The collection comprises manuscript drafts, correspondence, clippings, administrative records, and a gay studies course proposal, 1972-1979, from English professor Joseph J. Hayes. The collection includes manuscript drafts and research material for Hayes' articles on gay slang, homosexuality, and the semantics of the word "lewd." Administrative records document Hayes' participation in the Homosexual Rights Committee of the American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California chapter, and a gay students conference held at the University of California, Irvine, in 1972.