A&M-SA Research Guides: LGBTQ+ Studies Research Guide: Digitized Primary Source Collections

Digital Primary Source Collections

Below are links to various digital collections that contain a variety of primary sources such as images, literature, oral histories,government documents, newspapers and other historical documents. This is just a sample of collections that are available to researchers.

LGBTQ+ Rights (HeinOnline) This link opens in a new window
HeinOnline's LGBTQ+ Rights database charts the gay rights movement in America, showing the civil rights codified into law in the 20th and 21st centuries, as well as the inequalities that still exist today. All titles in this collection have been assigned one or more title-level subjects relating to their scope, and are further divided into six subcollections, whose areas of focus constitute Marriage and Family, Employment Discrimination, Military Service, AIDS and Health Care, and Public Spaces and Accommodations, and Historical Attitudes and Analysis.

This collection is rounded out by a curated list of Scholarly Articles selected by Hein editors, as well as a Bibliography of titles to launch your research outside of HeinOnline. Finally, an interactive timeline, incorporating documents from HeinOnline with other media from around the internet, plots out an overview of LGBTQ rights in America from 1950 to the present day, helping to demonstrate the relevancy of the content within the database to the real-world events to which they are connected.

ONE National Gay and Lesbian Archives
Founded in 1952, ONE National Gay and Lesbian Archives is one of the largest repository of LGBTQ materials in the world. The digital collection is a sample of the archives holdings, and includes resources in a wide-variety of formats.
NYPL LGBT+ Digital Collections
Includes items in a variety of formats. Notable collections include Barbara Gittings and Kay Tobin Lahusen Gay History Papers and Photographs, Particular Voices: Portraits of Gay and Lesbian Writers, and The Emilio Sanchez Private Sketches.
Act Up Oral History Interviews
A collection of interviews with surviving members of the AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power, New York. The interviews are listed in chronological order. Each interview has a corresponding transcript available to download as a PDF.
Digital Transgender Archive
The Digital Transgender Archive offers a wide-ranging collection of trans-related materials. You can take advantage of the advanced search features, or browse by collection.
GLBT Historical Society
Search through the digital audio collections to find recordings from the Randy Alfred The Gay Life radio series (1973–1984) and the Kevin Burke Fruit Punch recordings (1975–1979). While many of their archival materials aren't available online, you can still search their catalog to determine what materials they have available. They also offer research guides to various collections, such as Butch and Femme Identities, The Radical Faeries, and the East Bay.
Lesbian Herstory Archives
Founded in the 1970s, the Lesbian Herstory Archives is home to the world's largest collection of materials by and about lesbians and their communities.
Archives of Lesbian Oral Testimony
The Archives of Lesbian Oral Testimony collects and makes available the oral histories of people who presently or at one time identified as same-sex and same-gender attracted women.
Veterans History Project, Speaking Out: LGBT Veterans.
A curated selection of oral histories from LGBT veterans and service members.
Queer Zine Archive Project
Through the self-publication of zines, LGBTQ+ identified individuals and communities have found an alternative mode of knowledge production and information sharing. These publications provide uncensored first hand narratives, and as such, constitute unique and invaluable research tools. Take a look at this phenomenal collection of digitized LGBTQ+, feminist, and social justice related zines. Dowloading options available.
Rainbow History Online Archive
This local DC group preserves and shares the rich history of LGBTQ+ individuals and communities in the greater metropolitian area of Washington, D.C. Some collection highlights include Friends Radio Program Records, the Barbara Gittings and Kay Tobin Lahusen Papers, Black & White Men Together, , and the Gay Businesses and Venues Collection.
American Archive of Public Broadcasting, The Homosexual in Our Society (Part 1 of 2)
This recording from 1958 – The earliest known radio recording to overtly discuss homosexuality - features Public Affairs Director of KPFA Elsa Knight Thompson interviewing Hal Call, the editor of the Mattachine Review; Dr. Blanche Baker, a psychologist noted for her then-rarely-shared belief that homosexuality was not an abnormality nor an illness; and Leah Gailey, the mother of a gay man.
American Archive of Public Broadcasting, The Homosexual in Our Society (Part 2 of 2)
Elsa Knight Thompson moderates a second panel discussion focusing on laws regarding homosexuals, civil rights of homosexuals, identification of homosexuals, gender identification in society, possible causes of sexual choice, i.e. heredity versus environmental causes, and how society can constructively deal with these issues.

Independent Voices (JSTOR) This link opens in a new window
Independent Voices is an open access digital collection of alternative press newspapers, magazines and journals, drawn from the special collections of participating libraries. These periodicals were produced by feminists, dissident GIs, campus radicals, Native Americans, anti-war activists, Black Power advocates, Hispanics, LGBT activists, the extreme right-wing press and alternative literary magazines during the latter half of the 20th century.

Historical Newspaper Collections

Historical Newspapers (ProQuest) This link opens in a new window
A digital newspaper archive that includes cover-to-cover full-text and full-image articles starting from the 19th century. Includes news, editorials, letters to the editor, obituaries, birth and marriage announcements, advertisements, etc.
Includes: Atlanta Constitution, Atlanta Daily World, Austin American Statesman, The Baltimore Afro-American, Baltimore Sun, Boston Globe, Chicago Defender, Chicago Tribune, Christian Science Monitor, Cleveland Call and Post, Los Angeles Sentinel, Los Angeles Times, Louisville Defender, Michigan Chronicle, New York Amsterdam News, The New York Times, Norfolk Journal and Guide, The Philadelphia Inquirer, Philadelphia Tribune, Pittsburgh Courier, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, The Wall Street Journal, and Washington Post.
New York Times All Access Digital Pass (The New York Times Company) This link opens in a new window
Search and browse The New York Times from 1851-present. Users must go through the library’s link to register for an account. Once registered, an account is valid for one year and may be used to access The New York Times website directly.
Creating an Account with the New York Times:

On the New York Times page, click on the Create Account link.
You must use your university email when registering. For example:
- John.Doe@jaguar.tamu.edu for students.
- jdoe@tamusa.edu for faculty and staff.
You will have access to the New York Times for one year.
Questions? Call the University Library at 210-784-1500.
Access World News (NewsBank) This link opens in a new window
Research diverse perspectives, topics and trends that align with curricular areas such as Political Science, English, Sociology, Humanities, Business, International Studies and more. Features reliable, credible information from a wide variety of international, national and local news sources. Also available remotely 24/7 on any device.