Brian R. McNaught papers

Correspondence, subject files, newspaper clippings, resumes, manuscripts and notes, audiocassettes and videocassettes, photographic albums and other material documenting McNaught's career as a sexuality activist, a church activist, writer, and sensitivity trainer, dating from 1974 to 2011. Topics include the controversy of gays in the Catholic Church, AIDS training and awareness, homophobia in the workplace, and gay rights. Includes numerous letters from appreciators and detractors of McNaught's work, newspaper articles about McNaught, and copies of his books and video programs. Also includes a daily diary kept during a hunger strike and civil rights battle with the Catholic Church in Detroit, 1974. In addition to the Catholic Church, organizations figuring prominently in the collection include The National Council of Churches, the United States Catholic Conference, the Call to Action, Catholics for Gay Rights, Dignity, the American Association of Sex Educators, Counselors, and Therapists, the Workshop on Sexuality at Cazenovia, and the Boston Mayor's Committee on AIDS. Publications in which McNaught appears include The Michigan Catholic (in which his column "Write On" appeared), and Esplanade. McNaught's works, books and videos, include A DISTURBED PEACE, ARE YOU GUYS BROTHERS?, ON BEING GAY, GAY ISSUES IN THE WORKPLACE, GROWING UP GAY AND LESBIAN, HOMOPHOBIA IN THE WORKPLACE, and SEX CAMP. Correspondents include Malcolm Boyd, Barbara Gittings, Elaine Noble, David McWhirter, and Tim McFeeley.

Also, reports, pamphlets, journals, books, and ephemera on social and political aspects of sexuality, homosexuality, and AIDS. Materials and final report of The Boston Project, "a year long study by the City of Boston, in conjunction with the Gay and Lesbian Community, of how we might better meet the needs of this often neglected constituency," for which McNaught served as Liaison to the gay and lesbian community; resources McNaught used for developing speeches and presentations; CDC's "Business Responds to AIDS: Manager's Kit"; cassette labeled "Thornfield 1989 Brian"; two videocassettes (one of McNaught, the other a gay cruise promotional video), and three envelopes of letters from relatives and friends.

Included 3 t-shirts from campaign of openly gay congressman Barney Frank; an early gay liberation play on the state motto, "Gays Make it in Massachusetts"; and "Make Love, Not Breeder Babies," which was created for his video "On Being Gay". More videos and audiocassettes of McNaught speeches and television appearances, and other gay rights, gay Catholic, and gay workplace issues, including Gov. Dukakis signing the Massachusetts Gay Rights Bill on Nov. 15, 1989,and Catholic Bishop Thomas Gumbleton's speech about his gay brother, "My Brother Dan." Also, more personal and business correspondence, including with the Human Right Campaign, Paul Shanley, the Salvation Army, the Syracuse University professor in clinical-psychology, and sex educator Sol Gordon (1923-2008).

In Sub-series IX.B. Brian McNaught and Ray Struble Photographic Albums, 41 annotated photobooks, taken and arranged chronologically by Ray Struble, document the lives of Brian McNaught and Ray Struble from the beginning of their relationship in Brookline, MA, in May 1976 to 2004. The annotations are in the hand of Brian McNaught (enclosed in each album), providing the context of each album. An 11-page document (Box 27, Folder 1, or in digital format), written by the donor, offers detailed descriptions and comments on each one of those albums, including the people who appeared in the photographs and biographical notes for both McNaught and Struble. Researchers could request this document's digital or analog version for detailed descriptions. In the existing inventory, briefly highlighted information for each album is provided. For McNaught, photo albums ended when iPhones and iCloud replaced cameras and leather-bound albums. Researchers could explore gay life through the lens of the couple, including home life, family and friend gatherings, all the Marches on Washington, the Quilt, Civil Unions, same-sex marriage, Provincetown life, the first-ever gay cruise to Greece and Turkey, and down the Yangtze, professional and personal trips, and parties. The albums include pictures of Brian at "Sex Camp," the Workshop in Sexuality at Thornfield, an Episcopal retreat facility on Lake Cazenovia in Cazenovia, NY (albums 4,8,14-15, 17,22). Brian was a speaker and staff member there for 30 years. Among his primary teachers was Dr. Bill Stayton, a noted sexologist and theologian in the American Baptist Church (albums 17 and 22). Albums 37-41 contain photographs of the McNaught and Struble families, photographs taken by Brian’s parents and assembled into an album as a college graduating gift, 6 x 9 and 8 x 10 photographs that do not fit the formats of the chronological pictures (albums 1-36), and press photographs kept by Brian McNaught from his work as layout editor of Metro Gay News in Detroit. Notable people in these photographs include Elaine Noble (album 4-5), the openly gay woman elected to the Massachusetts House of Representatives in 1974; Gerry Studds (albums 5,7,18), the first openly gay man to be elected to the U.S. House of Representatives; Fr. Paul Shanley (album 1,2,5,8,9,32), Boston street priest assigned to work with gay people, and later imprisoned in the Catholic Church sex scandal; Sr. Jeannine Gramick (albums 5, 13, 28, 32, 33), co-founder of New Ways Ministry; Drs. David McWhirter and Drew Mattison (albums 7, 13, 20), authors of the groundbreaking study and book, The Male Couple; Tomie de Paola (albums 5,8,9), beloved children’s book author and illustrator, Dr. Sol Gordon (albums 4,8,9,17,37), Syracuse University professor of human sexuality and founder of the Annual Workshop on Sexuality at Thornfield (“Sex Camp”), Ann Maguire (album 23, 25, 31, 32), early, out lesbian in Boston, and manager of the bar, Somewhere. Ann followed Brian as the Mayor’s Liaison to the LGBTQ Community.