Collection Guide
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Brafford (Brad) Papers
MS.R.146
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Table of contents
Contributing Institution:
Special Collections and Archives, University of California, Irvine
Libraries
Title: Brad Brafford papers
Creator:
Brafford, Brad
Identifier/Call Number: MS.R.146
Physical Description:
10.6 Linear Feet
(27 boxes)
Date (inclusive): 1971-2008
Date (bulk): 1978-1998
Abstract: This collection is comprised of files
created by gay rights activist G.C. "Brad" Brafford of Orange County, California, primarily
from 1972 until the late 1990s. Included are materials created and distributed by local,
regional, and national gay/lesbian and other political advocacy and social support
organizations, such as: newsletters, brochures, pamphlets and other publications;
fundraising mailings; and fliers and other ephemera. Also included are meeting agendas,
notes, and minutes; and correspondence.
Language of Material:
English .
The collection is open for research.
Property rights reside with the University of California. Literary rights are retained by
the creators of the records and their heirs. For permissions to reproduce or to publish,
please contact the Head of Special Collections and Archives.
Brad Brafford Papers. MS-R146. Special Collections and Archives, The UC Irvine Libraries,
Irvine, California. Date accessed.
For the benefit of current and future researchers, please cite any additional information
about sources consulted in this collection, including permanent URLs, item or folder
descriptions, and box/folder locations.
Gift of Brad Brafford, 2009-2010.
Processed by Dawn Schmitz, 2011.
G.C. "Brad" Brafford (1929- ) is a gay rights activist and philanthropist in Orange County,
California and an active member of several organizations concerned with gay and lesbian
rights, AIDS education and support, political activism, women's rights, and electoral
politics. In 1972 he was one of the founders of the Gay and Lesbian Community Services
Center of Orange County (The Center OC), and he went on to serve on its first board of
directors. He also served on the executive committee of Parents and Friends of Lesbians and
Gays (PFLAG) of Orange County. He was very active in Christ Chapel Metropolitan Community
Church in Santa Ana, California, and was involved with several gay social and recreation
groups.
Born on May 5, 1929, Brafford was a surveyor by occupation and a member of the
International Union of Operating Engineers. He served in the U.S. Navy until he was
discharged in 1951 due to his sexual orientation.
Collection Scope and Content Summary
This collection is comprised of files created by gay rights activist G.C. "Brad" Brafford
of Orange County, California, primarily from 1972 until the late 1990s. Included are
materials created and distributed by local, regional, and national gay/lesbian and other
political advocacy and social support organizations: newsletters, brochures, pamphlets and
other publications; fundraising mailings; and fliers and other ephemera. Also included are
meeting agendas, notes, and minutes; and correspondence.
Regional organizations represented include The Gay and Lesbian Community Services Center of
Orange County (The Center OC), Parents and Friends of Lesbian and Gays (PFLAG) of Orange
County, the Gay and Lesbian Rights Chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of
Southern California, and Christ Chapel Metropolitan Community Church (MCC). The many issues
represented include the U.S. military's "Don't Ask Don't Tell" policy on gay men and
lesbians serving in the military; California Proposition 6 (The Briggs Initiative, 1978);
and HIV/AIDS activism, education, and support.
This collection is arranged in 2 series:
- Series 1. Subject files, 1973-2006, 0.8 linear feet
- Series 2. Organizations, 1971-2008, 9.8 linear feet
Most of the materials were kept in their original order within files when refoldering,
although the order of the files was changed to bring together the files of a particular
organization. For the most part, dates on the folders reflect the dates the files were
compiled, and the folders may contain a small amount of material from years prior to those
indicated.
Issues of
Liaison and
The Center
Connection
, the newsletters of the Gay and Lesbian Community Services Center of
Orange County, were removed from this collection. These newsletters are cataloged separately
in Special Collections and Archives. See records in the UC Irvine Libraries catalog
ANTPAC.
Related materials can be found in the following collections in the Department of Special
Collections and Archives:
- Gay and Lesbian Community Services Center of Orange County Records. MS-R118. California.
- Orange County Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Timeline Research Files. MS-R105.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Gays -- California -- Orange County -- Archives.
AIDS activists -- California -- Orange County -- Archives
Gay rights -- California -- Orange County -- History --
Sources
Activists -- California -- Orange County.
AIDS (disease) -- California -- Orange County -- History --
Sources.
Brafford, Brad -- Archives