Polls

Polls offered an easy opportunity for participants to interact with the journals in anonymous and low-stakes ways. In the earlier years of the journals, students often answered the polls with the (binary) gender symbol they identified with. Topics for polls not only touched on prominent issues of LGBTQ identity, but also were fun and informal ways of discussing universal questions that undergraduate students of the 80s, 90s and today speak about amongst themselves: sexuality, romance, popular culture, mental health, and more.

Image of "Polls" Section Label Part 1

Image of "Polls" Section Label Part 2

Journal Poll Excerpts

“Raise your hand if you need to get laid!”

Uncredited, Journal 5, c. 1990

Transcript: (Top) Oh sleepy day

Okay, it's been done before, but let's update it...

RAISE YOUR HAND IF YOU NEED TO GET LAID!

Help me! Me! Oh Yeah, Me! Pick me! I'm too weak w/ lust to raise my hand, Please!

“Strike List”

Uncredited, Journal 6, c. 1991

Transcript: (Top) Strike List

Are you confused about your sexual orientation?

(Column 1)

Do you like:

Spices and spice racks

Cooking

Vitmans

The color red

Leather

Juice

Volleyball

Little Orphan Annie

The Song "Tomorrow"

Blondie

Doc Martens

Levi's 501's

Chaps oh yeah

Architecture

Fiestaware

Antiques

Dead houseplants

Royalty

Purple

Dried Flowers

Camel cigs

Honey

(Column 2)

Incense

Birkenstocks

Granola

Tabouli

All things Egyptian

Angel hair pasta

Prosciutto

Cats (+ little dogs)

Converse high tops

The Hunger

Charlie Brown and Peppermint Patty

Madonna Ooh!!

Barbara Streisand ENTL

Joan Crawford

Annie Lennox

Grace Jones

K.D.

The Gap

Pasta n' Pesto

Aloe Vera

Candles

Ancient Greece n' Rome

Backpacks

New England

Provincetown

Clams

(Column 3)

The child within codependent no more?

Motorcycles

Phantom of the Opera

Les Mis

Carly Simon

Judy Collins

Baseball caps

Absolut

Fellini's

Coffee Exchange

French

All Euro Things

Big Red Gum

Aquatic life

Dolpjins

Mermaids

San Francisco

The theater

Little dogs

Power of myth

Chandeliers

Gertrude Stein

Willa Cather

Anne Rice

Lisa Stansfield

Librairies

(OVER)

Sex/Love Polls

In the “Mannie and Annie” poll, participants are encouraged to write their gender symbol next to sexual acts that they have or haven’t engaged in. The “Sappy and Happy” poll was made in response, asking participants to draw their gender symbol next to the romantic act that they have or haven’t engaged in.

The connection/tension existing between sex and romance as part of the LGBTQ experience was a well explored topic throughout the journals. These polls, which illustrate both sides of the (false) sex and romance binary, reflect an important dialogue that was happening between LGSA members, as well as the diversity of experiences both romantically and sexually amongst LGSA members.

"Manny and Annie Poll" Journal Entry

"Manny and Annie Poll"

Journal 5, c. 1990

Transcript: (Top) The New Manny + Annie Poll with special help from Angela Mama LGBA

(Column 1 Title) Would You? Have You? (Column 2 Title) Yes (Column 3 Title) Nope

Have you been tied up before; during or after sex?

Do you have leather fantasies

Do you own a sex toy?

Would you own a sex toy?

Would you pierce your genitals?

Have you been whipped?

Do you have size fetish large breasts large penis?

Size fetish small breasts small penis (redacted)?

Would you be spanked?

Would you be fisted?

Would you get it up the butt?

Did you ever act out a fantasy with anyone?

"The Sappy Happy Poll" Journal Entry

"The Sappy Happy Poll" Part 1

Journal 5, c. 1990

Transcript: (Top) Are you a satanic pedophile? ---> "a person who is attracted to little persons"

4/5/90

"No metal in this cunt" - Cori (redacted)

(during conversation about genital rings)

Are you saying im cliche? - Terry

The Sad Happy Poll by Deborah, Miguel + Cori Romantic Fools at Heart)

(Column 1 Title) Have you ever (Column 2 Title) Yes (Column 3 Title) No

Walked in the rain holding hands?

Been serenaded or serenaded someone (w/ a NICE song)?

Sent a love-letter?

Written a song for someone? (or poem)

Had a song written for you (or poem)?

Dedicated a song on the radio?

Anonymously sent flowers or received?

"The Sappy Happy Poll" Part 2

Journal 5, c. 1990

Transcript: (Top)

(Column 1 Title) Done This? Huh? (Column 2 Title) Yes (Column 3 Title) Nohow

Fell in love (not lust) at first sight

Slow-danced but not to music?

Walked w/ your hands in the other person's (jeans) pockets?

(all right, so it's high school nostalgia time)

All this goody goof stuff has got to stop I can't take it! Sex and luv are difficult so don't mix them up JQ MH

From the Did You Know File: Did you know the author of Peter Pan was a pedophile and the story was based on a game he would play with the kids from John Money's: Gay, Straight, + In-Between - Carolyn

<--- Best Poll Yet } Lies - ours was better Manny + Annie

Manny, there's nothing about sex in the last poll. It's not mixed up. Sex & Luv can be & usually are separate, at least for U and me, two Jaded Old Queens - Billy-boy

Page updated

Report abuse