Jim Collins

Dr. Richard Friedman, author of the book Male Homosexuality: A Contemporary Psychoanalytic Perspective

May 10, 2020May 10, 2020 by Jim Collins

Dr. Richard Friedman, the author of the groundbreaking 1988 book Male Homosexuality: A Contemporary Psychoanalytic Perspective, has died at the age of 79. The book made the case that sexual orientation is largely biologically determined and debunked the Freudian thought, still prevalent at the time, that homosexuality could be “cured”. https://www.gaycitynews.com/dr-richard-friedman-key-in-normalizing-homosexuality-dies-at-79/ https://www.advocate.com/news/2020/5/07/male-homosexuality-author-dies-book-countered-negative-stereotypes

Pride Events in 2020

May 6, 2020May 6, 2020 by Jim Collins

With most in person Pride events this year being cancelled or postponed throughout the world, there are virtual events being planned, such as Global Pride on June 27, and organizers of this and other events both large and small face this reality with challenges and efforts to continue community building, awareness and support, which is […]

ONE Archives Collection at the USC Libraries

April 22, 2020April 22, 2020 by Jim Collins

The ONE Archives Collection at the USC Libraries has launched a new online exhibit entitled Safer at Home, in which objects from the past will hopefully “mirror” our present times. A new archival piece will be added each week with comment and contextualization, effectively creating and developing an exhibition in real time.“Visual culture acts as a […]

LGBTQ+ Bookstores Deliver Literature, Charity, and Joy Amidst Crisis

April 13, 2020April 13, 2020 by Jim Collins

LGBTQ bookstores have traditionally been pillars of community building and during this current time they are bringing virtual events, activities and gathering points to the LGBTQ community offering both service and support. https://www.them.us/story/lgbtq-bookstores-coronavirus

Publishers Weekly:Still Here, Still Queer: LGBTQ Books 2020

April 7, 2020April 7, 2020 by Jim Collins

This article examines some small presses that publish LGBTQ books and how their missions and focus have evolved over time and continue to be integral to queer publishing.Some quotes from the piece that help sum it up:“While all presses focused on LGBTQ or marginalized communities share a mission of increasing representation, they differ in terms […]

Terrence McNally died on March 24 at Sarasota Memorial Hospital in Sarasota, FL

March 25, 2020March 25, 2020 by Jim Collins

McNally made his Broadway debut with an adaptation of “The Lady of the Camellias” (1963), which was followed by the original plays “And Things That Go Bump in the Night” (1965), “Morning, Noon and Night” (1968) and an evening of one-acts titled “Bad Habits” (1974). He is probably best know to audiences (and to opera […]

Mart Crowley, the Tony-winning playwright of The Boys in the Band dies at 84

March 13, 2020March 13, 2020 by Jim Collins

A playwright and screenwriter, Crowley is best known for creating the first mainstream portrayal of gay men in Boys in the Band, which is being released later this year as a Netflix film. https://www.broadway.com/buzz/198715/mart-crowley-tony-winning-playwright-of-the-boys-in-the-band-is-dead-at-84/ https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-news/playwright-mart-crowley-boys-in-the-band-dead-84-964742/ You can watch a 2009 Theatre Talk interview with Crowley here: https://tv.cuny.edu/show/theatertalk/PR1010888

Sheridan Library purchases 6th known copy of John Addington Symonds’ ‘A Problem in Greek Ethics’

February 28, 2020February 28, 2020 by Jim Collins

Symonds privately printed just 10 copies in 1883, but until know there were only 5 known surviving copies. https://hub.jhu.edu/2019/12/05/john-addington-symonds-greek-ethics-rare-book/

Gay Comic Artist Howard Cruse, Creator of ‘Wendel,’ Dies at 75

December 14, 2019December 14, 2019 by Jim Collins

Acclaimed gay cartoonist Howard Cruse, whose strip “Wendel” graced the pages of The Advocatein the 1980s, died of cancer November 26 in North Adams, Mass., surrounded by friends and family, his daughter, Kimberly Kolze Venter, announced on Facebook. He was 75. https://www.advocate.com/people/2019/12/03/gay-comic-artist-howard-cruse-creator-wendel-dies-75