Welcome to the Gay Monopoly Archive Project!
What is Gay Monopoly?
Created by "The Parker Sisters" (a parody of "The Parker Brothers"), Gay Monopoly is a 1983 board game parodying traditional Monopoly. Traditional game pieces are replaced with things like a stiletto heel or handcuffs, properties are now queer districts, you build bathhouses instead of hotels, and the gameplay has been altered to include trivia elements. The production of this game was short-lived, as Hasbro supposedly filed a copyright claim against the game, resulting in production being halted. As a result, this game is exceedingly rare, with copies going for hundreds of dollars on second-hand sites. There is no intact copy of it available online, with the closest being an incomplete copy in Board Game Simulator by YouTuber KamSandwich, pieced together with what's available online. Little information aside from the above is publicly known. The Board Game Geek page for the game has pretty much all information available through Google. Finding anything beyond that will take some digging.
What is this blog's goal?
This blog has two main goals: 1) Investigate the origins of the board game in an attempt to try and find anything about its origins that can be gathered. (Privacy of individuals will be respected.) This information will be tagged "origins". 2) Place the elements of the board game within its original cultural context. Each piece, card, and place on the board has its own place in history, especially that of the time, and I hope to seek out more information about them. This information will be tagged "context". 3) Archive the game and pieces itself. Scans, photos, and other documentation of physical elements will be tagged "physical game".
Why are you doing this?
A mixture of intrigue, determination, a passion for queer history, and spite. The game is a camp time capsule of the queer culture of 80's, and deserves to be thoroughly documented and archived, as well as seen in its proper context. One can only see parts of the game that reflect the time period called "wack crap" and "homophobic" so many times before they figure they have to do something about it.
Who are you?
I'm a 24-year-old college student doing this as a passion project. I am queer, trans, and have a passion for queer culture and history, as well as archival media and other preservation efforts, digital and otherwise. Updates will be based entirely on when life allows me to work on this project.
I have questions about Gay Monopoly/something on the blog; how do I ask it?
Asks are always on, as is anon. Feel free to ask whatever you'd like. Messages are another option, and will not be published unless permission is given. Replies to both may be slow, as person hiatuses will be taken.
I have relevant information. How do I share it?
Please send an ask or DM. As stated above, anon is on for asks, and all DM's are private unless permission to share them is explicitly given.
