Lou Sullivan diary, 1970

Lou Sullivan's diary for 1970, detailing his life as a 19-year-old administrative assistant, his relationship with his long-term boyfriend, his political evolution and opposition to the Vietnam War, his job in the Slavic Languages Department of the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, and his interest in Russian language and literature. These stories all closely intersected, as much of the year was taken up with legal fallout from his partner's arrest at a protest, and student activism at the University of Wisconsin created a tense atmosphere on campus. Sullivan was often depressed this year, struggling with his longing to live as a man as well as his anxiety about living with his partner out of wedlock. Louis Graydon Sullivan (1951-1991) was a gay trans man from Milwaukee, WI who lived much of his adult life in San Francisco. A diarist, amateur historian, and administrative assistant, Sullivan is best known for the detailed and thoughtful diary he kept from childhood until his death from AIDS at age 39.

Item Actions

Download: PDF File
Citation: Cite

Item Information:

Identifier: 1544bp58m
Collection: Lou Sullivan Collection
Institution: GLBT Historical Society
Creator(s): Sullivan, Lou
Date Created: 1970
Dates Covered: 1970
Genre: Diaries
Places: Wisconsin > Milwaukee County > City of Milwaukee > Milwaukee
Topic(s): Administrative assistants
Gay men
Gay youth
Peace movements
Russian language
Trans men
Transgender youth
Vietnam War, 1961-1975
Resource Type: Text
Analog Format: Diary
Digital Format: PDF file, 118.9 MB
Language: English
Rights: In copyright
For more information on copyright, please read our policies