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Morton Singer Papers

 Collection
Identifier: A3214

Scope and Contents

The papers are comprised of correspondence, notes, news articles, and publications relating primarily to Dr. Morton Singer’s AIDS and LBGTQ activism from 1990 to 1996. The bulk of the papers date from 1991 to 1993 and are arranged alphabetically by topic. Files relating to ACT UP/STL contain correspondence, flyers for meetings and demonstrations, and notes by Dr. Singer for press conferences. On December 1, 1992, ACT UP/STL held a candlelight vigil in commemoration of World AIDS Day in Forest Park (f.1). There are two issues of Take Charge St. Lous: An HIV Treatment Newsletter published by the ACT UP/STL Treatment Issues Group (1993-1994). There is also a program for a January 1994 town meeting held by the Treatment Issues Group published as Take Charge – Creating Options: New AIDS Therapies (f.3). Additionally, there is a program for Brian Weil’s AIDS photograph exhibition (f.5) and public awareness stickers for safe sex (f.6). ACT UP/STL also worked with other organizations such as Queer Nation/St. Louis and Catholics for Choice to educate the public about the attitudes of the Catholic Church toward women and queers (f.2). The ACT UP/STL records file contains a new member packet, reports on medical access in St. Louis and demographics, and a proposal for an HIV treatment resource library. The Privacy Rights Education Project (PREP) files relate primarily to Missouri state legislation, particularly concerning privacy rights in HIV testing for both patients and medical professionals. Dr. Singer corresponded with state legislators and testified before committees considering various bills. He often spoke for PREP, ACT UP/STL, and as a medical doctor. In 1992, PREP issued An AIDS Reader, comprised of reproductions of newspaper and journal articles and reports such as Americans Living with AIDS by the National Commission on Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (1991) (f.10). The file of records contains one newsletter, Eye on Privacy (vol. 1, no. 1, 1991), legislative committee minutes from a December 1991 meeting, notes for a press conference, and a flyer for Lobby Day and training in January 1992 (co-sponsored by the Human Rights Project) (f.17). Singer also participated in the 1993 March on Washington for Lesbian, Gay, and Bi Equal Rights and Liberation. In addition to programs and newspapers published for the occasion by the Washington office, there is a flyer from Dynamic Travel, Inc. and the March on Washington St. Louis Committee. There is also an application from the Saint Louis Lesbian & Gay Pride Celebration Committee offering travel and lodging expense assistance. A commemorative program for the NAMES Project AIDS Memorial Quilt (1992) and a booklet listing all names as of July 15, 1992, complete the collection.

Dates

  • 1990-1996
  • Majority of material found within 1991-1993

Creator

Conditions Governing Access

The collection is open for research use.

Conditions Governing Use

For permission to publish, quote from, or reproduce material in this collection, please contact the Archives Reference Desk at archives@mohistory.org. Copyright restrictions may apply. The researcher assumes full responsibility for conforming to the laws of copyright.

Biographical Sketch

Morton “Buddy” Singer is a medical doctor and gay rights activist based in the St. Louis area. He graduated from the University of Missouri-Columbia School of Medicine in 1983 and completed his residency in family medicine at Case Western Reserve University / University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center in 1986. Dr. Singer has been practicing in St. Louis County for over thirty-five years. During the height of the AIDS crisis in the 1980s and 1990s, Singer was one of a small number of physicians in the area who treated patients with HIV and AIDS. Dr. Singer became involved in activism related to gay and lesbian rights and the rights of people with HIV. He was an early and influential member of the Privacy Rights Education Project (PREP), which was the progenitor of PROMO, Missouri's state-level LGBTQ political advocacy group. In July 1986, PREP formed in St. Louis as a response to the U.S. Supreme Court decision in Bowers v. Hardwick. It was a nonprofit organization founded with the goal of furthering the cause of privacy rights in general and gay and lesbian rights in particular. Dr. Singer served as a medical advisor and a member of the St. Louis HIV Care Consortium, which was established under the Ryan White AIDS Resources Act of 1990. He was an active member of ACT UP/STL, the local chapter of AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power (ACT UP), which was founded in New York City in 1987. ACT UP is a grassroots, nonpartisan group working to end the AIDS crisis through direct action, medical research, treatment and advocacy, and working to change legislation and public policies. The St. Louis chapter lobbied Missouri state legislators in the interests of people with HIV and executed direct action protests.

Extent

0.5 Cubic Feet ( (1 box))

Language of Materials

English

Arrangement

Alphabetical by topic

Physical and Technical Requirements

There are no physical or technical restrictions.

Donor Information

The papers were donated by Dr. Morton Singer in 2022 (accession number 2022-036).

Related Materials

For more on PREP and ACT UP/St. Louis, please see: 1. Michael S. Slawin Collection (A1519), MHS Archives 2. Saint Louis Gay and Lesbian Community Collection (A1422), MHS Archives.

Processing Information

Processed with funding from The Stuart Foundation, Inc. by Kristina Perez, 2022.

Title
Morton Singer Papers
Status
Completed
Author
EAD by Kristina Perez using ArchivesSpace
Date
2022
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin

Repository Details

Part of the Missouri Historical Society Library and Research Center Repository

Contact:
225 S. Skinker Blvd.
St. Louis MO 63105 United States
314-746-4510