In honor of National Coming Out Day October 11, today's blog entry features an ephemeral item from the San Francisco History Center's Vertical Files (i.e. metal filing cabinets filled with topically-arranged manila folder files): a vintage printed program for the fourth annual play-off game between the gay men's softball league and the San Francisco Police Department as a community-building benefit for Meals on Wheels in 1977:
Program Cover, from the San Francisco History Center Vertical Files, SF. Homosexuals. Police-Gay Softball Game.
Is the player on this program cover a Gay Man or a Policeman? Because he's wearing a batting helmet and baseball uniform, I'm not sure. Men's fashion in 1977--gay and straight--was all about the 'stache, and you can see many fine examples of those tenderly-tended lip warmers in the photos inside the program. To me, a lesbian child of the '70s, this illustration does look pretty "Village People," which means I see Gay Man and Police Man combined in this one man. If you're a reader who was part of the League or part of the Police, or a gay policeman, send us a comment; we'd love to hear from you! Happy Coming Out Day!
Yes! It's about time we outed the collection!
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