The material is comprised of the organizational records of the Imperial Royal Sovereign Court of the Desert Empire and its predecessor, the Royal Barony of the Desert Empire, from 1997 to 2003. The records contain administrative and financial records such as charters, bylaws, financial reports, meeting minutes, correspondence, and publicity documenting the club’s activities in Southern Nevada.
Oral history interview with Cheryl Radeloff conducted by Suzanne Becker on July 27, 2006 for the UNLV @ 50 Oral History Project. In this interview Cheryl Radeloff discusses moving to Las Vegas, Nevada to accept a research position at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV), then being hired as a graduate assistant for the UNLV sociology department, and finally her involvement with the UNLV Gay Straight Alliance. She also talks about receiving her PhD in 2004 and going to the American Sociological Association Job Employment Fair in 2005.
The Dennis McBride Personal Papers (approximately 1920-2023) contain the papers of local historian and activist Dennis McBride. Papers include correspondence between McBride and many prominent members of the Las Vegas, Nevada LGBTQ community; financial and employment records from McBride's time at University of Nevada, Las Vegas and the Nevada State Museum; publications, press, and research surrounding McBride's numerous written works, unpublished and published; and family history, correspondence, and other personal documents. The collection also contains McBride's detailed personal date books and diaries that span multiple decades. Some audiovisual material and correspondence exist as digital files.
The Las Vegas PRIDE Parade Records (2016-2017) contain administrative files that document how the Southern Nevada Association of PRIDE, Inc. (SNAPI) organized the 2016 and 2017 PRIDE parades in Las Vegas, Nevada. Materials include correspondence with event organizers, parade participant information, and PRIDE event guides.
The Rodney Sumpter Papers on Doe v. Bryan contain the legal files of the lawyer Rodney Sumpter, who represented the appellants in the Nevada District Court case Doe v. Bryan (1985) and subsequent appeal in the Nevada State Supreme Court in 1986. Doe v. Bryan challenged one of Nevada's sodomy laws (NRS 201.190), and the collection contains affidavits, motion requests, correspondence, newspaper clippings, and memoranda regarding the case.
Oral history interviews with Patricia Vazquez conducted by Marcela Rodriguez-Campo, Monserrath Hernandez, and Rodrigo Vazquez on November 14, 2018 and June 14, 2019 for the Latinx Voices of Southern Nevada Oral History Project. In these interviews, Vazquez discusses growing up in Las Vegas, Nevada before moving to Mexico. She talks about the transition of moving back to the United States from Mexico in 1970. Vazquez then describes how she was selected for special education in elementary school because she did not speak English, her education experience in the Clark County School District, and later being placed into Advanced Placement classes. She then shares coming out as a lesbian, her family dynamics after announcing her sexuality, and talks about what it is like to come out in the Latinx community. Vazquez describes her art and explains that her paintings depict moments in her life that defined her as a person. Later, Vazquez describes her involvement in queer activism in Las Vegas through the Latino Youth Leadership Conference and Planned Parenthood. Lastly, Vazquez discusses her involvement in diverse hiring committees for the College of Southern Nevada (CSN), which is a Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI), and teaching literature courses at CSN.
The Pacifica Hotel Collection (1981-1985) contains newspaper clippings, correspondence, and contracts on the Pacifica Hotel, the first resort geared specifically towards the LGBTQIA+ community in Las Vegas, Nevada. The collection also includes one optical disc with a compilation of Las Vegas television news stories from the summer of 1985 about the Pacifica Hotel project.
The Dennis McBride Collection on Las Vegas, Nevada LGBTQ Organizations (approximately 1984-2008) contains photographs, magazines, and documents relating to various LGBTQ organizations and events in Las Vegas, Nevada. Photographs of prominent community members, including Strutt Hurley, William "Bill" Schafer, Rob Schlegel, and Dennis McBride attending events such as National Coming Out Day and pageants organized by the Southern Nevada Association of Pride, Inc. (SNAPI). Also included in the collection are magazines, newspaper clippings, and documents relating to various issues such as Nevada's "Question 2", a ballot measure that prevented same-sex marriages from being conducted or recognized in Nevada; offical reports on the AIDS epidemic; and student organizations like Students for an Equal America (SEA) and Human Understanding Despite Differences Lifts Everyone (HUDDLE). This collection also contains digital scans of some of the photographs in the collection.
The Kenny Kerr Papers (approximately 1973-2013) contain audiovisual materials, photographs, newspaper clippings, and ephemera that document the career of Las Vegas, Nevada female impersonator Kenny Kerr. The majority of the collection includes recordings of Kerr's performances, including his impersonation revue show This is Boy-Lesque. Audiovisual materials in this collection represent Kerr's performances in Las Vegas as well as around the United States, music used for Boy-Lesque, and an audiocassette recording of Kerr's song, "Uncle Sam Wants You." Other materials in this collection include Kerr's professional headshots and Boy-Lesque show ephemera such as performance tickets and show programs. Also included are professional and candid photographs of Kerr's performances and with other performers.The collection also includes a 2012 digital video recording of UnBOYlievable starring female impersonator Jimmy Emerson at the Riverside Resort in Laughlin, Nevada, fourteen songs from Kerr's album "Songs From the Heart," and digital scans of the photographs in the collection.
Oral history interview with Trula McGee conducted by Claytee D. White on March 17, 2021 for African Americans in Las Vegas: a Collaborative Oral History Project.
Trula McGee talks about her experiences growing up in a military family and her time as a student and young adult in the Westside community. She also discusses her employment as a Keno writer and runner at the Sands Hotel and Casino, Castaways Hotel and Casino, and the Silver Slipper Gambling Hall and Saloon and how this led to her meeting both Wayne Newton and Marvin Gaye.
Subjects discussed include: Carver Park; Basic High School; Nevada State Bank; Jackson Ave.; Golden West Shopping Center; Reuben's Supper Club; and Larry's Sight and Sound.