Health

Johnny Gets the Word warns youth about sexually transmitted disease. Earlier advice came from Man’s Mission on Earth, the first edition of a popular treatise on the perils of syphilis, gonorrhea, and especially masturbation. Cornell also has many historical works on masturbation, including the 1756 Onania, or, The heinous sin of self-pollution, that helped establish masturbation as a cause of disease as well as a vice.

While the medical profession worried about excessive masturbation, doctors also used vibrators, which first appeared in the late 19^th century, to stimulate female patients’ genitalia as a cure for hysteria. The historic vibrator to the left came from the personal collection of Eve’s Garden founder Dell Williams, who made a career out of selling vibrators, books, and other products to enhance and liberate women's sexuality. The G-Spot book was published by another feminist sex store, Good Vibrations.

Taking control

In the 1970s, recognizing that they faced barriers to effective medical treatment, gay and feminist communities responded by creating their own health guides. The Boston Women’s Health Collective put out the first edition of the pioneering Our Bodies, Ourselves in 1973. This gay health guide was published in 1978. Its already established investment in self-empowerment around health prepared the gay community to respond quickly to the AIDS crisis. Cornell collects AIDS literature worldwide and preserves the personal papers of numerous AIDS activists.

While being out as a gay or lesbian person in organized sports has a fraught history, being fit and athletic has had a place in lesbian and gay culture. We have ephemera from people’s participation in the Gay Games and many magazines on this subject.

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