Abstract
The Rick L. May Papers document social and political activities of Las Vegas, Nevada's lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) community from 1982 to 1997. The papers include records from the Gay Academic Union of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas; various gay pride celebrations in Los Angeles, California and Las Vegas; the Metropolitan Community Church's outreach to the LGBT community; as well as Rick L. May's own notes and collections about LGBT-supportive stores like R and R Assordid Sundries. The collection also includes several t-shirts that commemorate the pride celebrations. The papers demonstrate how the pride celebrations that began in 1984 were the result of efforts from several sectors of Las Vegas' LGBT community.
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Scope and Contents Note
The Rick L. May Papers document some of the social and political activities of Las Vegas, Nevada's lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) community from 1982 to 1997. The papers include records from several LGBT organizations, including: the Gay Academic Union of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas' meeting minutes and membership; various gay pride celebrations in Los Angeles, California and Las Vegas; the Metropolitan Community Church's outreach to the LGBT community, including the Gay Switchboard and meeting minutes; and Rick L. May's own notes and collections about LGBT-supportive stores like R and R Assordid Sundries and the Las Vegas Professional Men's Club. The collection also includes several t-shirts that commemorate the pride celebrations, including the Los Angeles pride celebration in 1985, the Las Vegas pride celebrations in 1984 and 1985, and a shirt from the First Desert States Lesbian and Gay Conference from 1985.
Access Note
The collection is open for research.
Publication Rights
Materials in this collection may be protected by copyrights and other rights. See Reproductions and Use on the UNLV Special Collections website for more information about reproductions and permissions to publish.
Arrangement
Materials are arranged alphabetically.
Biographical / Historical Note
The LGBT community remained an essential element of the Las Vegas, Nevada's social, political, and economic environment throughout the 1980s and 1990s largely with support of organizations like the Gay Academic Union, outreach from the Metropolitan Community Church, and pride celebrations. Las Vegas' first pride celebration in 1984, modeled after similar celebrations in Los Angeles, California, marked the culmination of efforts from members of the community and their attendant political advocacy groups.
Preferred Citation
Rick L. May Papers, 1982-1997. MS-00446. Special Collections, UNLV Libraries, University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Las Vegas, Nevada.
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Acquisition Note
Materials were donated in 2002 by Rick L. May; accession number 2002-013.
Processing Note
Materials were processed by Special Collections staff in 2002. In 2014 Lindsay Oden revised and enhanced the collection description to bring it into compliance with current professional standards. In 2017 Joyce Moore edited the collection and updated ArchivesSpace.
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Separated Materials
Some of the publications that were acquired as part of this collection have been separated and described individually in the University Libraries' catalog.