In-Person Lecture: Recapturing Gay History Through Ephemera

Join Grolier Club member and archivist Chris Hammer and queer culture historian and journalist David Kennerley for an evening examining the cultural significance of two slices of gay ephemera. Hammer will discuss his extensive collection of ONE: The Homosexual Magazine, published in the 1950s and 1960s by one of the first gay rights groups in the United States. The magazine ran pioneering articles on increasing gay visibility and acceptance during the Lavender Scare and the postal service’s obscenity crackdowns. ONE’s advertisements for books and other “homophile” organizations around the world, and its letters to the editor, are equally illuminating. Kennerley will share examples from his collection of more than 1,200 flyers from LGBTQ clubs, the subject of his recent book, Getting In: NYC Club Flyers from the Gay 1990s (Daken Press). The visually striking flyers tell a story of a unique moment in history, when the LGBTQ community was reeling from the AIDS crisis, and nightspots provided a refuge.

Grolier Club Members

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Public Support

We appreciate your interest in the Grolier Club’s programming on the art and history of the book. For more than 130 years we have offered our exhibitions and lectures to the public, free of charge. If you have enjoyed these offerings, and would like to support that tradition, and help ensure that it continues, please consider making a tax-deductible donation to the Grolier Club.

Accessibility

An ADA-compliant lift from street level to the lobby is available to anyone with mobility issues. All desk staff should be ready and able to assist you in operating the lift, with or without advance notice.

A “T-Coil” assisted listening system is available to anyone attending a lecture in the Exhibition Hall. Visitors with hearing aids should turn their devices to the “T” setting in order to access the system; visitors without hearing aids may request a “loop receiver” with earphones.

Environment

The temperature and humidity in the exhibition hall are tightly controlled for the sake of the valuable items on display, and this may cause the room to feel chilly, particularly in warmer weather, to those coming in from outside. Members and visitors are advised to bring a light wrap when visiting an exhibition, or attending an event in the hall.

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