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Creator
Donaldson, Stephen, 1946-1996
Call number
MssCol 824
Physical description
8.67 linear feet (22 boxes). 8 audio recordings
Language
English
Preferred Citation
Stephen Donaldson papers, Manuscripts and Archives Division, The New York Public Library
Repository
Manuscripts and Archives Division
Access to materials
Request an in-person research appointment.Restrictions apply

Stephen Donaldson was a writer, editor, and activist noted for his advocacy and writing on gay and bisexual politics, the sexual assault of incarcerated men, Indian religions, and punk rock music. Donaldson's papers document his varied career and personal history through manuscripts, correspondence, photographs, audio recordings, and files for the unpublished Concise Encyclopedia of Homosexuality. The collection addresses Donaldson's involvement in gay and bisexual rights activism, prison reform, and counter-cultural movements from the 1960s to the 1990s.

Biographical/historical information

Writer and activist Stephen Donaldson was born Robert A. Martin, Jr. on July 27, 1946 in Norfolk, Virginia. The son of a career naval officer, his childhood was spent in numerous seaport cities of the eastern United States, as well as in Germany. His parents divorced when he was seven years old, and he lived for periods of time in a boarding school and with his grandparents. While attending high school in Long Branch, New Jersey, Donaldson acknowledged his sexual attraction to a male classmate and shortly afterwards decided to come out as gay. In the summer of 1965, he ran away from his mother's home in Florida to New York City, where he met leaders of the Mattachine Society of New York, an early gay rights organization. Attracted by the relatively permissive sexual atmosphere of New York, he enrolled at Columbia University.

As a college student, Donaldson was a founding member of the Student Homophile League (later re-named Gay People at Columbia-Barnard) and was active in the North American Conference of Homophile Organizations. He was a participant in the spring 1968 student uprising on the Columbia campus. Donaldson worked during his college summers as a reporter for the Associated Press and Virginia Pilot, and as a legislative intern in the offices of U.S. Representatives Howard H. Callaway (Republican, Georgia) and Donald E. Lukens (Republican, Ohio). He also traveled widely across the United States, often as a hitchhiker. In diary entries and letters written during these years he described his political radicalization, his experiments with marijuana and LSD, and his sexual encounters with men and women. Inspired by many aspects of the sexual revolution of the late 1960s, Donaldson increasingly identified himself as bisexual. He began to publish short articles and poems in gay publications, occasionally under the pen name Stephen Donaldson. (Though he never legally changed his name, he increasingly chose to identify himself by this pseudonym, particularly during the 1980s and 1990s.)

After his 1970 graduation from Columbia, Donaldson enlisted in the United States Navy. He shipped to Italy, where he served as a radioman on a NATO base. At this time Donaldson also became a practicing Buddhist and explored the religious traditions of the Society of Friends, also known as Quakers. In 1971, the Navy announced its intention to release him by General Discharge on grounds of suspected homosexual involvement. Donaldson mounted an unprecedented public campaign against his discharge, and won the support of United States Congress members Bella Abzug and Edward I. Koch. Though he lost this fight and was released in June 1972, he later won an upgrade to Honorable Discharge.

Donaldson settled in the Washington D.C. area and worked as Pentagon correspondent for the Overseas Weekly, a privately-owned newspaper distributed to American servicemen stationed in Europe. He became increasingly active with the Quakers and would eventually lead the group's bisexual caucus. In 1973, he was arrested at a Quaker peace protest at the White House, and was subsequently raped by inmates in the Washington D.C. jail. This experience, and incidents which occurred during later stints in prison, led to his outspoken activism on the issue of sexual assault of incarcerated men, most notably with the organizations People Organized to Stop the Rape of Imprisoned Persons and Stop Prisoner Rape.

From 1974 to 1977, Donaldson did graduate work in religion at Columbia University, and served as Chairman of the Student Governing Board of the Earl Hall Center for Religion and Life. In May 1976, he was ordained as a novice monk in the orthodox (Theravada) Buddhist Order. During the late 1970s, Donaldson worked intermittently as a developer of war simulation games and immersed himself in New York's punk rock subculture, which was centered on the CBGB nightclub in downtown Manhattan. Several personal tragedies, including the 1976 suicide of his mother, contributed to bouts of psychological depression. In March 1980, poverty-stricken and ill, Donaldson was arrested in a Bronx Veterans Administration hospital on a charge of assault with a dangerous weapon. He was convicted on other felony counts and served nearly four years in federal prison. Donaldson was paroled in April 1984, and settled again in New York City.

During the 1980s and 1990s, Donaldson volunteered as a counselor to male survivors of sexual assault, and spoke out publicly in a wide variety of forums on the issue of sexual assault of incarcerated men. Between 1987 to 1988, he visited India and was initiated into the Veerashaiva tradition of Shaivite Hinduism. This trip constituted a parole violation and resulted in another term in federal prison in 1990. In 1992, Donaldson visited Europe where he met with punk rock musicians and fans, and lectured on the American punk scene. Throughout this period, Donaldson advanced his career as an editor and writer. His short essays on such topics as punk rock, prison conditions, Buddhism, and sexuality appeared in numerous magazines and underground publications, often under the byline "Donny the Punk." Donaldson was assistant editor of the Encyclopedia of Homosexuality (1990) and co-editor, with Wayne Dynes, of the thirteen-volume Studies in Homosexuality (1994). During his last years he served as editor-in-chief of the Concise Encyclopedia of Homosexuality, a major revision of the 1990 Encyclopedia. His publisher cancelled the project just a few months after the manuscript was completed.

Stephen Donaldson died of an AIDS-related illness in New York City on July 18, 1996.

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:

  • Series I. Correspondence
    1965-1996
    2.35 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.

  • Series II. Writings
    1966-1995
    1 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).

  • Series III.Concise Encyclopedia of Homosexuality
    1990-1996
    2.5 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.

  • Series IV. Subject Files
    1965-1996
    1.65 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.

  • Series V. Visual Materials
    1960s-1990s
    1 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.

  • Series VI. Clothing and Ephemera
    1973-1992
    2 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.

  • Series VII. Audiotapes
    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.

  • Series VII. 2003 Additions
    1984-1998
    1 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.

Administrative information

Source of acquisition

Donated by the estate of Stephen Donaldson via Rick Shur and Judith Jones in 1997. Additions donated by Stop Prisoner Rape, Los Angeles in 2003.

Revision History

Additions processed by Kit Messick (2010)

Description revision by Heather Lember (2021 and 2024.)

Processing information

Processed by Jim Moske in September 2000.

The collection abstract was revised and minor text edits were made throughout the finding aid in 2024. The container list was updated to remove electronic records (box 15) and original media (box 23). New audiovisual identification numbers were published in place of service cassette control numbers to bring the description into alignment with current practice.

Using the collection

Location

Manuscripts and Archives Division
Stephen A. Schwarzman Building
Fifth Avenue at 42nd Street, New York, NY 10018-2788
Brooke Russell Astor Reading Room, Third Floor, Room 328

Access restrictions

Original magnetic media is unavailable for research use for preservation reasons.