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Homophile Effort for Legal Protection, Incorporated (HELP, Inc.), records

 Collection — Box: 1
Identifier: Coll2008-052

Scope and Content of Collection

The collection contains the records of the Homophile Effort for Legal Protection, Incorporated (HELP, Inc.), an organization that provided legal assistance in the form of bail bond service and lawyer referral to members for a nominal annual membership fee. The organization coalesced after repeated raids on gay establishments by the Los Angeles Police Department Vice Detail. The collection consists of five series: (1) Administrative Records, (2) Correspondence, (3) Bail Bonds and Attorney Referral Records, (4) Financial, and (5) Printed Materials. The Administrative Records include minutes, membership lists, and applications. The Correspondence Series contains chronologically organized and unorganized correspondence, as well as correspondence subject files. The Bail Bonds and Attorney Referral Records consist of lawyer referral lists and lawyers' reports on the status of defendants' cases. The Financial Records series contains unorganized bills, receipts, and a check register, along with records of fund raising events. The Printed Materials Series contains HELP publications, brochures, and other materials by which the organization informed its membership.

Dates

  • Creation: 1969-1984
  • Creation: Majority of material found within 1970-1975

Creator

Access

The collection is open to researchers. There are no access restrictions.

Publication Rights

Researchers wishing to publish materials must obtain permission in writing from ONE National Gay and Lesbian Archives as the physical owner. Researchers must also obtain clearance from the holder(s) of any copyrights in the materials. Note that ONE National Gay and Lesbian Archives can grant copyright clearance only for those materials for which we hold the copyright. It is the responsibility of the researcher to obtain copyright clearance for all other materials directly from the copyright holder(s).

Administrative History

The organization that was to become the Homophile Effort for Legal Protection, Incorporated (HELP, Inc.), began with a proposal developed in early 1968. The first known meeting of the American Federation for the Advancement and Defense of Homophile Society (AFADHS) organizers was in September 1968 at The Patch, a bar in Wilmington, a neighborhood of Los Angeles. The organizers proposed the establishment of an alliance of bar owners, personnel, and patrons to defend against harassment and provide legal assistance in the form of bail bonds and attorney referrals. In a period of several weeks the AFADHS became the less ambiguous Homophile Effort for Legal Protection, Incorporated. HELP provided bail bond service and lawyer referrals to its members and those vouched for by existing members. The primary focus of the organization was to provide support when its members were arrested for "homosexual activities." The aggressive prosecution of victimless crimes by the Los Angeles Police Department and the change in political climate led to the organization's rapid growth. HELP also supported the California State Committee on Sexual Law Reform to change the laws regarding sex between consenting adults.

However, the organization was plagued by periodic episodes of infighting and was also not able to maintain the on-going support of the bar owners. By the late 1970s, changes in society's attitude toward gays, recognition of gay political power, reforms of California sex laws, and changes in police priorities practically eliminated the need for many of the services HELP provided.

Sources:

Colburn, Cal. "Hotline." Magpie, September 27, 1968, 3.

Richards, Yale. "From under My Soap Box." Magpie, January 1969, 4-10.

Vincent, Cliff. "What Else Is Happening in L.A.?" Magpie, December 20 1968, 20-24.

Extent

3.3 Linear Feet (6 archive cartons, 1 archive flat box)

Language of Materials

English

Abstract

Minutes, membership applications and lists, lawyer referral reports, newsletters, newspapers, and related ephemera of the Homophile Effort For Legal Protection, Incorporated (HELP, Inc.). The organization was formed in 1968, in response to the subjective and aggressive behavior of the Los Angeles Police Department Vice Detail. Members were offered general legal assistance and if arrested for "homosexual activities" they were provided bail bonds and lawyer referral services. By the late 1970s, societal changes practically eliminated the need for many of the services HELP provided.

Arrangement

The series are arranged chronologically, with the exception of the Bail Bonds and Attorney Referral Records, which are arranged with the attorney referral lists followed by the attorney referral reports, arranged alphabetically by attorney.

Acquisition Information

Method and date of acquisition unknown.

General Physical Description note

5 archive cartons, 1 archive half-carton, and 1 oversize box.

Processing Information

Collection created in September 2008 by Michael C. Oliveira, with the assistance of Richard French, from materials in box 104-34, and in ONE National Gay & Lesbian Archives "HELP, Inc. (Homophile Effort for Legal Protection, Incorporated)" subject files.

Processing this collection has been funded by a generous grant from the National Historical Publications and Records Commission.

Title
Finding aid of the Homophile Effort for Legal Protection, Incorporated (HELP, Inc.) Records, 1969-1984
Status
Completed
Author
Michael C. Oliveira
Date
© 2008
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin
Language of description note
Finding aid written in: English

Repository Details

Part of the ONE Archives at the USC Libraries, University of Southern California Repository

Contact:
909 West Adams Boulevard
Los Angeles California 90007 United States
(213) 821-2771