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Title: Burt Gerrits papers
Dates: 1975-1998
Collection Number: 1994-26
Creator/Collector:
Gerrits, Burt
Extent: 1.95 linear feet
Repository:
GLBT Historical Society
San Francisco, California 94103
Abstract: Burt Gerrits (1923-2008) was born in South Dakota, and moved to the San Francisco Bay Area in 1941. He served during WWII
in the Navy, and his recollections of Navy life as a gay man were included in historian Allan Bérubé’s book Coming Out Under
Fire. The bulk of the Burt Gerrits papers consist of materials from three organizations in which Gerrits was active: The Gay
Coalition on the Media, The Bay Area March on Washington Committee, and Mobilization Against AIDS.
Language of Material: English
Collection is open for research.
[Identification of item]. Burt Gerrits papers . Collection Number: 1994-26. GLBT Historical Society
Gift of Burt Gerrits, 1998-2004.
Scope and Content of Collection
Burt Gerrits (1923-2008) was born in South Dakota, and moved to the Bay Area in 1941. He served during WWII, Burt served in
the Navy, and his recollections of Navy life as a gay man were included in historian Allan Bérubé’s book Coming Out Under
Fire. Gerrits taught in public schools for 35 years, and was active in many LGBT organizations and events. The bulk of the
Burt Gerrits papers consist of materials from three organizations in which Gerrits was active. The Gay Coalition on the Media
came together in 1975 to press for fair treatment of gay issues in the various media. The Bay Area March on Washington Committee
was formed in 1987 to provide local outreach, fundraising, transportation and publicity in response to the call for a Gay
and Lesbian March on Washington. The Mobilization Against AIDS was organized in 1985 to press for increased government funding
in the fight against AIDS, to oppose civil rights attacks and to educate the public. The collection also includes materials
from many other organizations Gerrits was involved in, and events he participated in, including the Gay Academic Union, the
1984 March on Washington, the University of California Gay & Lesbian Alumni, BANGLE, the Gay Freedom Day Committee and the
Pacific Center. The collection also includes Gerrits' World War II sailor pants and his father's World War I uniform. GSSO
linked terms: http://purl.obolibrary.org/obo/GSSO_000374; http://purl.obolibrary.org/obo/GSSO_005822; http://purl.obolibrary.org/obo/GSSO_008536;
http://purl.obolibrary.org/obo/GSSO_000521
Gay men
Veterans
World War, 1939-1945
AIDS (disease)