Records of Coyote, 1962-1989

Series I, Margo St. James (#1-18), consists of resumes and other biographical material, letters from her mother and other family members, and records from her work as a private investigator, which are closed for 60 years after the date of the most recent document in the respective folder.

Series II, Historical and organizational (#19-48), includes photographs of St. James and some material documenting her interest in running; resumes of Priscilla Alexander and other National Task Force on Prostitution staff; statements of purpose, position papers, and information sheets issued by COYOTE and National Task Force on Prostitution; articles and interviews by St. James and Priscilla Alexander; and audio and video recordings of interviews with St. James.

Series III, Correspondence (#49-250f+), is arranged in three sections reflecting the filing system maintained by COYOTE: alphabetical, chronological (primarily incoming), and chronological (primarily carbon copies of outgoing mail). Portions are closed to protect the privacy of correspondents and the identities of COYOTE members.

Series IV, Publicity (#251-258), consists of COYOTE Howls and other publications (COYOTE Calls, COYOTE Growls, International COYOTE Howls, and National Task Force on Prostitution News), and publications, flyers, news releases, and articles about COYOTE issued on COYOTE stationery and used for publicity.

Series V, Clippings and articles re: COYOTE, National Task Force on Prostitution, St. James, etc. (#259-281ao) is available only on microfilm (M-143). Most of the originals were discarded after filming.

Series VI, Calendars (#282-292), consists of appointment books kept by Margo St. James and others. Blank pages were discarded; only titles that refer to women are noted in the finding aid.

Series VII, Phone logs (#293-324), record names, phone numbers and dates of conversations. Most concern organizational work, with some intra-office communication and some lists of things to do. There are also notes of conversations with prostitutes that include their names and addresses. This series is closed for 60 years after the date of the most recent document in the respective folder.

Series VIII, Mailing and contact lists (#325-365), consists of completed membership forms, computer printouts of a database containing COYOTE's mailing list, and photocopies of card files containing contact and member names and addresses. The original card files were discarded. In 1979 COYOTE began using a coded database in which W=Women's Group, X=Press, L=Lawyers, and D=Doctors; A may have meant Foreign. The lists of women's groups, press, lawyers, and doctors are open. Additions and lists that are mixed are closed for 60 years after the date a list was generated or additions were collected.

Series IX, Events sponsored by COYOTE (#366-425o), consists of correspondence, publicity, budgets and financial documents, etc., concerning balls, conventions, film festivals, and other events. Often planning for two or more events was simultaneous and correspondence regarding one event may therefore appear in the files of another.

Series X, Sister organizations, related projects and groups (#426-558), consists of two parts: newsletters, correspondence, flyers, clippings, etc., of sister organizations in the U.S. and abroad; and material concerning related projects and organizations. The latter consists first of those projects in which COYOTE or COYOTE staff were involved, followed by projects and organizations that seem to have had less connection to COYOTE or its staff. Some files may have been kept by Priscilla Alexander or St. James as part of her own work, separate from COYOTE; the issues tend to overlap however.

Series XI, Victoria C. Woodhull Memorial Foundation (#559-597), includes incorporation papers; minutes; correspondence; ledgers, bank statements, payroll documents and other financial material; and documents used in preparation for a legal dispute with Seen Sal regarding the 1979 ball. Some of the material is useful in sorting out the relationships among Victoria C. Woodhull Memorial Foundation, COYOTE, and National Task Force on Prostitution.

Series XII, Grant proposals (598-629), consists of correspondence, budgets, etc., concerning efforts to secure funding for COYOTE and National Task Force on Prostitution, as well as proposals for projects that may have been related to COYOTE or COYOTE staff or may have been used by COYOTE staff in preparation of their own proposals. Also included are proposals from Priscilla Alexander as part of her attempt to find another position.

Series XIII, Financial (#630-719), consists of receipts and other supporting material for Margo St. James's income tax returns; bills, receipts, calculator tapes, bank statements, check registers, ledgers, etc., of COYOTE and COYOTE Howls including the sale of t-shirts and other COYOTE memorabilia; and the financial and legal records of the Masquerade Corporation. In most cases, only a sample of receipts and bills was retained; often the calculator tapes provide a summary. See Series XI for additional financial material.

Series XIV, Conferences attended by St. James or Priscilla Alexander (#720-775), includes programs, handouts, schedules, press kits, etc., from national and regional conferences on women and the law, the IWY conferences in Houston and Copenhagen; the International Feminist Network Against the Traffic in Women: Organizing Against Female Sexual Slavery conference in Rotterdam; and others. The year from which the material dates is indicated only if it is different from the year in which the conference took place.

Series XV, Creative works (#776-852o), includes television and theater scripts, short stories and other fiction, poetry, reviews, drawings, and photographs, as well as non-fiction, clippings, correspondence, notes, and other supporting material. Almost all works are about prostitution, many are about Margo St. James or COYOTE, and many were sent to St. James for her review. This series also includes material about Margo St. James's television appearances.

Series XVI, Court cases and legislation (#853-922), includes legal documents (motions, briefs, etc.), bills and drafts of legislation, reports, and some correspondence. Most documents pertain to people charged with prostitution or to bills regulating prostitution. Other issues represented are AIDS, pornography, and police procedures. Most was collected by COYOTE as background material, but a few folders indicate COYOTE involvement.

Series XVII, Research papers and publications, 1974-1985 (#923-986), consists of unpublished student, conference, and other papers; published journal articles, chapters, and pamphlets; a few grant proposals and questionnaires; a few accompanying letters; and a book. A photocopy of the subject, author, and title index COYOTE created is in #923; many of the articles in this index do not appear here. This series is arranged alphabetically by author or, if no author was evident, title. Questionnaires are filed under "Q." Most material is by Americans, and documents prostitution, rape, women in prison, and other topics with which COYOTE was concerned; there is little about COYOTE (see works by Beath, Haft, Rocha, and Thomas). Some of the material is from feminist organizations, such as NOW, or other prostitutes' unions, such as the English Collective of Prostitutes or WHISPER. A few articles from readily available publications were discarded.

Series XVIII, Clippings, articles re: prostitution (#966-986), is available only on microfilm (M-143). Most of the originals were discarded after filming.

Photocopied originals of material other than clippings have also been discarded.

Headings are those of COYOTE; information in brackets was added by the processors. Multiple terms related to sex work are found throughout the collection. Terms include prostitute, hooker, whore, harlot, and sex worker. St. James and fellow activists used all of these descriptors, choosing to reclaim terminology that others might interpret as anachronistic or derogatory.