Scope and arrangement
The collection consists of paper materials and photographs related to Silverstein's work as a psychologist and gay rights activist, with special emphasis on the movement to remove homosexuality from the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM). The paper materials consist of correspondence (both personal and professional); journal articles (both by Silverstein and others on related topics); newspaper clippings; book publication information (including contracts, edited copies of The Joy of Gay Sex, press releases, release forms, royalties statements, censorship information and reviews); illustrations from The Joy of Gay Sex; conference/lecture information; research and professional notes; personal documents (mostly related to travel); and an oral history of Silverstein done in 2019. The photographs are both personal and professional. While all of Silverstein's works are represented, The Joy of Gay Sex/The New Joy of Gay Sex makes up the bulk of this side of the collection.
The Charles Silverstein papers are arranged in six series:
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1990-2012
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1977-2018
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1962-2017
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2008-2019
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1986-2016
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1957-2008