Roger Troen was an early out-of-the-closet gay activist in Portland and Multnomah County. He ran unsuccessfully for the Oregon House of Representatives in 1972 as the first openly gay candidate for a state office Oregon.
The collection includes national magazines containing articles about homosexuality or gay civil rights; a variety of local publications from Oregon (primarily Portland) and Washington; clippings from local newspapers about gay rights issues; files on gay organizations, including the Oregon Gay Alliance; correspondence; and miscellaneous political information from the 1970s.
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.
Roger Troen collection, Mss 2988-2, Oregon Historical Society Research Library
The collection was acquired from Roger Troen by the Gay and Lesbian Archives of the Pacific Northwest (GLAPN) and later donated to the Oregon Historical Society.
Acquired from 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.
Letters to Roger Troen and various gay organizations he was associated with
Includes May 29-June 4, 1973 and July 24, 1973.
Miscellaneous papers from Vancouver, British Columbia.
Includes August and September 1978 and letter of July 25, 1978.
Includes issues of March 1974, April 1974, October 1974, December 1974, June 1976, June 1977, and July 1977.
Includes an article urging Blacks to oppose Gay rights. Black-oriented newspaper.
Winter 1979 issue.
Includes May 1971, February 1972, January 1973, and April 1974.
Includes "Homosexuals in Revolt"
Includes issues of October 1974, November 1974, November 1975, July 1976, March 1977, and January/February 1978.
Includes miscellaneous articles on Gay issues.
Includes "Homosexuality Today: What parents Want to Know"
Includes "Anita Bryant: The Woman Behind the Controversy"
Includes issue of August 10-23, 1974; December 21, 1974-January 3, 1975; June 23-29, 1977. Bi-weekly publication, later a weekly.
Includes newsletters and clippings.
Includes "The Healthy Homosexual"
Flyers and newspapers from various Seattle groups.
Seattle newspaper: May/June 1973 to February 1974.
Includes solitary article, "The Mind of the Mass Murderer." Concerns Texas mass murderer Dean Corll and the sex ring he operated.
Includes "I am a Homosexual: The Gay Drive for Acceptance" (feature about Air Force Sergeant Leonard Matlovich)
Includes gay poetry and response in the form of letters to the editor in the April 23, 1974 issue.
Note that the year is not contained in the newspaper, but reference in article to "Friday, November 20" gives year via perpetual calendar.
Includes portion of paper dating to late 1978 or early 1979, since it refers to the defeat of the Briggs Initiative in California and the Seattle anti-Gay measure, both on the November 1978 ballot.
Includes clippings from mainstream newspapers concerning Gay issues.
Includes an unidentified button including a pink triangle logo, and one for Gay Pride Week in 1975.
Includes brief of respondent (Hara) in Washington court suit brought by two Gay men attempting to marry.
Includes newspaper article and letter concerning the case of Lesbian teacher Peggy Burton. The letter is one of thanks to Burton for her appearance on a local television program and is signed by Arlene Schnitzer.
Miscellaneous flyers and brochures dealing with business or services for the Gay/Lesbian community.
Includes miscellaneous information on Roger Troen's 1978 run for Oregon House of Representatives.
Campaign brochures for Emily Ashworth's race for Governor of Oregon in 1978 and Vern Cope's for Portland City Council, undated.
Includes flyers and newspaper articles regarding miscellaneous aspects of civil rights on the basis of sexual orientation.
Includes newspaper articles, flyers, and miscellaneous information on 1977 Eugene sexual orientation anti-discrimination ordinance and the 1978 referendum thereon.
Flyer regarding prisoner Blue Turner and his involvement with Men Against Sexism.
Unidentified stencils of text and graphics.
Includes flyers, programs, and other material from Portland, not easily identifiable in many cases.
Meeting minutes of the Governor's Task Force on Sexual Preference and related material.
Includes a bill that would have outlawed housing, employment, and public accommodations discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation. The bill was voted on by the Oregon House in 1973 and lost. This was the first sexual orientation anti-discrimination bill ever to be voted on by a state legislative body in U.S. history.
Includes letter requesting assistance in researching the life of Alberta Lucille Hart for his upcoming book Gay and Lesbian Almanac, dated February 26, 1978.
Includes "One Share Gay Pride, 1971" and flyer for Summer Climax '71, Labor Day Weekend Campout.
Miscellaneous information on political events.
Includes lists of Gay organizations and other resources.
Miscellaneous flyers for Gay/Lesbian social events.
Campaign flyer for Oregon House of Representatives, 1972, and correspondence, 1978
Includes informational sheets from Seattle, Tacoma, and Bellingham.