Search

Includes files and ephemera from Nichols' childhood through late in his life. Diplomas, grades, and a certificate of baptism document elements of his early life. Course evaluations from a philosophy class in which his book Men's Liberation was assigned reflect some of the reactions the public had to Nichols' work. Press material and clippings as well as book publishing contracts document the some of the business aspects of his professional life. Personal, medical, and financial papers complete the series. Organized alphabetically.

Consists of partial runs of serial publications. While most publications focus on gay issues, several serials address alternative spirituality, notably a mostly complete run of the central Florida-based Paradox. Issues of serials in which Nichols published work, particularly Contax and Et Cetera, are also housed in this series. Some original copies of newspaper publications, including issues of Gay, Gay News, The Gayzette, and Screw, can be found in Oversize Material. Organized alphabetically by title.

Contains files kept by Nichols on a variety of topics, chiefly social issues. Folders of material related to close friend and lover Lige Clarke make up the largest grouping. These include some of Clarke's early school and personal papers as well as correspondence and information related to his violent death during a robbery in Mexico. Documentation of the lives and early deaths of activists Foster Gunnison and David Combs are included along with a file on the suspicious death of New York transvestite Marsha P. Johnson. Nichols' interest in anarchist philosophy and action is documented in the Anarchism grouping, and some information about the New Age group Renewal is housed in this subseries as well. Research material related to writings on Logan Carter and men's liberation complete the series. Organized alphabetically by subject.

Divided into subseries housing Articles, Book Manuscripts, and Writings by Others. The Articles Subseries primarily consists of published articles written by Nichols, notably the "Homosexual Citizen" (written with Lige Clarke) and "Homosexual Anarchist" columns written for Screw. Copies of the serial works "The Calamus Chronicles" (originally "The Tomcat Chronicles," which became the basis for his 2004 book The Tomcat Chronicles) and the fictional Drop the Soap are in this subseries; numerous articles written for print and online publications, among them Gay Today and the mainstream Florida Today are included as well. Various articles, poems, and diary entries, some unpublished, make up the rest of the subseries. The Book Manuscript Subseries consists of various drafts of major works by Nichols. His memoir of his life and work with Lige Clarke, first drafted after Clarke's death in 1975 (and variously called Elijah and The Best Thing That Ever Happened to Me) are housed in this subseries, as are many iterations of his unpublished autobiography (at different times titled Evolution of a Friend, With the Love of Comrades, and The Guardian Dragon of Hoo Hoo Park). Other works found in this subseries are his unpublished work on transvestite and transexual identity Sissies and his published works I Have More Fun With You Than Anybody (with Lige Clarke), The Gay Agenda, The Tomcat Chronicles, and sections of Welcome to Fire Island. Drafts of Nichols' anthology works The Lavender Manifesto and Onan, Onan Uber Alles complete the writings subseries. The Writings by Others Subseries contains drafts of works sent to Nichols, particularly sections of Tiger, Tiger by Louis Campbell (published as Jack Nichols, Gay Pioneer). Works by Vern Bullough, James T. Sears, and Leo Skir are also housed in this series. Organized alphabetically by predominant title.