Scope and arrangement
The collection dates from 1965 to 1998, and documents the varied career and personal history of the writer and activist, Stephen Donaldson. His papers include manuscripts, typescripts, and publication tear sheets of his writings, editorial and administrative papers for the unpublished Concise Encyclopedia of Homosexuality, personal and professional correspondence, news clippings and printed material, visual materials, audio recordings, and a few items of clothing and ephemera. Donaldson's papers are an important resource for the study of gay and bisexual activism, the lives of incarcerated people, prison reform, and American counter-cultural movements from the 1960s to 1990s.
Donaldson's correspondence and writings provide insight about the 1968 student uprising at Columbia University, the origins of the gay student movement, the sexual revolution of the late 1960s, and drug use within the youth subculture of that period. Also documented from a first-hand perspective is Donaldson's ground-breaking fight against his General Discharge from the United States Navy for suspected homosexual involvement. Donaldson's letters regarding the case are complemented by news clippings, press releases, and copies of his Navy records.
The papers also contain information on Donaldson's wide-ranging interests, including Indian religions, the history of sexuality, gay and bisexual activism, prison conditions, sexual assault of incarcerated men, and punk rock music subculture.
Visual materials include photographs, photocopies, negatives, and drawings of Donaldson; his travels; his friends and colleagues; and various punk rock performances.
The audio recordings contain interviews and lectures by Donaldson and others on the topics of sexual assault of incarcerated men, bisexual activism, and punk rock.
The Stephen Donaldson papers are arranged in eight series:
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1965-19962.35 linear feet
Donaldson's correspondence files contain incoming and outgoing letters and postcards which document many aspects of his career as author, editor, and activist, as well as his turbulent personal history. The files are arranged alphabetically by the name of the correspondent, organization, or subject. Numerous correspondents are identified only by first name, nickname, or initials. Donaldson's strong autobiographical impulse led him to make and preserve carbon copies of many of the letters that he wrote over the years. Many of his carbons were made on the backs of mimeographed documents of organizations with which Donaldson was involved (such as the Student Homophile League), and thus have an additional evidentiary value.
This Series includes important items from Donaldson's formative years as a student at Columbia University, such as his letters to friends regarding the 1968 student uprising, the origins of the Student Homophile League, his cross-country hitchhiking trips, his experimentation with drugs, his romantic attachments, and his sexual encounters. This early material is complemented by Donaldson's 1960s and 1970s correspondence with his mother, Lois Vaughan, which provides insights on his troubled family history. There is also extensive correspondence with lawyers, editors, politicians, and friends regarding Donaldson's fight against his 1972 discharge from the United States Navy. Several folders which contain only letters related to this case are marked "re: Navy Discharge" in the container list.
There is additional legal correspondence regarding Donaldson's 1980 arrest and felony conviction, and his subsequent terms in prison from 1980 to 1984 and 1990. During the early 1980s Donaldson typed, photocopied, and mailed to multiple recipients what he called "round letters." These documents provide a remarkable view of Donaldson's daily life in prison, his sexual encounters with fellow inmates, his interest in punk rock, and his experiences in New York City after his parole. The round letters are complemented by correspondence with various publishers and editors regarding essays and poems written by Donaldson while he was in prison and shortly thereafter.
During the late 1980s to 1990s, Donaldson's music reviews won him some renown among punk rock fans, and the circle of his correspondence widened to include dozens of punks from around the world. Many of these letters are contained in the Miscellaneous folders located in box 4, folders 4-6.
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1966-19951 linear foot
Donaldson's writings include diaries; manuscripts; typescripts and tear sheets of published and unpublished essays and poems; news articles written for the Associated Press, Virginia Pilot, and Overseas Weekly; and some unidentified notes and fragments. The material is arranged alphabetically by the title of the work when known. A few folders contain correspondence, news clippings, and printed material gathered by Donaldson in the course of his research for the project concerned. There are also a few items of promotional material issued in connection with various writings.
Donaldson's college years are particularly well-documented by such items as a diary kept between 1966 and 1968 (box 7, folder 18), class notes and papers (box 7, folders 14 and 23), and an article on gay student life which appeared in the Columbia Daily Spectator (box 7, folder 3). Also of interest from this period are typescripts of Donaldson's Student Homophile League news columns (box 9, folder 14) written for the newspaper Gay Power.
Writings from later in Donaldson's life include typescripts and publication tear sheets of many "Donny the Punk" articles on music, sexuality, ang religion; his essays on the sexual victimization of male prisoners; and scholarly writing in the fields of gay and bisexual history, such as an essay written in collaboration with Wayne Dynes (box 7, folder 30).
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1990-19962.5 linear feet
Series III documents Donaldson's extensive editorial work on a revised edition of the 1990 Encyclopedia of Homosexuality. Included are correspondence with authors and publishers, promotional materials, administrative records, publishing contracts, typescript drafts of encyclopedia entries, and a complete draft of the final typescript of the book, which was never published.
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1965-19961.65 linear feet
Materials in this alphabetically arranged Series document Donaldson's varied research interests, his educational and professional activities, and his troubled legal history. Included are college records such as transcripts and a diploma; printed materials issued by various organizations of which Donaldson was a member; information on businesses and publications for which he worked; and news clippings and notes on numerous research topics. Also included in this Series are a copy of Donaldson's FBI file (in which he is identified by his legal name, Robert A. Martin, Jr.) obtained by him through a Freedom of Information Act request; legal records and press releases related to his 1972 discharge by the U.S. Navy; and legal records regarding his several later arrests and terms in prison.
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1960s-1990s1 linear foot
This small group of black and white and color photograph prints, color negatives, photocopies, drawings, and transparencies includes images of Donaldson, scenes from his travels, his friends and colleagues, and various punk rock performances. The material is arranged alphabetically by subject.
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1973-19922 linear feet
These boxes contain sixteen of Donaldson's well-worn t-shirts, hand-lettered and decorated with slogans and drawings which document his penchant for frank public declarations regarding his sexuality. Also included are a poster advertising a 1973 speech by Donaldson about his experience in a Washington D.C. jail, an award plaque from the Veerashaiva Samaja of North America's 15th Annual Convention, and a small pendant commemorating the U.S.S. Courtney.
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1982-1988.5 linear feet
The audio recordings contain interviews and lectures by Stephen Donaldson on the topics of male sexual victimization, prisoner sexual assault, bisexual activism, and punk rock. Also included are a recording of a 1982 parole hearing for Donaldson, a lecture by author L. A. Visano on the prison system, and a panel discussion of adolescent sexuality featuring several unidentified speakers.
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1984-19981 linear foot
Files in this Series contain articles, tear sheets, and news clippings related to the activities of Stop Prison Rape, and media coverage dealing with the subject of sexual violence in prison, treatment of gay inmates, and incarcerated people with HIV. Also included is correspondence with Donaldson, as well as with Tom Cahill, president of Stop Prison Rape after Donaldson's death.