Abstract
The Ted McIlvenna Pornography Collection (approximately 1950-2013) consists of pornographic audiovisual materials and publications collected by Ted McIlvenna. The audiovisual materials include pornographic films on 8mm film, VHS, Betacam, and U-matic formats. The majority of the films depict heterosexual subject matter, and there is a small amount of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) productions in the collection. The publications consist of pornographic periodicals, comic books, and graphic novels. Additional materials include pornographic film title cards, posters, advertisements, newsletters, and Institute for Advanced Study of Human Sexuality (IASHS) publications.
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Related People/Corporations
Scope and Contents Note
The Ted McIlvenna Pornography Collection (approximately 1950-2013) consists of pornographic audiovisual materials and publications collected by Ted McIlvenna. The audiovisual materials include pornographic films on 8mm film, VHS, Betacam, and U-matic formats. The majority of the films depict heterosexual subject matter, and there is a small amount of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) productions in the collection. The publications consist of various pornographic periodicals, comic books, and graphic novels. Additional materials include pornographic film title cards, posters, advertisements, newsletters, and Institute for Advanced Study of Human Sexuality (IASHS) publications.
Access Note
Collection is open for research. Where use copies for audiovisual material do not exist, production of use copies is required before access will be granted. This may delay research requests. Please contact UNLV Special Collections and Archives for additional information.
Publication Rights
This material is made available to facilitate private study, scholarship, or research. Material in this collection may be protected by copyright, trademark, privacy, publicity rights, or other interests not owned by UNLV. Users are responsible for determining whether permissions are necessary from rights owners for any intended use and for obtaining all required permissions. Please contact UNLV Special Collections and Archives (special.collections@unlv.edu) for additional information.
Arrangement
The pornographic films are arranged alphabetically; the remaining materials are arranged by topic.
Biographical / Historical Note
Las Vegas Erotic Heritage Museum co-founder and United Methodist minister Robert Theodore “Ted” McIlvenna was born March 15, 1932, in Epping, New Hampshire. After obtaining a Bachelor of Arts degree in sociology and philosophy from Willamette College in 1954 and attending theological school for a year, McIlvenna traveled to Europe to study theology and philosophy of religion. Upon returning to the United States in 1957, he received his certification for ordination as a Methodist minister and became a pastor at Wesley Methodist church in Hayward, California.
In 1963, McIlvenna began working with the Glide Foundation to perform community outreach in San Francisco, California. This work led him to witness societal issues that faced the gay community in San Francisco and inspired his first study into human sexuality in 1964. This research led to the formation of the Council on Religion and the Homosexual. In 1976, McIlvenna helped to found the Institute for Advanced Study of Human Sexuality, serving as the organization’s first president and working as professor of forensic sexology. In addition to these roles, McIlvenna served as curator and trustee of the Exodus Trust International Archives of the Erotic Arts, collecting erotic art, objects, and ephemera. In 2006, McIlvenna co-founded the Erotic Heritage Museum in Las Vegas, Nevada with Déjà Vu founder Harry Mohney. Reverend Dr. Ted McIlvenna passed away on August 22, 2018 at his home in Walnut Creek, California.
Sources:
Erotic Heritage Museum. “Erotic Heritage Museum Mourns Passing of the Reverend Dr. Ted McIlvenna.” August 23, 2018. https://lgbtqreligiousarchives.org/media/profile/ted-mcilvenna/Ted%20McIlvenna%20obituary.pdf
LBGTQ Religious Archives Network. “Dr. Ted McIlvenna Biography.” Accessed December 29, 2025. https://lgbtqreligiousarchives.org/profiles/ted-mcilvenna
Preferred Citation
Ted McIlvenna Pornography Collection, approximately 1950-2013. MS-01220. Special Collections and Archives, University Libraries, University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Las Vegas, Nevada.
Acquisition Note
Donated in 2025 by Winnie McIlvenna; accession number 2025-083.
Processing Note
In 2025, Landon Paljusaj and Sarah Jones rehoused, arranged, and described the materials, and wrote the finding aid in ArchivesSpace.
Administrative Information
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Appraisal Note
Acquired by Sarah Quigley, Director of Special Collections and Archives, as part of UNLV Special Collections and Archives holdings on sexual entertainment and economies. The original acquisition included 22.75 linear feet of material that was discarded, including non-pornographic films and publications, media on optical discs, and material outside of UNLV Special Collections and Archives' collecting scope.
Separated Materials
Periodicals with 3 or more issues have been separated and described in the University Libraries' catalog.