Human Sexuality Collection

01/23/2026

An expanded reflection on courage and creativity.

Cornell University Library - Rare and Manuscript Collections

CLOSED DANGER DO NOT ENTER

01/21/2026

Le***an photographer Honey Lee Cottrell (January 16, 1946 - September 21, 2015) grew up in Michigan. In 1965, after one year at Michigan State University, she drove cross-country to San Francisco and put down roots there, becoming part of communities of progressive s*x education activists and creative LGBT artists and historians.

In what turned out to be days before her death, I visited to see and learn about her archives. Jon Bailiff drove us to her storage unit, and on the way back, she insisted we stop to see the redwoods. The closed path did not deter her. This Jan. 16 would have been her 80th birthday, and Jon shared this gorgeous drawing of that moment going to see the redwoods. Happy birthday, Honey Lee. Thank you for everything.

This year, Susie Bright spent time here adding item-level description to important items in Honey Lee’s papers and the records of On Our Backs. These collections are so important, we are doing all we can to document their details for you!

https://archives.library.cornell.edu/repositories/2/resources/1968




*xualitycollection

11/13/2025

Over three weeks, a hundred students in the fashion design class are visiting. Yesterday’s crowd favorite came from DJ Page Hodel’s collection.

We talked about DIY fashion and the ways people modify found items or make their own to express themselves.

The Page Hodel Papers ( #7912) contain a wealth of insights into music, politics, social scenes, and community over the past 4 decades… plus, we discoufashion, design, and humor We look forward to all the researchers who will benefit from exploring it!

Cornell University Library - Rare and Manuscript Collections Cornell University Library Cornell Fashion + Textile Collection

10/10/2025

What gets censored? Always the gay ones.

And always more.

Stop by Cornell University Library - Rare and Manuscript Collections today 10-4:00 for a pop-up exhibition to explore some of the complexities and trends in censorship over the centuries.

Cornell University Library *xualitycollection

07/04/2025

On this day 170 years ago — July 4, 1855 — Walt Whitman self-published a collection of a dozen poems he titled “Leaves of Grass.” Much initial reception considered his focus on the body, the natural world, and sensuality to be scandalous. Critics called him a “free lover,” one switching into Latin to accuse him of being a sodomite. This controversy cost him his government job. Whitman continued to revise the orignal poems and add to the volume over his lifetime. You can find copies of these online at the Walt Whitman Archives. https://whitmanarchive.org/published-writings/leaves-of-grass

This image comes from the frontispiece of the first edition which is in our collections and available to view on site.
Cornell University Library - Rare and Manuscript Collections

06/25/2025

Keep cool as a cucumber and celebrate Pride at the same time!

Cornell University Library - Rare and Manuscript Collections staff have been trying recipes from historic cookbooks, and Curator Brenda Marston just made the basic Green Salad from Lou Rand Hogan's 1965 "Gay Cookbook." Hogan (1910-1976) was the private chef for billionaire industrialist Henry J. Kaiser and wrote regularly for Gourmet Magazine, The Advocate, and the Bay Area Reporter.

Read more about this cookbook, 1960s recipes based on canned soup, and campy q***r culture on Substack:
https://open.substack.com/pub/brendamarston602495/p/chef-lou-rand-hogans-1965-gay-cookbook?r=1ljpi3&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true

Cornell University Library

06/09/2025

So much engagement with the Library’s special items on display this weekend. Glad to chat with everyone who came by. Happy !

06/07/2025

Cornell alumni and friends, you’re invited to stop by Cornell University Library - Rare and Manuscript Collections today 1-4:00 to learn a bit about Paul I. Rapoport ‘62 and his contributions to q***r institutions and history.

While here, you can also see a few other highlights from our collections, including our smallest and largest book, the Thirteeth Amendment, the University Charter, and items from the Cornell Hip Hop Collection.

Our exhibition galleries feature James Baldwin and the history of Black writing and publishing.

Our reference room will be open if you would like to browse our yearbooks! Fun will be had.

06/06/2025

Cornell alumni and friends, you’re invited to stop by Cornell University Library - Rare and Manuscript Collections tomorrow (Saturday) 1-4:00 to learn a bit about Paul I. Rapoport ‘62 and his contributions to q***r institutions and history. While here, you can also see a few other highlights from our collections, including our smallest and largest book, the Thirteeth Amendment, the University Charter, and items from the Cornell Hip Hop Collection. Our reference room will be open then if you would like to browse our yearbooks! Fun will be had.

Cornell University Library

06/06/2025

What's the connection between these two official documents? They shed light on a Cornell mensch and his impact on the world. Come find out more on Saturday 1-4:00 in Cornell University Library - Rare and Manuscript Collections

We invite you to view a few collection highlights and learn from expert curators and librarians about the preservation and classroom use of historically significant rare books and documents.
Cornell University Library

06/06/2025

We invite you to come explore our James Baldwin exhibition "Know Whence You Came: James Baldwin, Public Intellectual" while on campus. Open Saturday 1-4:00 too.
https://events.cornell.edu/event/know-whence-you-came-james-baldwin-public-intellectual?fbclid=IwY2xjawKv4iNleHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETFLYk5ZTzBWbTJkMnhObEwzAR7TJUm1jBf2Me9nysrgxJFd3CrKxrhUhT6An6mslKduLgasczdFcPXrzFBH_A_aem_ISQMUGal1BJ5f9QCJVoO1g

06/04/2025

Thank you, Cornell University Library 💜💜💜