LGBTQ+ Collections

The USF Libraries’ Special Collections  is determined to expand its collection of historically significant lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) materials in monographic, audio-visual, ephemeral, and archival formats. Our focus is on collecting materials that document LGBTQ+ history, culture, politics, community relations, and public health. While the Tampa Bay region remains an important focus, these collections are international in scope. LGBTQ+ collections provide valuable research material for scholars across disciplines—History, Law, Sociology, Political Science, American Studies, etc. Visit our LGBTQ+ History: Archives and Book Collection Guide for an overview of available resources.
Explore the LGBTQ+ collections Learn more about the LGBTQ+ collections by watching this video, produced by former USF Mass Communications student Sierra Glasscock.

Queer Literature Collection

Description: Thanks to a generous donation from former USF Libraries Dean William Garrison, the Queer Literature collection was established in 2012. This collection contains works of popular fiction, poetry, scholarly monographs relating to LGBT issues, and assorted periodicals. USF Libraries’ Special Collections is committed to growing this collection based on the research interests of faculty, staff, students, and the community. To view full print holdings, click here »

Edith Daly/ Women’s Energy Bank Collection

Dates: 1983-1991 Extent: 8.75 linear foot (24 boxes) Description: The Edith Daly/ Women’s Energy Bank collection consists of Daly’s personal correspondence; documents and clippings centered on gay and lesbian rights, feminism and environmental activism; and anti-war and anti-violence resource packets and handbooks. Of particular interest are editions of Womyn’s Words, the Women’s Energy Bank’s monthly publication, and programs from the Michigan Womyn’s Music Festival, both of which have been cataloged separately. Click here to access the collection’s finding aid »

LGBT Ephemera Collection

Dates: 1984-2013 Extent: 13 boxes Description: This ever-growing collection contains magazines, ephemera, pamphlets, buttons, stickers, photographs, and clothing items relating to  LGBT communities in the United States and Europe. The collection also contains pamphlets, magazines, and other items relating to HIV/AIDS/STDs and public health. Click here to access the collection’s finding aid »

Equality Florida Collection

Dates: 1994-2008 Extent: 32 boxes Description: This collection is primarily comprised of documents relating to the day-to-day operations of Equality Florida, formerly known as the Human Rights Task Force, as well as documents regarding projects conducted by Equality Florida. Also in the collection are research articles on a variety of topics related to the LGBT community, including the several Human Rights Ordinances put forth in the Tampa Bay area, Youth Lobby Days, the 1999 LGBT Rights Rally held in Tallahassee, Safe Schools Summits, and Equality Florida’s work on the SAVE Dade project. The collection also contains miscellaneous documents such as news articles dealing with Equality Florida’s many projects and press releases, photographs, scrapbooks, and audio/visual materials. Click here to access the collection’s finding aid »

St. Pete Pride Collection

Dates: 2003-2013 Extent: 2 boxes Description: This collection contains programs, fliers, corporate sponsorship package documents, proclamations and posters relating to various St. Pete Pride events from 2003 – 2013. Included in the collection are event programs, photographs, signed posters and other ephemeral items that illuminate the rich history of this LGBT organization in Pinellas County, Florida. Click here to access the collection’s finding aid »

USF PRIDE Alliance Collection

Dates: 1979-2012 Extent: 2 boxes Description: The University of South Florida PRIDE Alliance (People Respecting Individual Diversity and Equality) provides an on-campus support system through which, by interaction with their peers, gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender students, and their allies may realize their full potential. In addition, the Alliance educates the University of South Florida community by serving as an information reception and dispersal source in order to dispel myths and stereotypes often associated with gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender people. The Alliance, formerly known as the Gay Coalition, was founded in 1974, and is the oldest continuously funded gay campus-based organization in the state of Florida. Over the course of its history, the Alliance expanded to welcome lesbians, bisexuals, and transgender people. Click here to access the collection’s finding aid »

National Center for Lesbian Rights

Dates: 2000-2007 Extent: 9 boxes Description: This collection contains corporate documents that include annual reports, major gift campaigns, and grant materials. Also included in the collection are documents regarding projects done solely by NCLR and those done with Equality Florida. These include the Sports Project and the Dignity for All Students Act. The collection also contains: materials detailing research conducted on several Florida municipalities in regards to human rights ordinances; articles, pamphlets and correspondence; information on domestic partnerships and civil unions; Florida adoption policies; and custody cases. Publications include newsletters and pamphlets. Miscellaneous documents include an album from the 20th anniversary and two multi-media discs. Click here to access the collection’s finding aid »

Eunice M. Fisher Collection

Dates:1994-2006 Extent: 3 boxes Description: Born in 1936 in Milwaukee, WI, Eunice Fisher came into LGBT activism after her move to the Tampa Bay area in 1992. After becoming aware of the local LGBT community, Fisher became active in the Human Rights Task Force and the Gay and Lesbian Community Center of Tampa Bay, while working as a librarian at the Tampa-Hillsborough County Public Library. Fisher was married in 1968, and, in 1988, she came out openly as lesbian and her marriage ended. Fisher then became involved with Anne “Mickie” Howell, and entered into a Holy Union with her. After four years together, Mickie died of lung cancer, and two years later, Fisher wrote her autobiography Christian AND Lesbian: A Life in Progress (2006). Fisher’s LGBT activism has been influenced greatly by her Christian faith, which remains an important aspect of her life. Click here to access the collection’s finding aid »

Dignity Collection

Dates: 1979-2000 Extent: 5 boxes Description: The Dignity Collection contains both local, regional, and national materials related to the Dignity organization, which focuses on providing religious, social, and support services for LGBT Catholics. As an activist group, Dignity campaigns for greater awareness of LGBT rights and concerns. This collection contains writings and records from Dignity Suncoast or Tampa Bay, Dignity Region IV, and DignityUSA. Examples of items include: manuscripts, newsletters, correspondence, pamphlets and some cassettes discussing LGBT issues. Click here to access the collection’s finding aid »

Donald L. Bentz Collection

Dates: 1988-2001 Extent: 11 boxes Description: In 2007, University of South Florida alum Donald L. Bentz donated a collection of materials highlighting numerous Bay area events and organizations developed and sponsored by Tampa’s LGBT community. Consisting of items from local organization Greater Tampa Bay Pride Organization, Inc. and such events as “Pillage and Plunder” and “Wet Party,” the Donald L. Bentz Collection primarily includes administrative documents, posters, photographs and other items from the early 1990s to the early 2000s. Click here to access the collection’s finding aid »

Daddy Wayne Koon Collection of Realia and Moving Images

Extent: 1 box Description: Wayne Koon, “Daddy Wayne,” was a gay male bartender in Tampa, Florida. He worked at the well-known bar, La Goya, located at 1403 E. Seventh Ave in Ybor City. La Goya, which was also known as Tracks in the 1970s and 1980s, was popular for its gay night life and drag queen shows. This collection primarily consists of realia that belonged to Daddy Wayne and moving images pertaining to the El Goya. Click here to access the collection’s finding aid »

The International Bathhouse Collection

Dates: 1970-2014 Extent: 3 boxes Description: This collection contains travel articles and ephemera pertaining to bathhouses in the United States and abroad. The bulk of the collection is comprised of advertisements, magazine clippings, brochures, and ephemera for various bathhouses. Click here to access the collection’s finding aid >>

Lee Ann Wojtkowski (“Oak”) Collection

Dates: 1980-1990 Extent: 1 box Description: This collection consists of pamphlets, booklets, newspaper clippings, and personal notes. The majority of the materials are personal notations from the donor regarding feminism and/or lesbianism consciousness and activism. Click here to access the collection’s finding aid »

Rex Maniscalco Collection

Dates: 1950-2000 Extent: 6 boxes Description: This collection contains photographs, negatives, and VHS recordings pertaining to Tampa GLBT culture and community and reflects the growing national visibility of gay and lesbian lives throughout the 1990s and early 2000s more generally. This collection is comprised of photographs of the GLBT community taken by Rex Maniscalco from the 1980s to 2000s. Captured in the images within this collection are Tampa Bay’s early Pride picnics to full scale Pride Festivals in downtown Tampa and Ybor City, the Tampa Gay and Lesbian Film Festival, the Tampa AIDSwalk, other major gay events such as Southern Decadence in New Orleans, LA and Beach Fest in Daytona, protests and rallies, and many other social gatherings and political events. This collection also contains video recordings of major political events and organizations in Tampa including County Commission and City Council vote to include sexual orientation in the city’s human rights ordinance in 1991, the 1993 March on Washington, organizational meetings of the Human Rights Task Force. Maniscalco’s collection also includes video recordings of local and national talk shows and television shows. Click here to access the collection’s finding aid »

Bobby Smith photograph collection

Dates: 1950-2000 Extent: 6 boxes Description: Bobby Smith photograph collection consists of photographs taken by Bobby Smith in the 1950’s-1970’s and videos of GLBT events within the years of 1993 -2000 as well as serials and programs printed during 1972-2007. The photographs are a rare set of images taken by the late Bobby Smith. The first female “messenger boy,” and co-founder of the Metropolitan Community Church in Tampa, Bobby Smith’s personal and professional photographs include both portraits and “everyday” shots of the GLBT community. The collection consists of nearly 450 photographs documenting Tampa’s Gay and Lesbian communities from the 1950s to the 1970s. Images of popular hang-outs, such as Jack’s Place, Knotty Pine, Jimmie White’s Tavern and the Brass Rail, are included. Click here to access the collection’s finding aid; click here to access select photographs from the collection online »

World AIDS Day Collection

Dates: 1995-2002 Extent: 4 boxes Description: Collection is comprised of emails, flyers, announcements, participation forms, and other documents pertaining to the planning and implementation of on-campus activities for World AIDS Day at University of South Florida. Click here to access the collection’s finding aid »

Metro Wellness Collection of Photographs

Dates: 1983-2001 Extent: 5 boxes Description: This photograph collection is comprised of hundreds of images that document the social, cultural, and political activities of the LGBT community. It contains images related to AIDS activism and remembrance, gay and lesbian choruses, pride parades, film festivals, 1993 March on Washington, the Tampa Bay Business Guild, and many more subjects. This photograph collection covers the greater Tampa Bay area, including St. Petersburg. Click here to access the collection’s finding aid »

Gay Surfer collection

Dates: 1936-2011 Extent: 33 boxes Description: This collection contains numerous books, magazines, news clippings, and other ephemera relating to the gay surfer image in printed form. Beginning in 1936, the collection documents the increasingly visible appearance of surfers and its connection with gay men and women until 2011 through nude photographs, all male physique magazines, and eventually to overtly gay lifestyle publications and advertisement. Access to the collection is restricted by age. Patron will be required to demonstrate by State Issued ID that they are of the proper age of consent (18+) to view this material. Click here to access the collection’s finding aid >>

Sex in Advertising Collection

Dates: 1975-2011 Extent: 3 boxes Description: This collection contains advertisements that depict women, men, and bodies. These ads were clipped by the donor from magazines, newspapers, and catalogs, and selected for their portrayal of sexuality or sex. In this collection, a researcher will find popularized advertisements for brands such as Calvin Klein, Diesel, Gap, and many luxury brands. This collection also includes some advertisements from men’s fitness magazines and magazines for gay men. Click here to access the collection’s finding aid »

Matthias Herrmann collection of self photographs

Extent: 2 boxes Description: The collection contains photographs, books, articles and other items relating to the myriad works of photographer Matthias Herrmann. Matthias Herrmann (b. Dec 4, 1963) was originally trained as a ballet dancer, but later decided that his career was taking him in new directions and he eventually settled on photography. His photographic practice deals with questions of identity and desire, often choosing artists books as the main carrier of his works. From 2006 – 2012, Herrmann was a Professor at the Academy of Fine Arts in Vienna, Austria. He has had exhibitions at the Museum der Moderne in Salzburg, Museum Ludwig in Budapest, Betonsalon in Paris, and Muzeum Sztuki/Galeria Potocki in Krakow, Poland. In 2013, he was awarded the Otto Breicha/Rupertinum Preis fur Fotografie award and in 2012 the Kunstpreis furkunstlerishe Fotographie by the Republic of Austria. Click here to access the collection’s finding aid »

Asian Male Nude collection

Dates: 1939-2014 Extent: 63 boxes Description: This collection contains magazines, photographs, ephemera, and audio/visual materials that document the near total absence of Asian male nudes in gay imagery and Western photography to the more common proliferation of materials that can be found in later years. Access to the collection is restricted by age. Patron will be required to demonstrate by State Issued ID that they are of the proper age of consent (18+) to view this material. Click here to access the collection’s finding aid >>

LGBT Oral History Project

Description: This USF Libraries Oral History Project provides primary source material that emphasizes sexuality and gender identity-based cultures. The oral histories include first-hand experiences, everyday life, community, and common use terminologies. This is an open collection that will continue to be added to over time. Click here to access the collection online »

Out Down South Oral History Program

Description: The Out Down South oral history collection includes audio and video histories of older lesbian and gay Floridians who either come from Florida or have chosen to make it their home. The oral histories were collected by graduate students in anthropology at the University of South Florida; Dr. Tara Deubel and Mr. Mark Canavera supported and supervised the graduate students as they collected these oral histories. Most of the individuals who shared their stories lived in the greater Tampa area at the time the first set of oral histories were collected in spring 2017. The individuals interviewed share their stories of growing up lesbian or gay in the American South or, conversely, their experiences of moving to the American South from other parts of the country. Some themes that emerge in the collection include relationships with family members, the safety precautions that members of the lesbian and gay community were required to take in previous decades, romantic relationships, and relationships between the LGBT community and broader social norms. The first set of oral histories includes stories collected with both individuals and with couples, and media include audio recordings and video recordings. Click here to access the collection online >>