant from the National Historical Publications and Records Commission.
- Date Prepared:
- (c) 2013
- Date Encoded:
- This finding aid was produced using the Archivists' Toolkit 2013-10-29T14:38-0700
Access and use
- Restrictions:
-
The collection is open to researchers. There are no access restrictions.
- Terms of access:
-
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:
-
[Box/folder #, or item name] Brian Coyle journals and papers, Coll2013-107, ONE National Gay & Lesbian Archives, USC Libraries, University of Southern California.
- Location of this collection:
-
909 West Adams BoulevardLos Angeles, CA 90007, US
- Contact:
- (213) 821-2771