Stephen Donaldson
Biography
Stephen Donaldson, born Robert A. Martin Jr., was a writer, bisexual-rights activist and advocate against sexual assault in prisons. NYPL’s archive biography records his arrest at a Quaker peace protest at the White House in 1973 and subsequent confinement in the Washington, D.C. jail, where he was sexually assaulted. In a recollection published by Brown University, Beth Taylor links Robert Martin to Donaldson and describes the protest against the bombing of Cambodia, his decision not to pay $10, and the Quaker community’s help in securing his release. Just Detention International independently identifies the peace-protest arrest and jail experience as central to his later advocacy. This case concerns that antiwar protest detention. His later felony imprisonment and parole violation are separate episodes and are not represented as imprisonment for the 1973 protest. NYPL records his birth on July 27, 1946, and death in New York City on July 18, 1996.
Verified detail sources (October 9, 2026): NYPL’s archival biography identifies Stephen Donaldson as Robert A. Martin Jr., uses he/him, and records arrest at a Quaker White House peace protest and subsequent Washington, D.C. confinement in 1973. Both case dates are recorded with year precision. His later criminal imprisonment is a separate episode. Source 1.
