Scope and Content Note
The papers of Paul Kuntzler span the years of 1941-2017, with the bulk of the material ranging from 1959 to 2017. The collection contains a Subject File consisting of correspondence, news clippings, printed matter, photographs, and other material documenting Paul Kuntzler's personal life and his role as an advocate for gay rights. Arriving in Washington D.C. in 1961, Kuntzler soon befriended gay rights activist Frank Kameny, and either joined or helped co-found several organizations, including the Mattachine Society of Washington and the Gay Activist Alliance of Washington D.C., and helped plan the first East Coast Homophile Organizations (ECHO) conference in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1963. Featured prominently in the Subject File series are personal documents related to both Paul and his partner Stephen B. Miller, whose death in 2004 culminated a forty-two year relationship. Other highlights in the Subject File series include documents relating to Kuntzler's activism and involvement in local and national political campaigns; notably his role in David Catania's Washington D.C. mayoral bid and James P. Zais' campaign for Washington D.C. councilmember. Additionally, Paul focused his later years on the conspiracy theories surrounding the assassination of John F. Kennedy, going so far as to pay for a two-page advertisement in the New York Times detailing his theories. This advertisement can be found in the Oversize series, along with a poster from the 1965 ECHO conference, a 1980 Democratic primary poster urging Washington D.C. citizens to vote for gay delegates to represent at the Democratic National Convention, and a small print by Michael Willhoite given to Paul on behalf of the Gertrude Stein Democratic Club.