Lou Sullivan diary, 1971

Content warning: this item contains racist language. Lou Sullivan's diary for 1971, detailing his life as a 20-year-old administrative assistant, his complex relationship with his long-term boyfriend, and his conflicts with his family about living with his boyfriend out of wedlock. Sullivan continued to struggle with his relationship, gender, and sexuality in this year, presenting as a femme woman while seizing his few opportunities for masculine self-expression and flirting with feminine men. 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.

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Item Information:

Identifier: ht24wj851
Collection: Lou Sullivan Collection
Institution: GLBT Historical Society
Creator(s): Sullivan, Lou
Date Created: 1971
Dates Covered: 1971
Genre: Diaries
Places: Wisconsin > Milwaukee County > City of Milwaukee > Milwaukee
Topic(s): Administrative assistants
Diaries
Gay men
Trans men
Resource Type: Text
Analog Format: Diary
Digital Format: PDF file, 148.9 MB
Language: English
Rights: In copyright
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