Gala Gay Bake Sale: A Benefit for Gay Switchboard

New York: Gay Switchboard, [1972]. Offset. 8 1/2 x 11 in. Fold line at center and slight bumping to corners; very good. Item #10335

A rare flyer from the first weeks of the Gay Switchboard’s operations in New York City.

The flyer advertises a benefit for the Gay Switchboard, a community-run telephone switchboard founded in 1971 by members of Gay Activists Alliance to centralize and share information on the rapidly blossoming gay community. Callers requested information to guide them to social and political resources in New York: recommendations on good bars and cruising spots, LGBT-friendly doctors, discussion groups, or just in search of commiseration and a compassionate listener to talk with about the difficulties of living as a gay person in a political environment defined by social exclusion.  

This flyer comes from early in the in the Gay Switchboard’s history when it was first fundraising to begin operations and sustain itself; the Switchboard received its first call on January 13, 1972, just a few weeks before this gay gala bake sale benefit. 

The Gay Switchboard continues to operate today, now as the LGBT Switchboard of New York. 

Price: $250.00