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Black and white sequined jacket worn by Sylvester. Designed by Pat Campano. This item is undated.

Black and white sequined jacket worn by Sylvester. Designed by Pat Campano. This item is undated.

Black and white sequined jacket worn by Sylvester. Designed by Pat Campano. This item is undated.

Peach sequined tunic and skirt with crane motif worn by Sylvester. This garment appears to be handmade and there is no designer label attached. This item is undated.

Peach sequined tunic and skirt with crane motif worn by Sylvester. This garment appears to be handmade and there is no designer label attached. This item is undated.

Pink sequined jacket and pants worn by Sylvester. Designed by Pat Campano. This item is undated.

Pink sequined jacket and pants worn by Sylvester. Designed by Pat Campano. This item is undated.

White gown with satin and tulle netting, wire understructure, and small mirrors. This garment does not have a label indicating the designer. This item is undated.

White gown with satin and tulle netting, wire understructure, and small mirrors. This garment does not have a label indicating the designer. This item is undated.

Victoria Schneider is an activist and sex worker best known for her lawsuit against the City and County of San Francisco, concerning an unlawful strip search during her booking at the San Francisco County Jail. Schneider had been placed in the men’s cells, and had requested to be moved to the women’s; the search was ostensibly conducted to determine her gender. Born intersex and assigned male, Schneider identified strongly as a woman and had transitioned to live as such. Schneider won her lawsuit and was awarded $750,000 in damages from a federal jury.

A man posing on a motorcycle on the sidewalk outside of "Snow Peas" diner.

Close up image of a man's torn denim shorts. glbths_1993-11P-2B_11_001

Flyer publicizing a demonstration to take place at the Central California Women's Facility in Chowchilla, CA on Saturday, July 8, 1995 at noon.

Sylvester (born Sylvester James Jr.) was a disco-soul singer-songwriter known for his androgynous appearance, falsetto singing voice, and the moniker the “Queen of Disco.”

A cape and headpiece worn by Sylvester while performing. This garment appears to be handmade. There is no designer label attached to this garment. This item is undated.

Black and white sequined jacket worn by Sylvester. Designed by Pat Campano. This item is undated.

Photograph of Sylvester signing records in the record store, 12" Dance Records. Inscription on verso of photograph reads: "Sylvester, It was a pleasure to photograph you when you visited 12" Dance Records. Thank you for visiting us. Larry [Frazer?] the photographer. Dec. 1986."

Peach sequined tunic and skirt with crane motif worn by Sylvester. This garment appears to be handmade and there is no designer label attached. This item is undated.

A jacket worn by Sylvester while performing. Designed by Pat Campano. This item is undated.

Photograph of Sylvester receiving an award. In this photo Sylvester is wearing one of his sequined jackets designed by Pat Campano.

A panel discussion that took place ten years after California's "sodomy laws" were repealed. Historian Alan Bérubé details California's history with anti-gay legislation, beginning with the state's first law against sodomy that was passed in 1850 and continuing through to the decriminalization of both sodomy and oral sex between consenting adults in private in 1976. Bérubé also discusses historical patterns relating to sex laws, and he contextualizes the debate between public versus private information. Activists Del Martin and Phyllis Lyon, cofounders of the Daughters of Bilitis, discuss the history of legislation criminalizing lesbian sex, and they detail the creation of the Council on Religion and the Homosexual in the 1960s. This material was digitized through the generous support of Larry Brenner and Angelo Figone.

A panel discussion that took place ten years after California's "sodomy laws" were repealed. Activist Phyllis Lyon discusses the Council on Religion and the Homosexual's Brief of Injustices. Politician Willie Brown, then the California State Assembly's Speaker of the Assembly, discusses the legislative side of the creation and passing of the 1976 Consenting Adult Sex Law, which decriminalized private and consensual gay sex. Activist Jim Foster, then a member of the San Francisco Health Commission, reflects on his experiences as an out gay man when gay sex was still criminalized, and he discusses ways in which the community organized in the 1950s and 1960s, including San Francisco's Tavern Guild and the Mattachine Society, to protect itself and ultimately decriminalize gay sex and relationships. This material was digitized through the generous support of Larry Brenner and Angelo Figone.

A panel discussion that took place ten years after California's "sodomy laws" were repealed. Activist Jo Daly discusses instances of heterosexual individuals being convicted under anti-sodomy/anti-oral sex laws. Activist George Raya relates his experiences as a lobbyist in Sacramento in the 1970s who lobbied for the Consenting Adult Sex Law from 1974 until its passing in 1976. Leonard Graff, the legal director for the National Gay Rights Advocates, discusses the continuing fight against sodomy laws in the United States. This material was digitized through the generous support of Larry Brenner and Angelo Figone.

A discussion between Gayle Rubin, Allan Bérubé, and others about the intersections of racism, sexism, and homophobia in mainstream media. They also discuss the criminalization of gay sex and the legal system's repression of sexuality at large. This material was digitized through the generous support of Larry Brenner and Angelo Figone.

A discussion between Gayle Rubin, Allan Bérubé, and others about sexual repression in mainstream culture, the spectrum of sexuality within straight and gay communities, and the use of sexuality as a tool of oppression. The discussion also includes how the culture might protect and/or empower young people within their sexuality, child/adult sexuality within gay and lesbian communities, and the lack of consent education across gay and straight communities. This material was digitized through the generous support of Larry Brenner and Angelo Figone.

Gayle Rubin discussing the paper she wrote about the sexual liberation movement for the 1982 Feminist and Scholar Conference. Only the last 5 minutes of this tape were recovered. This material was digitized through the generous support of Larry Brenner and Angelo Figone.

Gayle Rubin discussing the paper she wrote about the sexual liberation movement for the 1982 Feminist and Scholar Conference. Rubin contextualizes the history of sexual oppression and criminalization before focusing on gay and lesbian liberation, including discussions on gender liberation, homophobia in the women's movement, and sexual hierarchies within the sexual liberation movement. She also touches on emerging identities based on sexuality, such as leather and swinging communities. This material was digitized through the generous support of Larry Brenner and Angelo Figone.

Gayle Rubin discussing the paper she wrote about the sexual liberation movement for the 1982 Feminist and Scholar Conference. Rubin discusses different legal restrictions placed on sexuality, including sodomy laws, adult incest laws, and prostitution criminalization. She also reviews historical practices for preventing adolescent masturbation as an example of the legal control of sexuality, and she addresses the medical and psychology institution's pathologizing sex and sexuality. This material was digitized through the generous support of Larry Brenner and Angelo Figone.

Gayle Rubin discussing the paper she wrote about the sexual liberation movement for the 1982 Feminist and Scholar Conference. Rubin's speech concluded with a question and answer session, and she answers questions about political influences on the interpretation of history, communism and feminism, the legal evolution of public and private sectors, and removing morality from cultural conceptions of sex and sexuality. This material was digitized through the generous support of Larry Brenner and Angelo Figone.