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Max D. Movsovitz papers

 Collection
Call Number: RH MS 1140

Overview

Topeka resident Max D. Movsovitz was cited on April 28, 1995 for sexual solicitation in Topeka's Gage Park. He was fined and ordered to stay out of the Park for two years. Movsovitz fought the charges, claiming that the Topeka ordinance was unconstitutional. Movsovitz lost his case but took it to the Court of Appeals and finally to the Supreme Court of Kansas where he ultimately lost. This collection of his papers reflects these activities and includes legal briefs and documents, legal correspondence, personal correspondence regarding the case, and newspaper and magazine articles.

Dates

  • Creation: 1980 - 2000

Creator

Conditions Governing Access

No access restrictions.

Conditions Governing Use

Spencer Library staff may determine use restrictions dependent on the physical condition of manuscript materials.

Biography of Max D. Movsovitz

Max D. Movsovitz is a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia. Movsovitz moved to Topeka in 1992 where he lived and worked as an artist.

Movsovitz was a resident of the city of Topeka, Kansas when he was arrested for sexual solicitation on April 28, 1995. He was fined and ordered to stay out of Gage Park for two years. As a gay man, Movsovitz believed the Topeka ordinance on sodomy to be unconstitutional as it applied only to homosexuals and not to heterosexuals. He fought the charges and lost, but took the case first to the Kansas Court of Appeals and finally to the Supreme Court of Kansas where he ultimately lost.

Extent

2.5 Linear Feet (5 boxes + 1 oversize box, 1 DVD)

Language of Materials

English

Scope and Contents

The Max D. Movsovitz papers date from 1980 to 2000. Legal documents are the largest portion of this collection at 1.5 linear feet (3 boxes). They reflect Movsovitz's initial case in municipal court, his appeal to the Kansas Court of Appeals, and finally to the Supreme Court of Kansas.

Newspaper and magazine articles are also a significant portion of the collection at .5 linear feet (1 box, 1 oversize box at RH MS Q290). There is also a DVD of a panel discussion at Washburn University about Kansas sodomy law, in which Movsovitz participated.

Mosvovitz also collected community responses to the legal case, including those of Pastor Fred Phelps and the Westboro Baptist Church in Topeka, Kansas.

Physical Location

RH MS 1140

Physical Location

RH MS Q290

Physical Location

KC AV 107

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Gift, Max D. Movsovitz, 2008.

Title
Guide to the Max D. Movsovitz Collection
Subtitle
Max D. Movsovitz papers
Author
Finding aid prepared by skt, 2008. Finding aid encoded by skt, 2008. Finding aid revised by cl, 2010; mwh, 2021.
Date
2008
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
Finding aid written in English.
Finding aid permalink
http://hdl.handle.net/10407/6313993212
Preferred citation
Max D. Movsovitz papers, Kansas Collection, RH MS 1140, Kenneth Spencer Research Library, University of Kansas

Repository Details

Part of the University of Kansas. Kenneth Spencer Research Library Repository

Contact:
1450 Poplar Lane
Lawrence KS 66045-7616 United States
785-864-4334