The Oregon Guild was founded in 1989 as a volunteer non-profit organization whose mission was to provide a safe place for s/m play as well as educational activities for people interested in s/m. In 1992, the Guild was officially incorporated as a nonprofit organization. The Guild hosted parties at their rented space in Portland, OR, and also published a monthly newsletter entitled "Up and Cumming With the Oregon Guild of Activists in SM".
In 1992, the Guild came under attack from an anti-gay group known as the Oregon Citizens Alliance (OCA) who proposed a measure (Measure 9) to amend the Oregon constitution so as to remove any protections from discrimination based on sexual orientation. However, the measure was defeated that year. The Guild occupied four different locations in Portland over the course of their history. The Guild was legally dissolved in 2006, after several years of inactivity. Upon its official dissolution, the administrative records of the Guild were donated to the LA&M.
Board elections were held in August, and board members are listed by the year(s) they were elected.
List of Board Members
Locations of Club Houses used by the Guild, in chronological order
All issues of "Up and Cumming with ORGASM!" which include those published between 1990 and 1992. The newsletters have been placed in the vertical files. These include the following issues: 1990 (Vol 2) # 9-11, 1991 (Vol 3) #1-12 and 1992 (Vol 4) #1-11.
Two posters - one for an anti-OCA event and another for a male play party - have been removed and placed in the poster files.
Three t-shirts with the ORGASM logo.
Oral history by Conrad Hodson.
The collection consists of the administrative records and artifacts of the Guild, newsletters published by the Guild, and other documents related to its involvement in the local s/m community in Oregon. Papers in the collection date from 1990 to 2007.
This series includes administrative materials produced and collected by the Guild. Included are record of correspondence between the Guild and other clubs, minutes from board meetings, promotional materials for the Guild's educational events, announcements sent by outside vendors and clubs to ORGASM, membership forms, party rules and releases, documents related to the participation of guild members in the 1991 Portland Leatherman/Leatherwoman contest. Also included are documents related to the 1992 conflict between the anti-gay group OCA and the Oregon Guild, which began with the Guild's eviction from their rented house. Some items have been artificially arranged and noted as such, within the Guild Board folder.
This series encompasses those files used in the publication of the Oregon Guild's monthly newsletter during the years 1990-1992. Included in this series is a collection of layout art by the artist The Hun, personal ads sent by Guild members for publication in the newsletter, stories and essays included in newsletter issues, and a proof copy of one newsletter issue. An essay by Conrad Hodson has been artificially arranged within the Stories and Essays folder.
These are the financial records of the Guild. This includes bank statements, receipts and documents related to the financial assets and legal non-profit status of the Guild. Some loose items have been artificially arranged into the Miscellaneous folder.