Guide to the Wendell Ricketts Papers,
circa 1961-2004

Subject files on lesbian and gay parents, foster parents, and adoptive parents, and on various lesbian and gay family issues and children's and youth issues. Also, files on AIDS, especially in San Francisco in the early 1980s; files on various gay rights issues, including the 1978 murder of Harvey Milk; correspondence with writers and artists and drafts of their work; and files from his work with "Drummer" magazine, including gay erotic photographs.

Also, slides of an ACT UP demonstration, probably 1992, in San Francisco protesting price-gouging by Astra Pharmaceuticals for its drug Foscarnet/Foscavir (ganciclovir), at the time one of the only therapies for CMV- blindess. And slides of a May 22, 1994 ACT-UP demonstration at the San Francisco Federal Building about the AIDS Cure Act.

Information about and writings of Massimo Consoli, an Italian writer, archivist, theorist, known as the founder of the Italian gay movement.

Information about Robert Rosenkrantz and his case, correspondence between Rosenkrantz and Wendell Ricketts, and some photographs. Rosenkrantz, shortly after high school graduation, killed another recent graduate for revealing Rosenkrantz's homosexuality to his parents. Robert was convicted of second-degree murder and sentenced to seventeen years to life in prison. Although Robert is reported to have behaved as a model prisoner, he was rejected several times for parole, based on the harsh standards for life-sentenced prisoners held by then-Governor of California Gray Davis. Significant among these files are examples of prison art, including approximately 20 elaborately-decorated envelopes of letters addressed to prisoners' lawyers, as well as several larger drawings.

Series I. Lesbian/Gay Parenting contains files relating to lesbian and gay parenting and foster care. Many of the files are background materials for the book, Gays & Lesbians as Foster Parents, written by Wendell Ricketts in conjunction with the University of Southern Maine's National Child Welfare Center.

Series II. Pornography Research contains files from a research project done by Ricketts about the language used in popular gay pornographic/erotic literature. Also, there are miscellaneous files relating to general research into pornography.

Series III. AIDS Resource Files contains miscellaneous AIDS research materials, including files on specific people and events, such as the AIDS Quilt and the Names Project.

Series IV. Subject Files contains general files on mostly lesbian and gay related issues, including materials on specific people and groups. Many of the news articles written by Ricketts and the background/research material for each article are contained in this series, including transcripts of some of the interviews done by Ricketts. Also included is correspondence from/to Ricketts about book reviews, articles, etc.

Series V. Erotic Photographs contains numerous photographs, mainly black and white prints, of male models. They are in relation to Ricketts' work with Drummer magazine. The majority of the photos are by Target Studios. They are filed alphabetically by model.

Series VI. contains various audiocassettes, mainly interviews done by Wendell Ricketts. A more detailed description of the various cassette tapes from Wendell Ricketts is included in Box 10. Also included is one videocassette.

Collecting program: Human Sexuality Collection.

Materials are arranged according to the original folder headings, when present. Series have been created based on the original groupings of the files.