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Pauline Layton papers

 Collection
Identifier: 7620

COLLECTION DESCRIPTION

The collection contains documents from and reflections on the creation and early years of Cornell's lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered student groups and the Cornell Women's Studies Program (1968-1981), plus pamphlets, articles, bibliographies and other ephemeral publications expressing views of the women's, sexual liberation, and gay liberation movements of the late 1960's and 1970's. The collection also contains Layton's reflections on her own gender and sexual identity, including "A personal history in bi-gender mode," written 1998; pieces about transvestism and transsexualism written as she joined a bisexual support group in 1981; and an unsent letter to Janice Raymond, author of The Transsexual Empire.

Also, videos of programs produced by Layton and Ben Curtis for local cable television concerning the AIDS crisis in Tompkins County, and Local Law C, which passed in December 1991, and which included sexual orientation among the characteristics that could not be discriminated against in housing, credit, and employment. This show was produced to inform the public and allay fears about the law before a public hearing held in November.

A 1999 essay on teasing, gay-baiting, and violence among school children, including thoughts on the 1999 Columbine High School shooting in Littleton, Colorado.

Dates

  • 1967-1999.

Creator

Language of Materials

Collection material in English

BIOGRAPHICAL NOTE

Pauline Layton is a native Ithacan who studied mathematics at Cornell, but later became a musician, writer, and videographer.

Member of Cornell's Student Homophile League, 1968-1970; member of University of Massachusetts at Amherst Student Homophile League, 1970-1972; attended meetings of Cornell's GayPAC, 1979-1981.

Used local Public Access Television facilities to produce informative programming about AIDS-related services and also to campaign for local legislation in support of gay equal rights in housing and employment.

Extent

.5 cubic feet. (.5 cubic feet.)

2 videocassettes. (2 videocassettes.)

Abstract

Documents from the creation and early years of Cornell's lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgendered student groups, and the Cornell Women's Studies Program (1968-1981). Pamphlets, articles, and other documents on the women's, sexual liberation, and gay liberation movements of the late 1960's and 1970's. Layton's reflections on her own gender and sexual identity. Videos concerning AIDS and equal rights for gays and lesbians.

SERIES LIST

Series I. Women's Studies Collections
Box 1
Series II. Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Collections
Box 1
Series III. Videos
Videos 377, 378

Physical Description

Manuscripts, clippings, pamphlets and other published materials, videos.

General

Contact Information:
Division of Rare and Manuscript Collections 2B Carl A. Kroch Library Cornell University Ithaca, NY 14853 (607) 255-3530 Fax: (607) 255-9524 rareref@cornell.edu http://rmc.library.cornell.edu
Compiled by:
Brenda Marston
Date completed:
April 11, 1998
EAD encoding:
Peter Martinez, June 2001
Status
Completed
Author
Compiled by Brenda Marston, April 1998
Date
June 2001
Language of description
Undetermined
Script of description
Code for undetermined script
Language of description note
ENG

Repository Details

Part of the Division of Rare and Manuscript Collections Repository

Contact:
2B Carl A. Kroch Library
Cornell University
Ithaca NY 14853
607-255-3530
607-255-9524 (Fax)