Arthur Evans (author)
Arthur Evans | |
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Born | San Francisco, California, U.S. | October 12, 1942
Pen name | Arthur Evans |
Occupation | Gay rights activist, author |
Language | English |
Nationality | American |
Citizenship | United States |
Education | Brown University, City College of New York, Columbia University |
Alma mater | City College of New York |
Partner |
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Arthur Scott Evans (October 12, 1942 – September 11, 2011) was an early
Early life and education
Evans was born on October 12, 1942
Career in writing and activism
New York City
He became politically active in the 1960s, participating in his first
He was not at the Stonewall Riots in 1969,
Although not yet out as gay to his family, in November 1970, he appeared on The Dick Cavett Show with other leaders Marty Robinson,[3][2] along with Dick Leitsch of the Mattachine Society, making them among the first openly gay activists to be prominently featured on a national TV program.[2]
Washington years
Withdrawing from Columbia in 1972,
Years in San Francisco
When the Washington living experiment "failed," he and his companion moved to San Francisco,
In 1978 he published his recent research in Witchcraft and the Gay Counterculture: A Radical View of Western Civilization and Some of the People it Has Tried to Destroy,[11] which analyzed evidence that many people accused of "witchcraft" and "heresy" during the Middle Ages and the Renaissance were specifically persecuted for their sexuality and ancient pagan practices.[12][3] Published by the independent Boston imprint Fag Rag Books, the work considered, among other topics, early Celtic rituals and their connection with sexual traditions in gay culture.[13] Historian Rollan McCleary has referred to the book as an "influential cult classic."[14] Others have noted the book's cultural import, describing it "less a history of persecution than it is an invocational litany or an aggrieved magical treatise on the failures of patriarchal liberalism and industrial socialism to adequately recognize and protect the lives of gay people."[9] Witchcraft and the Gay Counterculture was "an apposite resource on the history of social oppression."[9] where Evans argues that magic is an "inherently collective activity, depending for its practice on group song, dance, sex and ecstasy."[9] A poem from the book was included on the 2014 album Why Do The Heathen Rage? by The Soft Pink Truth.[15] A planned re-release with the title The Lady Rises in the East[8] was eventually published with other collected materials under the title The Evans Symposium: Witchcraft and the Gay Counterculture and Moon Lady Rising in 2018.[16]
Among other groups, Evans was involved with the Bay Area Gay Liberation (BAGL) and the
Later writings and activism
With the onset of the
He directed a 1984 production at the Valencia Rose Cabaret in San Francisco using his own translation of
He began work on a nine-year philosophy project in 1988.
Personal life
He became romantically involved with Arthur Bell in 1964, and the two separated in 1971. He met Jacob Schraeter in 1972 and they spent two years homesteading together in Washington state. The two moved to San Francisco in 1974, and although Schraeter returned to New York in 1981, Evans remained at the apartment at the corner of Haight Ashbury for the remainder of his life.[3] Diagnosed with an aortic aneurysm in October 2010, Evans died in his Haight-Ashbury apartment of a massive heart attack on September 11, 2011. He was survived by his brother, Joe[2][12] and his best friend Naphtali Offen.[3]
Publications
- 1978: Witchcraft and the Gay Counterculture[1]
- 1988: The God of Ecstasy[3]
- 1997: Critique of Patriarchal Reason[2]
- 2018: The Evans Symposium: Witchcraft and the Gay Counterculture and Moon Lady Rising[18]
References
- ^ a b Tim Redmond (September 13, 2011). "Arthur Evans Dies - 69". San Francisco Bay Guardian. San Francisco, California, The United States. Retrieved February 22, 2018.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w Martin, Douglas (September 15, 2011). "Arthur Evans, Leader in Gay Rights Fight, Dies at 68". The New York Times. pp. A33. Retrieved September 25, 2011.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af ag ah ai "Gay pioneer Arthur Evans dies". The Bay Area Reporter. San Francisco, California, United States. September 15, 2011. Retrieved August 14, 2021.
- ISBN 978-0964538412.
- Irish Times. September 24, 2011.
- ^ a b “No Income Tax For War!” archived at Horowitz Transaction Publishers Archive
- ^ a b c "Karen Ocomb, LGBTpov website entry on Evans (September 13, 2011)". Archived from the original on November 4, 2011. Retrieved September 14, 2011.
- ^ a b c d e Raj Ayyar. "Arthur Evans and the Politics of Celebration". Gay Today. Retrieved March 13, 2018.
- ^ a b c d e f Jamie Sutcliffe (February 15, 2017). "What We Do Is Secret: The relevance today of Arthur Evans's Witchcraft and the Gay Counterculture". Frieze. Retrieved July 22, 2019.
- ^ "Arthur Evans, gay pioneer".
- ISBN 9780915480012.
- ^ a b Douglas Martin (September 17, 2011). "Arthur Evans, at 68; was fervent activist for gay rights". The Boston Globe. Boston, Massachusetts, The United States. Retrieved February 22, 2018.
- ISBN 9780964538405.
- ISBN 9781904768548.
- ^ Evan Minsker (May 8, 2014). "The Soft Pink Truth (Matmos' Drew Daniel) Covers Black Metal With Antony, Wye Oak on New Album". Pitchfork. Retrieved March 14, 2018.
- ISBN 9781732284401.
- ^ Arthur Evans. "Gay Meaning". Moorish Orthodox Information Kiosk. Retrieved March 14, 2018.
- ^ "The Evans Symposium". White Crane Institute. December 4, 2018. Retrieved December 25, 2019.
Further reading
Archival sources
- Arnie Kantrowitz Papers, 1958-1995 (14 linear feet) are housed at the New York Public Library.
- Gay Activists Alliance, New York Collection, 1969-1998 (2 linear feet) are housed at the ONE National Gay and Lesbian Archives.
- Rink photographs, 1975-1985 are housed at the ONE National Gay and Lesbian Archives. Includes photographs of Arthur Evans from 1997.
- Randy Alfred Subject Files and Sound Recordings (circa 22 linear feet) are housed at the GLBT Historical Society.
External links
- Tim Redmond (September 13, 2011). "Arthur Evans Dies - 69". San Francisco Bay Guardian. San Francisco, California, The United States.
- Tommi Avicolli Mecca (September 13, 2011). "Gay Activist and Writer Arthur Evans Dies". Salon. The United States. Archived from the original on October 6, 2012.
- Karen Ocomb (September 13, 2011). "Gay Activist Alliance Co-Founder Arthur Evans Dies". LGBTPOV. Archived from the original on November 4, 2011. Retrieved September 14, 2011.
- Cynthia Laird (September 15, 2011). "Gay pioneer Arthur Evans dies". Bay Area Reporter. San Francisco, California, The United States.
- Arthur Evans at IMDb