Tip McGuire Papers

Provenance

These papers are the gift of Tip McGuire.

Scope and Content

This collection is divided into four primary sections. The first is made up of brochures and pamphlets from a number of political causes in which McGuire was involved in the 1970s, 80s, and early 90s in the New York City area, including gay rights, the rights of gay and lesbian teachers, and advocacy on behalf of gay and troubled youth. The second section is composed of more personal documentation: correspondence with friends, incarcerated men, and potential and current lovers; and also brochures and catalogs from sellers of pornography and adult toys and clothing. The third section (bridging the end of the first box to the beginning of the second) is related to the Driftwood Floating Theater Company, a showboat on the upper Hudson River that McGuire ran in the 80s and 90s, particularly in the summers. This section includes promotional materials, financial documentation, and correspondence with actors, creditors, and other showboat companies. The fourth and final section includes publicity, instructional, and day-to-day bureaucratic material from a number of different leather, S&M, and bondage groups in which McGuire participated in the 1990s, particularly the Gay Male S/M Activists (GMSMA). There are a number of amateur photographs from these activities as well.

History or Bio

Thomas Peter “Tip” McGuire was born on April 27, 1945. He grew up in New York City and was interested in the performing arts from an early age. In 1962 he joined the Driftwood Floating Theater Company, for which he worked on and off through the mid-1990s. In 1965 he volunteered for the US Navy and spent a year and a half on active duty in the Mediterranean. He received Bachelor’s and Master’s Degrees in English Literature from California State University in Los Angeles in the mid-1980s, and then worked as a high school English teacher in New York City. A seasoned activist on behalf of gay rights and sexual freedoms in general, he was a long-term member of both the Lesbian and Gay Teachers’ Association (LGTA) and the Gay Male S/M activists (GMSMA).

Folder List