| Abstract |
The materials in the Dan Siminoski Collection on Federal Bureau of Investigation Surveillance of Gays and Lesbians comprise one of sixteen collections of records from the ONE National Gay and Lesbian Archives, the world's largest repository of LGBTQ materials. These files document the lives of LGBTQ individuals from 1940 to 2012, the organizations they founded, the discrimination they faced, and the devastation of the AIDS crisis. Most of the items concern individuals or groups from California. Political science professor Dan Siminoski sued the U.S. government in 1983 to obtain records of FBI surveillance of LGBTQ people and individuals from 1950 to 1982. Included here are photocopies of approximately 2,200 documents from FBI Headquarters and various regional offices, relating primarily to the Daughters of Bilitis, Gay Activists Alliance, Gay Liberation Front, and the Mattachine Society, as well as indexes, summaries, and various statistical analyses of these documents. Researchers will also find Siminoski's correspondence with the FBI and attorneys, legal filings, and materials associated with the speaking tour Siminoski undertook to publicize the case. Miscellaneous documents include drafts of scholarly articles, conference presentations, Siminoski's syndicated columns and other published work, as well as a copy of his will. This collection is vital for anyone researching the many facets of LGBTQ life in California and the United States in the second half of the twentieth century. |
