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Daniel R. Sivil was active in the gay and lesbian civil rights and advocacy movement of the 1980s. b He was a founding member of the Michigan Organization for Human Rights and president of the Association of Suburban People, a gay-lesbian organization devoted to social and political activity. Files relating to organizational and advocacy efforts; correspondence with Henry Messer and other activists; and photographs.

The papers of Daniel Ross Sivil provide insight into the gay and lesbian civil rights and advocacy movement of the early 1980s on both a personal and professional level. Sivil's writings and correspondence with peers demonstrates the joys and difficulties of presiding over a grassroots gay and lesbian organization (including fundraising, attracting members, and competing with similar organizations) and lobbying for gay rights in general. The papers have been divided into three series; Activities, Correspondence, and Photographs.

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Activities

The Activities (.20 linear feet) series contains information about the organizations and activities Mr. Sivil was involved with during his years in the Detroit area and also after relocating to the Alexandria, Virginia area in the mid-1980s. Materials of interest may include his testimony to the City of Alexandria Human Rights Commission regarding changes to the human rights ordinance and the need to include on the commission an individual knowledgeable about sexual orientation concerns; his correspondence and writings while president of the Association of Suburban People including his July 1980 address to the organization; and a copy of his birth certificate and handwritten resumes in the personal interests and information folder.

Folder

Correspondence

The Correspondence (.25 linear feet) series contains a mixture of personal and professional material. Folders of interest may include the correspondence to and from Henry D. Messer, M.D. This material relates the troubles of the Michigan Organization for Human Rights in the late 1980s. Mr. Sivil had left the organization at this point and moved to Virginia, but Dr. Messer was still involved with the organization and openly worried about its future in his communications with Mr. Sivil. Dr. Messer went on to become a founding member of the Triangle Foundation. Information about Mr. Sivil's personal life may be gleaned from his correspondence with Joseph M. Zendell with whom he had an intimate relationship. The complexities and eventual break-up of the relationship are well-documented in letters between the two.