James T. Sears papers, 1918-2011 and undated, bulk 1950-2004

Using These Materials Teaser

Using These Materials Links:

Using These Materials

Restrictions:
Researchers must register and agree to copyright and privacy laws before using this collection. Consent forms signed by individuals whose interviews or images were recorded for possible use in...
More about accessing and using these materials...

Summary

Creator:
Sears, James T. (James Thomas), 1951-
Abstract:
Educator, gay rights activist, and author of many works on sexuality, identity, and sex education, and the history of homosexuality and the gay rights movement in the United States. The James T. Sears Papers span the dates 1918-2011, with the bulk of the material covering the period between 1950 and 2004. The papers are arranged into the following series: Audiovisual Material; Other Activities; Personal Papers; Photographic Material; Professional Papers; the largest series, Research and Writings; Jack Nichols Papers; and Oversize Material. The Research and Writings series is divided into subseries for major works by Sears, as well as subseries for other writings and editorial work, research files, and a small set of writings by other individuals. Formats include but are not limited to correspondence, research files, writings, interviews, recordings, serials and newspapers, photographs, and diaries. The collection also houses the personal papers of Hal Call (1917-2000) and Jack Nichols (1938-2005), both early activists for gay rights. Taken as a whole, the collection offers a deep and rich source of information on gay, lesbian, and bisexual culture in the United States, especially in the South, and its representation in literature and in the press, both positive and negative; the history of the gay rights movement in the U.S. and abroad, including the evolution of organizations such as the Mattachine Society and related gay movement publications; sexuality studies in the U.S. and teaching sexuality in primary and secondary classrooms; gays in the military; drag queen, lesbian, and bisexual communities; and many other topics relevant to sexual identity in society.
Extent:
138 Linear Feet (317 boxes)
86,700 Items
Language:
Material in English
Collection ID:
RL.01162

Background

Scope and content:

The James T. Sears Papers span the dates 1918-2008, with the bulk of the material covering the period between 1950 and 2004, and are arranged in the following series: Audiovisual Material; Other Activities; Personal Papers; Photographic Material; Professional Papers; the largest series, Research and Writings; Jack Nichols Papers Series; and Oversize Material, which contains chiefly newspapers and other large-format serials. The Research and Writings series, the largest in the collection, is divided into subseries for each of Sears' major works; in addition, there are other large subseries for Sears' other writings and editorial work, research files, and a small set of writings by other individuals.

The collection documents the career and life of a gay rights activist, educator, and author who has performed ground-breaking research on gay, lesbian, and bisexual culture in the United States, and the teaching of human sexuality in the classroom. The evolution and publication of Sears' major book-length works, articles, and other editorial work is fully documented in this collection in the form of drafts, correspondence, recorded and transcribed oral histories, many research files, and a wide variety of images and recordings. Sears' professional papers contain teaching and course materials as well as files on publicity, speeches, and other activities. Sears also worked as a journal and book editor, thus the collection houses various iterations of authors' accepted work along with Sears' line edits and final publications. Many electronic files accompanied the research, writing, and teaching files; these have been archived on the library's server. An extensive collection of audiovisual materials includes videos, sound recordings, and other media either assembled through Sears' research and teaching activities, or acquired from other sources (note: original recordings are closed to use; unless otherwise noted, listening or viewing copies must be made for research access).

The collection also houses the personal papers of Hal Call (1917-2000) and Jack Nichols (1938-2005), authors and early activists for gay rights. These two large sub-collections contain writings, correspondence, research files, diaries, audiovisual material (separated and removed to the Audiovisual Series), and photographs.

Taken as a whole, the James T. Sears Papers offer a rich source of primary documents and information on gay, lesbian, and bisexual culture in the United States, especially in the South, and its representation in literature and in the press, both positive and negative. The collection also provides extensive documentation on the history of the gay rights movement in the U.S. and abroad, including the evolution of organizations such as the Mattachine Society and related gay movement publications; sexuality studies in the U.S. and teaching sexuality in primary and secondary classrooms; gays in the military; drag queen, lesbian, and bisexual communities; and many other topics relevant to sexual identity in society. The collection also include anthropological field notes of Sears' extensive research and travels in the Philippines related to sexualities and sex education.

Consent forms signed by individuals whose interviews or images were recorded for possible use in publications are sometimes filed with other records relevant to that publication; oftentimes, however, permissions may have been filed in the Research Permissions Subseries box in the Research and Writings Series, or have not been located in the collection. Researchers wishing to publish information on individuals represented in the Sears Papers must have in hand the consent forms, or obtain permission from the individuals.

For more details on the contents and arrangement of individual series or subseries in the Sears Papers, see the series and subseries descriptions that follow.

Biographical / historical:
James Sears
Date Event
1951 Aug. 12
James Thomas Sears born in Tipton, Indiana
1974
Southern Illinois University, B.S. in history, government, and social psychology
Indiana University, M.S. in secondary education
1976
Masters of Arts in Political Science, University of Wisconsin-Madison
1983
Anticipating what later came to be known as "queer pedagogy," published "Sexuality: Taking off the Masks," in the journal Changing Schools
1983-1984
Trinity University, San Antonio, Visiting Instructor
1984
Doctor of Philosophy in Curriculum Studies and Sociology, Indiana University-Bloomington; thesis analyzed teacher education programs at the University of Indiana
1984-1989
University of South Carolina-Columbia, Assistant Professor
1988
Published first article on gay issues in education, "Peering into the Well of Loneliness," in Social Issues and Education
1987-1988
President of the National Curriculum Teachers Network
1988
Founder and first Chairperson of the Lesbian and Gay Studies Special Interest Group of the American Educational Research Association
1988-1991
Received grants from the United States Information Agency
1989-1992
South Carolina Policy Center, Senior Research Associate
1989-1993
University of South Carolina-Columbia, Associate Professor
Editor of Empathy: A Magazine of Homophobia Education
1989-1998
Editor, Teaching Education Journal
1990
Published Teaching and Thinking about Curriculum: Critical Inquiries (co-editor)
1991
Publication of Growing up Gay in the South: Race, Gender, and Journeys of the Spirit
1992
Edited Sexuality and the Curriculum: the Politics and Practices of Sexuality Education
Lesbian and Gay Educators Award, American Educational Research Association
1993
Received First Amendment Award from the American Civil Liberties Union
1993
Taught controversial course, Christian Fundamentalism and Public Education, University of South Carolina
1993-1994
University of Southern California, Visiting Scholar at the Center for Feminist Research
1993-2004
Professor of Curriculum Studies, University of South Carolina-Columbia
1994-1995
Received grants from the United States Information Agency
1995
Fulbright Senior Scholar, Southeast Asia
Association for the Supervision and Curriculum Development
Outstanding Research Publication Award
1997
Published Lonely Hunters: an Oral History of Lesbian and Gay Southern Life, 1948-1968
University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, Scholar-in-residence
ONE Institute (National Gay and Lesbian Archives), Research Fellow
1999
Publication of A Dangerous Knowing: Sexuality, Pedagogy, and Popular Culture (co-editor) and Queering Elementary Education: Advancing the Dialogue about Sexualities and Schooling (co-editor)
Lambda GLSEN (Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network) Award for "Curriculum, Religion and Public Education"
2001
Publication of Rebels, Rubyfruit, and Rhinestones: Queering Space in the Stonewall South
Harvard University, Visiting Professor
2002
Outstanding Academic Book award for "Queering Elementary Education"
2005-2008
Professor, Penn State University, World Campus
2006
Publication of Behind the Mask of the Mattachine: the Hal Call Chronicles and the Early Movement for Homosexual Emancipation
2009
Publication of Edwin and John: A Southern Gay Couple's Half Century Journey Together
Publication of Growing Older: Perspectives on LGBT Aging , a special book-length issue of the Journal of Gay & Lesbian Social Services
Hal Call
Date Event
1917 Sept. 20
Harold L. Call born in the state of Missouri
1941-1945
Enlisted in the Army; fought in the Pacific and was awarded the Purple Heart
1947-1952
With a degree in journalism from University of Missouri, entered newspaper publishing business and eventually moved to Chicago to work for the Kansas City Star 's office there
1952
Arrested for "lewd acts" in Chicago
Moved to San Francisco
1953
Call and others led a what has been described as a takeover of the Mattachine Foundation, ousting founder Harry Hay, and subsequently formed the Mattachine Society
1954
Hal Call and his business partner, Donald Lucas, founded the Pan-Graphic Press, which published the Mattachine Review , the Dorian Book Review , and the Town Talk , one of the first gay publications to contain advertising and to be distributed free in gay bars
1955 Feb.
Began publication of the Mattachine Review
1961
Call provided funding and support for the first openly gay man to run for public office in the U.S. - Jose Sarria for San Francisco city supervisor
1964
Call attended and participated in a historic conference and retreat between religious leaders and gay rights activists, in Mill Valley, California; the Council on Religion and the Homosexual (CRH) was created out of this meeting, with Call as one of its leaders
1964
Call and the gay rights movement highlighted in Life magazine and in a CBS documentary by Mike Wallace, first public statement of homosexuality in the U.S. mainstream media
1967
Call gravitated away from Mattachine Society; founded Adonis Bookstore and later, gay video store in San Francisco
2000
Death of Hal Call in Daly City, California at the age of 83
Jack Nichols
Date Event
1938 Mar. 16
John Richard Nichols born in the state of Washington
1961
Nichols and Dr. Frank Kameny started the Washington chapter of the Mattachine gay rights organization
1967
First gay male to appear in nationally televised interview on CBS to speak openly about homosexuality
Jack Nichols gives gay rights speech at Bucknell University, Pa., "Why I Joined the Movement"
1972
Published I Have More Fun With you Than Anybody , early memoir co-authored with Lige Clarke
1997-2004
Edited GayToday.com , an online daily publication
2004
Published The Tomcat Chronicles: Erotic Adventures of a Gay Liberation Pioneer , billed as a gay version of Kerouac's On the Road
2005 May 2
Death of Jack Nichols in Cocoa Beach, Florida
2007
J. Louis Campbell III published Jack Nichols, Gay Pioneer: "Have You Heard My Message?" (Haworth)
Acquisition information:
The James T. Sears Papers were received by the David M. Rubenstein Rare Book Manuscript Library as a gift from 1996-2012. Additions are expected.
Processing information:

Processed by Christian Ferney, Ted Holt, Paula Jeannet, Daniel Ruccia, Michael Shumate, and Elizabeth Terry, 2007-2008. Craig Breaden and Zoe Finiasz, 2024.

Materials may not have been ordered and described beyond their original condition.

Accessions described in this finding aid: 96-130, 97-034, 97-0183, 1998-0204, 2000-0151, 2004-0047, 2007-0006, 2007-0059, 2007-0097, 2008-0025, and 2012-0002.

Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard

Contents

Using These Materials

Using These Materials Links:

Using These Materials

Restrictions:

Researchers must register and agree to copyright and privacy laws before using this collection.

Consent forms signed by individuals whose interviews or images were recorded for possible use in publications are sometimes filed with other records relevant to that publication; oftentimes, however, permissions may have been filed in the Research Permissions Subseries box in the Research and Writings Series, or have not been located in the collection. Researchers wishing to publish information on individuals represented in the Sears Papers must have in hand the consent forms, or obtain permission from the individuals.

Original audiovisual materials are closed to use. Use of these materials requires production of listening or viewing copies.

All or portions of this collection may be housed off-site in Duke University's Library Service Center. The library may require up to 48 hours to retrieve these materials for research use.

Please contact Research Services staff before visiting the David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library to use this collection.

Terms of access:

The copyright interests in this collection have not been transferred to Duke University. For more information, consult the copyright section of the Regulations and Procedures of the David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library.

Before you visit:
Please consult our up-to-date information for visitors page, as our services and guidelines periodically change.
Preferred citation:

[Identification of item], James T. Sears Papers, David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library, Duke University

Permalink:
https://idn.duke.edu/ark:/87924/m1094w