The emphasis of the collection is on the New Left, gay liberation, and underground literary circles in which Young traveled and is arranged in four series: CORRESPONDENCE, WRITINGS, SUBJECT FILES, and MISCELLANY. The bulk of the collection consists of incoming correspondence and a small amount of outgoing correspondence between 1963 and 2000. Some letters, particularly those found in the writings series under Gays Under the Cuban Revolution, are written in Spanish.
The CORRESPONDENCE series (1962-2000) includes chronologically arranged letters, telegrams, form letters, and cards. The bulk of the series is incoming correspondence, although computer printouts of outgoing correspondence are available from circa 1987 to 1992 and a small amount of outgoing correspondence can be found interspersed within the incoming correspondence. The correspondents are family members, personal friends, underground newspaper editors, radical journalists, gay and lesbian liberation writers and editors, and activists in the student, anti-war and gay movements. Eric Foner, Eric Levine, Michael Meeropol, and Michael Klare were among Young's most important correspondents in the 1960s and 1970s. Topics of primary concern include the Left at Columbia University, campus protests, the anti-war movement, American foreign policy, sexual orientation, the Cuban revolution, the underground press, AIDS, Butterworth Farm commune in western Massachusetts, and the historical and political developments within the gay and lesbian liberation movements. Several letters and telegrams from the Christian Science Monitor, the New York Times, and other newspapers for which Young was a free-lance reporter comment on Young's articles and outline future assignments. There is a fair amount of correspondence with Young's parents, his sister Diane, and his aunt and uncle, Anne and Paul Levin, which provide insight into Young's background and family life. Included are several letters from his parents (1972-1973) when Young acknowledged his sexual orientation. The body of outgoing correspondence illuminates his views on a variety of topics ranging from anti-nuclear activism and communal living to gay rights and local politics.
The WRITINGS series (1962-1995) is organized chronologically by publication date. Materials include uncorrected proofs of The Gay Report, After You're Out and Gays Under the Cuban Revolution. A large body of research material for Lavender Culture is also included. Subject files, correspondence, reviews, and other materials related to Young's monographs can be found in this series. Among the other writings are his Columbia Journalism School papers and newspaper articles on Latin America, newspaper clippings on gay liberation, his 1971 gay manifesto “Out of the Closet,” and his “Orange Juice” columns (circa 1980) from Gay News. Computer printouts of Young's writings (circa 1988-1994) include eulogies, journal entries, and miscellaneous press releases and article drafts. Young's biographical article, “Red Diaper Babies” (presented at a Sixties Generation Conference in 1994), and a narrative family history provide personal information about Young's background. Seven audio cassettes include interviews with Allen Ginsberg (1972, 1982) and Mother Boats (1978). Ginsberg talks about a variety of topics, including his sex life, concerns about totalitarianism of the Left, a gay march on Washington, and his trip to Nicaragua. Mother Boats, a gay liberation figure from Berkeley, Calif., talks about his experiences as a “fascist” student at Oregon State University, his sexual experiences in the Navy, and his involvement in the California-based Gay Liberation Front and Committee for Homosexual Freedom.
The SUBJECT FILES series is arranged alphabetically and contains clippings, correspondence, and other miscellaneous materials used in Young's writings and personal life. A large body of clippings and organizational information about gay culture can be found in this series. Also included are materials about gays in prison, including incoming correspondence from inmate Eddie Rastellini, the subject of articles by Young. Information about the movie, “Improper Conduct,” in which Young was interviewed but did not make the final production, is available.
The MISCELLANY series consists of biographical material and field notes compiled while studying contemporary politics in Latin America. There are also photographs depicting people and places in Latin America as well as photographs of Young. Two folders of writings by others, primarily on gay liberation, include a compilation of articles by David Thorstad titled “Gay Liberation and Socialism.”
