Wilson (Hank) Papers, 1970-2008

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Summary

Title:
Hank Wilson papers
Dates:
1970-2008
Creators:
Wilson, Hank
Abstract:
This collection consists of material collected by longtime San Francisco gay activist Hank Wilson. It documents nearly 40 years of Bay Area LGBT and AIDS activism. The papers are related primarily to the various organizations that Wilson was involved in and include correspondence, meeting minutes, clippings, research materials, reports, handbooks, flyers and brochures. There are a small number of photographs of ACT-UP demonstrations, and audiotapes of live performances at Josie’s Cabaret and Juice Joint, but there is very little personal correspondence or papers.
Extent:
13 cartons, 2 manuscript boxes, 3 oversized boxes, 1 oversized folder (approximately 18 linear feet)
Language:
Preferred citation:

Hank Wilson papers. GLBT Historical Society

Background

Scope and content:

This collection consists of material collected by longtime San Francisco gay activist Hank Wilson. It documents nearly 40 years of Bay Area LGBT and AIDS activism. The papers are related primarily to the various organizations that Wilson was involved in and include correspondence, meeting minutes, clippings, research materials, reports, handbooks, flyers and brochures. Notable materials include educational presentation materials on the potential health risks of poppers. Additionally, there are a small number of photographs of ACT-UP demonstrations, and audiotapes of live performances at Josie’s Cabaret and Juice Joint, but there is very little personal correspondence or papers. This collection is described at the container level. The collection is divided into nine series: Correspondence; Biographical Material; Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, TransgenderYouth Advocacy; Community United Against Violence (CUAV); AIDS Activism; Political Activities; Shelters and Harm Reduction; Artifacts; and Audiovisual Materials. GSSO linked terms: http://purl.obolibrary.org/obo/GSSO_000521; http://purl.obolibrary.org/obo/GSSO_001813; http://purl.obolibrary.org/obo/GSSO_000374

Biographical / historical:

Henry “Hank” Wilson was born in 1947 in Sacramento. He moved to the Bay Area in the early 1970s after receiving his B.A. degree in Education from the University of Wisconsin. He served on a wide variety of organizations committed to gay and lesbian youth, including the Gay Youth Advocacy Council, the Community United Against Violence Lesbian and Gay Speakers Bureau, and the Lavender Youth Resource and Information Center (LYRIC). Wilson helped found the Gay Teachers Coalition, the Butterfly Self Defense Brigade, the San Francisco Gay Democratic Club (renamed the Harvey Milk LGBT Democratic Club), and numerous AIDS organizations, including ACT-UP San Francisco, ACT-UP Golden Gate, and Mobilization Against AIDS. From 1978 to 1996, Wilson managed the Ambassador Hotel, a 150 room single room occupancy (SRO) hotel in the Tenderloin. In the early days of the AIDS epidemic the hotel began accepting HIV positive residents and began providing access to services for medical and substance abuse issues. The Ambassador is considered a model for housing and harm reduction services for People With AIDS (PWAs). Wilson later founded, along with Glenda Hope and Dennis Conkin, the Tenderloin AIDS Network, which became the Tenderloin AIDS Resource Center (TARC). In 1981 Wilson founded the Committee to Monitor Poppers to educate the gay community about the hazards of using poppers. In 1986 Wilson co-authored a book with John Lauritsen entitled Death Rush: Poppers and AIDS. Ron Lanza and Wilson opened the Valencia Rose Cabaret in 1982, a popular nightclub which featured gay performers and comedians. Wilson helped manage Tom Ammiano’s 1999 write-in campaign for mayor and in 2001, he made an unsuccessful bid for Supervisor in San Francisco’s District 6. Wilson’s last job was with the Shelter Monitoring Committee, where he worked to verify that San Francisco’s Homeless shelters were providing mandates services. A long-term survivor of AIDS, Wilson died of lung cancer on November 9, 2008.

Acquisition information:
Gift of Hank Wilson between 1996 and 2008.

About this collection guide

Collection Guide Author:
Finding aid created by GLBT Historical Society staff.
Date Prepared:
1970-2008
Date Encoded:
This finding aid was produced using Record Express for OAC5 on July 14, 2025, 2:55 p.m.

Access and use

Restrictions:

Collection is open for research. Funding for processing this collection was provided by the National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC) and the Council on Library and Information Resources (CLIR).

Terms of access:

Copyright to materials in this donation created by the donor has been transferred to the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender Historical Society.

Preferred citation:

Hank Wilson papers. GLBT Historical Society

Location of this collection:
989 Market Street, Lower Level
San Francisco, CA 94103, US
Contact:
(415) 777-5455
reference@glbthistory.org
Website