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Portland Town Council Records, 1974-1982

Overview of the Collection

Creator
Portland Town Council
Title
Portland Town Council Records
Dates
1974-1982 (inclusive)
Quantity
6 cubic feet, (13 document cases)
Collection Number
Coll 256
Summary
Records of the Portland Town Council, a gay/lesbian organization headquartered in Portland Oregon, that included political, social, and community development components. Most of the materials date from the 1970s and early 1980s and were collected by John E. Baker. Included is correspondence, minutes of meetings, and subject files on issues relating to lesbian and gay political action.
Repository
Oregon Historical Society Research Library
1200 SW Park Avenue
Portland, OR
97205
Telephone: 503-306-5240
Fax: 503-219-2040
libreference@ohs.org
Access Restrictions

The collection is open to the public.

Languages
English
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Historical Note

The Portland Town Council (PTC) existed as an informal organization in the early 1970s, and formally organized as a nonprofit organization in 1975. In the 1970s, the PTC functioned as Oregon's first statewide gay rights organization. It instigated a proposal for gay rights legislation in Oregon, Senate Bill 603, which did not pass. The group also conducted extensive surveys of state legislators, asking their opinions regarding various legal issues raised by the developing LGBTQ population. Perhaps most notably in terms of national politics, the PTC produced a Legislative Guide to Gay Rights (1976). That document identified a variety of legal issues that queer people contended with, and the PTC offered it to local legislators and queer community organizations in other localities across the nation.

In terms of community development, the PTC worked with and supported various community organizations, serving as a catalyst for new ideas and groups. It organized a Gay Pride event on Portland's South Park Blocks in 1975, offered its support to new organizations such as Growing Alternative Youth (GAY)--a queer youth organization in Eugene, and struggled to refute the negative image of sexual minorities in local media. The PTC was also instrumental in the 1978 Eugene referendum measure to repeal the city's fledgling gay rights ordinance. That measure, which was supported by Anita Bryant, a national antigay figure, was repealed by a wide margin.

In its later years, the Portland Town Council maintained its political role while attempting to shift its community development focus to queer woman and people of color. Establishing the Diversity Alliance, the PTC contacted local civil rights organizations and made statements against local racism, sexism, and homophobia. But these efforts did not salve growing rifts in the LGBTQ community, and the council disbanded in 1982.

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Content Description

This collection was the Portland Town Council's office files. It contains: internal correspondence and financial information; subject files on Oregonian and national LGBTQ organizations in the 1970s and early 1980s; and political files that include answered gay rights surveys, completed by local politicians.

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Use of the Collection

Restrictions on Use

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.

Preferred Citation

Portland Town Council records, Coll 256, Oregon Historical Society Research Library.

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Administrative Information

Arrangement

Materials are arranged into four series: Administrative, Subject, Political Files, and Portland Town Council Foundation records. Subject files are arranged alphabetically, as are documents within the subseries "Political Personalities."

Custodial History

Materials were collected by John E. Baker.

Acquisition Information

Acquired January 2008, Library Accession 26423.

Future Additions

Additional materials may be added to the collection.

Separated Materials

One folder of records of Right to Privacy Political Action Committee have been separated to an individual collection in the Oregon Historical Society Research Library.

Related Materials

Additional materials relating to the Portland Town Council can be found in the collections of the Gay and Lesbian Archives of the Pacific Northwest, housed at the Oregon Historical Society Research Library.

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Detailed Description of the Collection

The following section contains a detailed listing of the materials in the collection.

Names and SubjectsReturn to Top

Subject Terms

  • Gay liberation--Oregon.
  • Gays--Oregon.

Personal Names

  • Baker, John E.
  • Goldschmidt, Neil E., 1940-

Corporate Names

  • Portland Town Council.

Geographical Names

  • Oregon--Politics and government--1951-

Form or Genre Terms

  • Letters (correspondence)
  • Minutes.
  • Printed ephemera.

Finding aid prepared by Stewart Van Cleve
2011

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