Among the many obscure careers a person could choose, becoming an archivist may be one of the least known and appreciated by the general public. Those engaged in collecting artifacts and keeping records of human activities and history is not exactly a high-profile position to have, but is vitally important to civilized societies. An archivist is responsible for preserving many types of records and materials, whether they be ancient papyrus scrolls or digital recordings from our present time. It’s not just a matter of how to preserve records and artifacts that are a big part of our cultural heritage, but also a matter of what items will have long term value and what will be useful for future generations towards understanding our past history.
Along with preserving whatever artifacts are deemed as valuable from the past (or present, for that matter) an archivist is also responsible for organizing them and storing them properly and safely for future research in an archival facility and/or for exhibition at galleries or museums. There is a great deal of work involved in arranging, categorizing, and describing materials for storage in a facility which is known as archival science. Other careers that are related to archivists would be librarians, museum curators and records managers. Those employed as record managers may do this not only for private organizations, but also for governments, publicly held corporations or non-profit organizations such as the International Red Cross.
Speaking of archivists and those dedicated to record keeping, Jim Kepner (1923-1997) was like a godsend for the marginalized gay community as he was one of the first people courageous enough to become a leader in the gay rights movement in the early 1950s – a time when the vast majority of gay people were deeply in what was later termed “the closet”. At this time being open about same sex orientation was not an option in most parts of the United States (or anywhere else for that matter. However, Kepner was one of the few gays of his time who did not believe he was a sexual or social deviant, nor a sinner – and didn’t agree that being gay should be viewed by the world at large as a “dark, dirty secret” according to Uncommon Heroes. Over a period of five decades Kepner went on a mission to extensively research our history since he was well aware that we had been effectively closed out of it by the mainstream press.
However, Kepner had a passion for activism and collecting Gay & Lesbian literature (books, magazines, brochures, files and memorabilia) that eventually comprised over 20,000 items. Some of these materials are not found anywhere else – and his collection became so large that it was necessary to find a much bigger place to house everything. His collection grew into the International Gay & Lesbian Archives centered in West Hollywood, CA. and this would’ve hardly been possible if Kepner’s talents had not extended to journalism and writing as well. In fact, he was one of the first writers for the groundbreaking One Magazine – the first publication focusing exclusively on gay lives which was founded in 1952 and operated under constant threat of being shut down by the police and the federal government.
Nevertheless, this publication provided news, essays, and fictional stories to closeted gays across the United States and no doubt helped forge the modern gay community during a socially repressive era when so much was stacked against it. Kepner was a leading force at One Magazine serving as co-editor and writing about many aspects of gay culture, such as whether or not a gay community actually existed, the possibility of same-sex marriage and serious contemporary issues that gays constantly faced such as police persecution. Although Kepner had a falling out with the magazine in 1961, he still maintained some contact with them since the materials he collected in combination with documents from One later formed the basis of what is known today as the ONE Archives, and this archive became a part of the University Of Southern California Libraries in 2010.
Now, this collection features over 2,000,000 items and includes everything from books, magazines, periodicals, films, video & audio recordings, artworks, costumes, personal papers etc. Once again, if there hadn’t been for a brave pioneer such as Jim Kepner who was dedicated to collecting artifacts of our history and culture – the huge collection available today might not have ever occurred. Additionally, along with the main collection at USC, there is a ONE Archives that operates a small gallery in West Hollywood that opened in 2008. Regarding Kepner himself, I find it curious that there isn’t a great deal known about his early life or parents except that he was born in Galveston, Texas in 1923 (supposedly found wrapped in newspaper under a shrub at eight months old) and later moving to San Francisco with his adoptive father. Any other details about his pre-adult life such as birth parents, possible siblings and other relatives, formal education are scant.
Perhaps this threadbare early life compelled him to become a prolific researcher and collector for the gay movement as an adult (he later said that he “was aware of being different from age four”) but could find nothing in libraries that explained who he was in any objective manner. In any case, the modern LGBTQ community owes Kepner a debt of gratitude for having the drive and foresight to engage in collecting and preserving our history which helped create the ONE Archive that is the leading source for research and understanding of our rich and varied lives. Although many prominent LGBTQ people are featured in Uncommon Heroes from all walks of life, I chose to focus on Jim Kepner for this post as the important work he did was largely unheralded but still vital to our identity and history.
For more information about the One Archives, check out: http://one.usc.edu
