First CLAGS Benefit Proposal
Item
The Graduate School and University Center
of The City University of New York
Graduate Center: 33 West 42 Street, New York, N.Y 10036-8099
For Immediate Release:
October 1, 1989
ALLEN GINSBERG and GLORIA STEINEM host a benefit for
THE COMMITTEE FOR LESBIAN AND GAY STUDIES
The Committee for Lesbian and Gay Studies (CLAGS) will have
its first fund raising event on Friday, November 17 from 6:00 pm
to 8:00 pm at The Reception Hall, The Graduate Center, City
University of New York, 33 West 42nd Street. Tickets are $30 in
advance, $40 at the door.
The Hon. Bella Abzug, Judy Collins and Jules Feiffer are
committee members for the evening. Also serving are Pulitzer
Prize winners Richard Howard and David J. Garrow; authors Edmund
White, Susan Brownmiller, Ned Rorem, Larry Kramer, and
Vivian Gornick; gay community leaders Virginia Apuzzo of the
governor's office, Lee Hudson of the mayor's office and Nan
Hunter of the ACLU; and Harold Proshansky, president of the CUNY
Graduate Center.
The benefit will be celebrating the publication of HIDDEN
FROM HISTORY: . RECLAIMING THE GAY AND LESBIAN PAST, edited by
MARTIN BAUML DUBERMAN, MARTHA VICINUS, and GEORGE CHAUNCEY JR.
(New American Library). This path breaking’ anthology is a
milestone in gay and lesbian studies. It moves in time from the
ancient world to the present day, drawing from various national
histories to reveal a complex, diverse and rich historic record,
one previously unavailable.
CLAGS was formed three years ago to establish the first
university-affiliated research center in this country for
scholarship relating to lesbians and gays. CLAGS has sponsored
public forums and colloquia on such topics as the new research on
lesbian and gay history, issues of ethics and evidence in gay
scholarship, and studies on the portrayal of lesbians and gay men
in the fine arts. CLAGS is in the process of becoming formally
incorporated at The Graduate Center of The City University of New
York.
The evening is being underwritten by Christopher Street
Financial Inc., New American Library, and Absolut Citron Vodka
and Bombay Sapphire Gin.
-30-
Press Information: Jim Saslow
of The City University of New York
Graduate Center: 33 West 42 Street, New York, N.Y 10036-8099
For Immediate Release:
October 1, 1989
ALLEN GINSBERG and GLORIA STEINEM host a benefit for
THE COMMITTEE FOR LESBIAN AND GAY STUDIES
The Committee for Lesbian and Gay Studies (CLAGS) will have
its first fund raising event on Friday, November 17 from 6:00 pm
to 8:00 pm at The Reception Hall, The Graduate Center, City
University of New York, 33 West 42nd Street. Tickets are $30 in
advance, $40 at the door.
The Hon. Bella Abzug, Judy Collins and Jules Feiffer are
committee members for the evening. Also serving are Pulitzer
Prize winners Richard Howard and David J. Garrow; authors Edmund
White, Susan Brownmiller, Ned Rorem, Larry Kramer, and
Vivian Gornick; gay community leaders Virginia Apuzzo of the
governor's office, Lee Hudson of the mayor's office and Nan
Hunter of the ACLU; and Harold Proshansky, president of the CUNY
Graduate Center.
The benefit will be celebrating the publication of HIDDEN
FROM HISTORY: . RECLAIMING THE GAY AND LESBIAN PAST, edited by
MARTIN BAUML DUBERMAN, MARTHA VICINUS, and GEORGE CHAUNCEY JR.
(New American Library). This path breaking’ anthology is a
milestone in gay and lesbian studies. It moves in time from the
ancient world to the present day, drawing from various national
histories to reveal a complex, diverse and rich historic record,
one previously unavailable.
CLAGS was formed three years ago to establish the first
university-affiliated research center in this country for
scholarship relating to lesbians and gays. CLAGS has sponsored
public forums and colloquia on such topics as the new research on
lesbian and gay history, issues of ethics and evidence in gay
scholarship, and studies on the portrayal of lesbians and gay men
in the fine arts. CLAGS is in the process of becoming formally
incorporated at The Graduate Center of The City University of New
York.
The evening is being underwritten by Christopher Street
Financial Inc., New American Library, and Absolut Citron Vodka
and Bombay Sapphire Gin.
-30-
Press Information: Jim Saslow
Title
First CLAGS Benefit Proposal
Description
This press release for CLAGS’ first fundraising event was published on October 1st, 1989. The event, hosted by Beat poet Allen Ginsberg and feminist icon Gloria Steinem was part of CLAGS' effort to raise the $50,000 required to formally operate as an institution at the CUNY Graduate Center. The benefit served as a celebration for the recent book launch of Hidden from History: Reclaiming the Gay and Lesbian Past, which was edited by the founding director of CLAGS, Martin Duberman, as well as noteworthy queer scholars Martha Vicinus and George Chauncey. The book was widely successful, earning two Lambda Literary Awards, an award from the American Library Association, and a Stonewall Books Award nomination. Held on November 17th, the event was successful in raising over $11,000. Although formally instituted at the CUNY Graduate Center in 1991, CLAGS: The Center for LGBTQ Studies was first conceived 5 years earlier by Martin Duberman, one of the first historians to embrace the field of Queer Studies, then in its infancy. As the first university-based center for LGBTQ research, CLAGS continues to demonstrate its dedication to advancing Queer Studies by hosting public events showcasing queer research and sponsoring fellowships to support queer scholars. Among its many contributions, CLAGS annually puts on at least one major conference and holds the Kessler Award Lecture every fall to celebrate a queer scholar who has made a notable contribution to the field of queer studies.
Contributor
CLAGS
Creator
Saslow, Jim
Date
October 1, 1989
Language
English
Rights
Copyrighted
Source
CLAGS Archive
Original Format
Memorandum
Saslow, Jim. Letter. “First CLAGS Benefit Proposal.”, CUNY DIGITAL HISTORY ARCHIVE, accessed March 10, 2026, https://stephenz.tailc22a4b.ts.net/s/cdha/item/1283