LGBTQ History

Graduation cap, gown, rainbow-colored stole, and costume wings in the pattern of Monarch butterfly wings. The top of the cap is decorated with flowers and has a message, "I am one of those people Mexico sent."
Making history happen: Reflecting on DACA and its impact
In 2011, one year after the Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors (DREAM) Act failed to pass through the Senate, members of...
Detail from the cover of the magazine, ONE: The Homosexual Viewpoint, with a black-and-white illustration of the Biblical Magi
Servant of God: How a 1960s magazine addressed gay men’s spiritual needs
The cover of the December 1960 issue of “ONE: The Homosexual Viewpoint,” titled “Homosexual, Servant of God,” picturing three kings on...
The story behind the photograph: Gay Dads Kissing, 1983
For Michael and Robert, the quick peck before a walk around the lake with Michael’s son was an ordinary moment. For J. Ross Baughman, it...
Skateboard
A place at the park: LGBTQ+ inclusion and skateboarding
When you think about the culture around skateboarding, you might think about the laid-back vibe of acceptance and inclusion that the sport...
The most radical thing about Stonewall wasn’t the uprising
The Stonewall uprising began June 28, 1969, in response to a police raid at The Stonewall Inn, a gay bar in New York, and has since...
Multiple rainbows flag items
Reading the rainbow: The origins of the pride symbol
In 2017, in response to a slew of racist incidents in the Gayborhood, Philadelphia added black and brown stripes to the traditional six-...
Cartoon drawing of a tangled ball of yarn with emotions such as “anxiety” and “rage” tangled up
The history of getting the gay out
Title page to Garrard Conley's workbook from the gay-conversion camp Love in ActionIt is dangerous to be different, and certain kinds of...
File of condolence letters
Matt Shepard objects in our collection remind us of the familiarity of an LGBTQ icon
In October 1998, a college student named Matt Shepard was brutally murdered in Laramie, Wyoming, by two young men. Matt was slight of build...
Silver coin with Queen Cristina of Sweden
Queer coins: LGBTQ rulers through history
With Pride Month celebrations recognizing LGBTQ history and culture throughout the country this June, what better way to highlight the...
An elaborate outfit comprising a crimson robe with matching skirt with gold lace overlay. There is a sloping sash placed around the shoulders and a hat with four points.
The woman who would be cardinal
In reflecting on National Coming Out Day, Curator Kenneth Cohen was reminded of the fascinating story of Charlotte Cushman that we've...
Scene on stage with costumes, bandstand, musicians
Queens and queers: The rise of drag ball culture in the 1920s
While watching a screening of Paris is Burning hosted by the Smithsonian Latino Center, I was entranced by the dazzling...
Four buttons. "How dare you presume I'm heterosexual!" "Come out, come out." "I AM R U." "Closets are for clothes."
"Better Gay than Grumpy"
"Better Gay than Grumpy""My Unicorn is a Lesbian. Is Yours?""I'm Straight. But not Narrow"The National Museum of American History recently...
Woman sitting on couch with turquoise fabric in her lap, holding some of its folds. Smiling. Gray couch, bookshelf in background.
The AIDS Quilt: A Memorial
Curator Dr. Katherine Ott invited students in Dr. Samuel J. Redman's Museum/Historic Site Interpretation Seminar to explore the museum's...
White and blue tennis Dress, worn by Bille Jean King during the "Battle of the Sexes"
Spinsters, confirmed bachelors, and LGBTQ collecting
As objects representing Lesbian, Gay, Bi-sexual, Transgender, Queer/Questioning history enter the museum's collection today,...
Tie, note book
A look back at LGBTQ+ rights
On its 10th anniversary, Curator Katherine Ott discusses the landmark case of Lawrence v. Texas.On a warm September evening in 1998,...
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Helping People with AIDS organization records donated to the Archives Center
Editor's note: This post was originally posted on the Smithsonian Collections Blog. December 1st is World AIDS Day.   Helping...
People on a stage
Capturing D.C.'s rich Latino history
The Latino D.C. History Project is an initiative to document, preserve, interpret, and display the varied stories of Latino life in the...
Person with gloves and specialized equipment and fact mask in lab setting
The anatomy of a discovery: Q&A with HIV researcher Dr. Jay Levy
It’s been 30 years since the first cases of HIV and AIDS were reported and, since then, the disease has created a...
Button with "National AIDS Vigil" text in white on black background
Speaking out about HIV/AIDS, one button at a time
Editor's Note: This is the fifth post in a series exploring the 30th anniversary of HIV and AIDS. Beginning last June 3, the National...
Quilt spread out with many people looking at it, some kneeling
Collecting an Epidemic: The AIDS Memorial Quilt
Editor’s Note: This is the fourth post in a series exploring the 30th anniversary of HIV and AIDS. Beginning on June 3, the National Museum...
Color photograph of four people in which shirts, arms inter-linked, walking on or standing in street during daytime, parade crowd in background
Interview: "Teaching AIDS" in the early 1980s
Editor’s Note: This is the second post in a series exploring the 30th anniversary of HIV and AIDS. Beginning on June 3, the National Museum...
Time magazine cover with text: "AIDS The Growing Threat / What's Being Done"
A brief history of AZT
AIDS - The Growing Threat, What’s Being Done. Time Magazine, Aug. 12, 1985.Editor’s note: The museum is planning a special display of...