Richard Price (they/them)
@advincensorship
Non-binary political scientist studying the censorship of queer stories and LGBTQ educational activism. Bossed around by five cats. Blog intermittently at
The first real lesbian pulp fiction was Spring Fire written by Marijane Meeker as Vin Packer, around the time she was partnered with Patricia Highsmith. Her editor required her to make the ending unhappy thus beginning one of the tropes of the genre: no happy endings.
For me a cool find was Women's Barracks which is credited as beginning the lesbian pulp fiction boom even though it isn't really in the genre; it was more of a semi-autobiography of WWII experience with lesbian love in it. But it did so well that lesbian pulp was born.
Excited to find multiple lists of books deemed criminal by the Detroit police censor bureau. This was one of the most effective censorship entities in the 1950s and I’d never seen a list before so we are exciting.
Some Georgia folks really had it in for this company and its amusingly smutty advertising.
But I have to check them for cool things like this letter explaining that the commission took action against Women’s Barracks and Spring Fire the two foundational texts of lesbian pulp fiction.
Lego Richard reports that going through hundreds of folders of mundane letters looking for the few interesting bits is pretty boring.
Always like a good censorship cartoon. From one of the most influential pro-censorship groups of the midcentury.
Fun little ad announcing they had purged all dirty material so kids were safe. I think 1957
Distributor tanks Tropic of Cancer off the market in Atlanta. It’s hard to explain just the scope of the nutty panic over this book.
After a traditional Georgia breakfast we are in the archives to collect material from the Georgia State Literature Commission.
Here's the sheet they used, I'm pretty sure this was the education board member's handwriting from the night of.
They got the titles from a conservative group and decided to check the library out late after a volleyball game. Here's how the Daily News represented the two main banners in action and they were seriously pissed about this image.
Always a favorite censorship cartoon. Hanrahan was the police captain in San Francisco who had two book sellers arrested for selling Allen Ginsberg’s Howl.
One of the best finds was a 1999 booklet on the “anti-family” agenda. I seriously love these things because they are just full of nutty shit. Here’s a story that totally happened.
Finished with my censorship collection and it was a mixed bag but some good stuff. Now into my backup gay student group. Some fun stuff from 1990s.
Imagine going to prison for 5 years for publishing this. Well and two other pretty mild items. From Ginsburg v. US (1966) fame.
That’s the best news. Our sweet diabetic 16 year old Tikka had some small lumps that I was convinced were bad and was prepping but turned out totally benign. She was never all that concerned other than the cone of shame we forced on her.
Will always love this name for a bar in a college town. (I'm in Laramie Wyoming).
As like three people are interested in what I do, I'm in Laramie, Wyoming, this week because, oddly, the university archive holds the Ralph Ginzburg papers.
Teddy and Cinnamon are having a grumpy moment in their relationship. Look at this side eye!
Once we came home after a long day and walked in on Single Ladies playing very loudly and this girl was just hanging out. She must have hit the remote.
I love this chart. Based on Vennen, a Danish gay magazine with nude frontal shots (1966).
Sometimes the absurdity of obscenity law amuses me. From a 1965/66 case involving Customs seizing a (gay) physique magazine. Imagine testifying to the level of erection that makes a picture obscene or not.
I love when they’ve been fighting and I take a picture and they look all innocent and like I’m the weird one.
“Why do you call me a chaos agent? I’m just a cute, sweet boy living life.”
New release! I like getting more southern queer history work even if I have no idea when I’ll get a chance to read it.
Sometimes you just get a great line. If this book (Fanny Hill) is about love, what the fuck is gay sex doing in there!