Nichols Correspondence, 1952-2005 and undated

Extent:
10 boxes
Scope and content:

Consists of personal and business correspondence spanning the entirety of Nichols' adult life, with the bulk of the material dated between 1969 and 2000. Correspondence with other major figures in the early gay rights movement, including fellow Washington D.C. Mattachine Society founder Frank Kameny and Barbara Gittings, are included. While the political climate and need for action are often discussed in letters in this series, correspondence also covers topics of a more personal nature, including health, jobs, and Nichols' efforts to publish his literary work. Letters to and from friends and lovers, particularly Clarke and Logan Carter, are included as well. Additional major correspondents with Nichols include his mother Mary Finlayson Lund, Leo Skir, Bob Kunst, and James T. Sears. Early correspondence chronicles the work of Nichols and Lige Clarke as editors of the national newspaper Gay; later material documents Nichols' struggles to find agents and publishers for various manuscripts. Nichols' work as editor of the online publication Gay Today can be found in the writing and business correspondence grouping. Also included are a grouping of address and appointment books kept by Nichols. Series is predominantly organized by year, though groups of letters separated by Nichols are organized alphabetically by correspondent.

Separated material:

[Some items removed to Oversize Material.]

Contents

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Collection 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.

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Use & permissions:

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