Hal Riegger, letters (1954-1961)

Hal Riegger, letters from the potter mentioning bringing his pots to Los Angeles that might be appreciated by the gay crowd; hoping for greater cooperation with the Mattachine Society; expressing his opinions on psychiatry; writing about individual therapy and his interest in Albert Ellis; stating his satisfaction with his gay marriage to a bisexual man who was fighting in Korea; mentioning the fulfillment of man as a pluri-sexual animal and the commonalities between heterosexuals and homosexuals; discussing happiness, maturity, and complacency; recommending Frank Townsend's Earth; returning to teaching and spending more time in self-discovery than pottery; discussing philosophy and Gerald Heard as a balance for Blanche Baker; noticing a greater lack of unity in Florida than California, and greater escapism in bars than in San Francisco; finding a family in ONE, but wanting more direct communication with other letter writers; mentioning creating a collection of tapes in gay bars and the patrons' fear of exposure; recounting his arrest in a police raid at Shirley's bar, and a fire at the Driftwood in Tampa (1954-1961)

哈尔·里格（Hal Riegger）本人即为一名陶艺家，其所留存的书信涵盖以下内容：将个人陶艺作品带往洛杉矶，以期获得同性恋群体的认可；期望与马特奇尼协会（Mattachine Society）展开更深入的合作；阐述自身对精神医学的见解；谈及个体心理治疗以及对阿尔伯特·埃利斯（Albert Ellis）的关注；坦言自己与一名赴朝参战的双性恋男子的同性婚姻令他倍感满足；提及“人作为多性恋动物的完满性”这一概念，并探讨异性恋与同性恋之间的共通之处；讨论幸福、成熟与自满情绪；推荐弗兰克·汤森德（Frank Townsend）的著作《Earth》（地球）；重返教职岗位，且在自我探索上投入的时间远多于陶艺创作；探讨哲学思想，以及杰拉尔德·赫德（Gerald Heard）作为布兰奇·贝克（Blanche Baker）的平衡依托；留意到佛罗里达州的群体凝聚力弱于加利福尼亚州，且当地酒吧的逃避主义氛围比旧金山更为浓重；在"ONE"组织中找到了社群归属感，但渴望与其他写信者展开更直接的沟通；录制了一批记录同性恋酒吧场景及顾客对身份曝光的恐惧的录音带；讲述自己在雪莉酒吧（Shirley's bar）的警方突击行动中被捕的经历，以及1954年至1961年间坦帕市“漂流木”酒吧（Driftwood）发生的火灾事件。