The Harry Hay Papers—an extensive collection of letters, manuscripts, photographs, recordings and other ephemera—are permanently housed at the Hormel Gay & Lesbian Center at the San Francisco Public Library. Further material pertaining to Hay’s life and work can also be researched at the ONE Lesbian & Gay Archive and Library at the University of Southern California, Los Angeles.
Books by or about Harry Hay
Radically Gay: Gay Liberation in the Words of Its Founder—Harry Hay, ed. Will Roscoe, Ph.D. An exhaustive collection of Hay’s writings on the subject of gay liberation, third gender, and other core ideas like subject-subject consciousness, spanning many decades; with an Introduction by the editor. Boston: Beacon Press, 1996.
The Trouble with Harry Hay: Founder of the Modern Gay Movement, by Stuart Timmons. The only biography written about Hay was published by Alyson Publications in 1990 and updated two decades later in a new edition to commemorate the centenary of Hay’s birth. New York: White Crane Books, 20l2.
Books with chapters or information about Harry Hay
Gay American History: Lesbians and Gay Men in the U.S.A., by Jonathan Katz. A literary “documentary” covering the full spectrum of American life. Numerous citations and excerpts from documents trace a wide range of Hay’s life and activities, from his Communist Party Membership in the 1930s to his final withdrawal from the Mattachine Society in 1953. New York: Thomas Y. Crowell Company, 1976.
Word is Out: Stories of Some of Our Lives, by Nancy Adair and Casey Adair. The book, based on the film, features an interview with Hay, pp. 230-47. New York and San Francisco: Dell Publishing and New Glide Publication, 1978.
Sexual Politics, Sexual Communities: The Making of a Homosexual Minority in the United States, 1940-1970, by John D’Emilio. Discussion and analysis about the formation of Hay’s Mattachine Society. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1983.
New Men, New Minds: Breaking Male Tradition, ed. Franklin Abbott. Hay’s essay in the anthology, “Toward the New Frontiers of Fairy Vision…subject-subject Conscious,” first appeared in RFD 24 (summer 1980). Freedom, CA: Crossing Press, 1987
Gay Spirit: Myth and Meaning, ed. Mark Thompson. The anthology contains an interview with Hay on his philosophy, pp. 182-189. A later chapter written by Hay, “A Separate People Whose Time Has Come,” further defines his vision, pp. 279-291. Includes photos of Hay and Radical Faerie gatherings. First publication—New York: St. Martin’s Press, 1987. Second publication—New York: White Crane Books, 2005.
Uncommon Heroes: A Celebration of Heroes and Role Models for Gay and Lesbian Americans, eds. Phillip Sherman and Samuel Bernstein. A synopsis about Hay includes a photo with John Burnside, p.252. New York: Fletcher Press, 1994.
Gay Soul: Finding the Heart of Gay Spirit and Nature, by Mark Thompson. A lengthy interview (and photographic portrait) with Hay titled, “Reinventing Ourselves,” pp. 79-98. New York: HarperSanFranciso, 1995.
The Fire in Moonlight: Stories from the Radial Faeries, ed. Mark Thompson; associate eds. Richard Neely and Bo Young. Chapter by Stuart Timmons details the formation of the first Spiritual Conference for Radical Faeries, in which Hay played a major role; with other references to Hay throughout the book. New York: White Crane Books, 2011.
Films about Harry Hay
Word is Out. By Robert Epstein, Peter Adair, Nancy Adair and others. An early landmark documentary portraying a wide-range of gay and lesbian people. Hay and Burnside are featured in one section of the film. San Francisco: Mariposa Film Groups, 1977.
Before Stonewall: The Making of a Gay and Lesbian Community. A pioneering 1985 documentary by Greta Schiller, co-director Robert Rosenberg and archival research director Andrea Weiss. Harry Hay (with Chuck Rowland and Jim Kepner) is featured in a few key scenes explaining the origins of the Mattachine Society in this panoramic film covering five decades of American LGBT life preceeding the Stonewall riots in 1969. A paperback book and sequel, After Stonewall, followed.
Hope Along the Wind: The Story of Harry Hay. An excellent full-length documentary by Eric Slade about the life and times of Hay and his beloved life partner, John Burnside. San Francisco: Frameline, 2000.
Dramatic works about Harry Hay
The Tempermentals. A 2009 play by Jon Marans. It chronicles the founding of the Mattachine Society, the first sustained gay rights organization in the nation, and the love affair of two of its founding members, Hay and fashion designer Rudi Gernreich. The title is drawn from the early-Twentieth century usage of the word “temperamental” as slang for “homosexual.” The Tempermentals received a Drama Desk Award for Best Ensemble Cast after premiering at the Barrow Group Studio Theater in New York and continues to be performed in theaters across the United States.
Hay Days. A 2009 play by Rob Rosiello. It focuses on Hay’s involvement in the 1930s Labor Movement and his later development as a self-aware gay man. Jim Halloran produced its first staged reading at the Gay Community Center in New York in December 2009. Hay Days was staged again at Los Angeles’ Celebration Theatre in July 2011, with future productions pending.
Articles by Harry Hay published in significant periodicals
“Are You Now or Have You Ever Been a Homosexual?” A speech delivered to the 1953 Mattachine national convention and reprinted in ONE, April 1953, pp. 5-13.
“The Homophile in Search of an Historical Context and Cultural Continuity: An Overt Provocation to Basic Inquiry and Further Investigation.” A speech presented January 26, 1957 at ONE Midwinter Institute and later published in ONE Confidential, in the August and November 1957 editions.
“A Contribution to the Principles of Gay Liberation,” from the Circle of Loving Companions, July 10, 1975. A mimeographed pamphlet later reprinted in RFD, autumn edition 1975, pp. 38-41.
“Gay Awareness and the First Americans,” with John Burnside. Published in RFD, summer edition 1979, p. 18.
“A Call for Fairy Sanctuaries.” An essay published in Vortex 1, ed. Bradley Rose, 1980, pp. 13-15, 26.
“Unity and More in ’84,” a Boston Gay Pride Day address published in Gay Community News, June 30, 1984, p. 9.
“The Fairy Letters” In Response to Arthur Evans’ article “Where the Faeries Came From” (published in WC Number 14), published in White Crane Journal Number 15, pp. 6-8, Harry Hay, Mark Thompson and Arthur Evans
“Our Beloved Gay/Lesbian Movement at a Crossroads,” published in Gay Community News, October 28, 1994, pp. 16, 18-19.
“Birth of a Consciousness: The Roots of Gay Culture and Origins of the Mattachine Society.” Published in The Harvard Gay & Lesbian Review, winter 1995, pp. 11-14.