ONE National Gay & Lesbian Archives, LGBT archive at University of Southern California Libraries in Los Angeles, US.
The ONE National Gay & Lesbian Archives is an LGBTQ+ archive housed within the University of Southern California Libraries in Los Angeles, holding books, periodicals, photographs, artworks, and audiovisual recordings. The collection is one of the largest of its kind in the country and documents the lives and experiences of LGBTQ+ communities.
The archive traces its origins to 1952, when it started as a magazine publisher producing ONE, one of the first openly gay publications in the country. Over the following decades it grew into a repository for LGBTQ+ materials and eventually joined the University of Southern California Libraries.
The collection holds personal papers from activists, artists, and everyday people who recorded their own stories in letters, diaries, and photographs. Browsing the materials brings visitors face to face with voices that rarely appear in mainstream historical accounts.
Many materials are accessible through an online catalog, so visitors can search for specific items before arriving in person. Anyone wishing to view original materials on site should check the website in advance to understand what conditions apply for an in-person visit.
In its early years as a magazine publisher, the US postal service refused to deliver copies of ONE, claiming it was obscene. The case reached the Supreme Court, which ruled in favor of the magazine in 1958, making it an early legal victory for the LGBTQ+ press.
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