Dignity is an organization of lesbian and gay Catholics. It was founded in southern California in 1969 by Father Patrick X. Nidorf. The chapter in Portland, Oregon, was established around 1974. It became a part of "District X" comprising the Pacific Northwest.
The collection includes financial records, meeting minutes, newsletters, and correspondence, all dating from the 1980s and 1990s. The correspondence is from and to a wide variety of individuals and organizations, much of it concerning local chapter activities. There is also information concerning Dignity/Portland's participation in the PFAB (People of Faith Against Bigotry) organization that helped to fight the Oregon Citizen Alliance's anti-Gay ballot measures in 1992 and 1994. Also includes newsletters of Dignity/Seattle.
The collection is arranged in the following series:
The collection is open to the public.
The Oregon Historical Society is the owner of the materials in the Research Library and makes available reproductions for research, publication, and other uses. Written permission must be obtained from the Research Library prior to any use of reproductions. The Society does not necessarily hold copyright to all the materials in the collections. In some cases, permission for use of reproductions may require seeking additional authorization from the copyright holders.
Dignity/Portland collection, Mss 2988-5, Oregon Historical Society Research Library
Gay and Lesbian Archives of the Pacific Northwest.
The collection was acquired via the Gay and Lesbian Archives of the Pacific Northwest
This collection is indexed under the following headings in the online catalog. Researchers desiring materials about related topics, persons, or places should search the catalog using these headings.
The following section contains a detailed listing of the materials in the collection.
PLEASE NOTE: These records were stolen while in Dignity possession.
PLEASE NOTE: These records were stolen while in Dignity possession.
Includes reports of names of members to national office.
Includes only March, April, and September issues.
Includes miscellaneous mailings to Dignity without dates on them.
Mailings from national or other regional offices to Portland chapter.
Includes business-related correspondence; some material undated.
Five letters from an Oregon prisoner to Dignity/Portland. These letters contain almost entirely personal information about the prisoner.
Correspondence to and from Dignity Region X (Pacific Region).
Includes various articles written by different individuals concerning Dignity and religious issues.
Copies of the regional and national chapters' bylaws. The regional is undated and the national is dated 1985.
Brochures and mission statements concerning St. Philip Neri Parish.
News articles and miscellaneous information on the Catholic Church group Courage, which attempts to restrain people from engaging in same-sex activity.
Miscellaneous material concerning the 1983 House of Delegates national meeting that was held in Seattle.
Miscellaneous material concerning Region 10, which includes the Portland and Seattle chapters.
Includes flyers and mailings regarding group events.
Mailing addresses of various Dignity chapters in the U.S. and Canada, and a map of the regions.
Award to Dignity for participation in Esther's Pantry.
Newspaper articles on the appointment of William Levada as Archbishop of San Francisco.
Computer printout of Dignity's library holdings.
Liturgies, marriages, and memorial services.
Includes newspaper articles, letters to the editor, and other articles related to the 1993 March on Washington; the Oregon Citizens Alliance; and civil rights for Gay and Lesbian people in Oregon.
Includes miscellaneous Dignity masses and liturgies.
Computer printouts of membership lists and miscellaneous material dealing with membership.
Memorial services for Peter Higgins and Steven Schlitt. Includes death certificate for Schlitt and copy of Probate Record of Higgins, who made a bequest to Dignity/Portland.
Includes article "Born or bred?" on homosexuality.
Meeting minutes, mission statements, correspondence, and considerable information on the Oregon Citizens Alliance anti-Gay ballot measure, including PFAB brochures opposing them.
Includes miscellaneous photographs, mostly unlabeled, but two with dates of 1992 or 1995 from Dignity retreats. Also included is a letter postmarked November 24, 1992 with a thank-you note and unidentified unrelated photo. All material in this folder was with Dignity/Portland newsletters.
Includes miscellaneous newsletters, flyers, and reports of Dignity/Portland not otherwise identified.
National office's award to Dignity/Portland for its newsletter, July 30, 1993.
Application from Dignity/Portland for grant money.
Includes flyers, correspondence and press releases concerning various political, social, and civic activities of Dignity.
Letter to bishops from Cardinal Ratzinger on the Catholic Church's position on homosexuality.
Includes miscellaneous information on retreats, meetings with diocesan officials, correspondence, and mailing lists. Also includes packet of unidentified photos.
Correspondence regarding registration of corporate name.
Flyers, brochures, and correspondence concerning various social and political events in which Dignity/Portland participated.
Directory of services and programs.
Includes miscellaneous prayers, hymns and other information, most dating to 1994; includes a letter from a priest withdrawing from celebration of mass due to diocesan policy on homosexuality.
News reports and Dignity responses to Vatican opposition to sexual orientation legislation; also includes unrelated matter on civil rights issues, such as Stonewall 25.
Includes miscellaneous invoices for printing, ads, receipts for dinners.
Includes miscellaneous bills and invoices for Dignity/Portland.
Letter from IRS documenting Dignity/Portland's tax-exempt status.
Bank books related to the Dignity/Portland savings account.
Includes miscellaneous financial records and reports.