Last week, the first North American museum dedicated to the history of gays opened its doors in San Francisco.
The GLBT History Museum is a project of the GLBT (Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender) Historical Society, an archives and research center established in 1985. The new museum will be the first of its kind in the United States—and only the second in the world.
“A quarter century after the founding of the GLBT Historical Society, we’re proud to open a museum to showcase our community’s history,” said Paul Boneberg, executive director of the Historical Society.
“The GLBT History Museum is in the heart of the Castro, a neighbourhood visited not only by locals, but also by tens of thousands of tourists every year who come in search of queer culture.
“At our museum, they’ll discover treasures from our archives that reflect fascinating stories spanning nearly a century of GLBT life. We have gone all out to create a museum as rich, diverse and surprising as the GLBT community itself. Whether they are gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender or straight, visitors are sure to be moved, enlightened and entertained.”
The museum will feature two debut exhibitions: in the main gallery, Our Vast Queer Past: Celebrating GLBT History; and in the front gallery, Great Collections of the GLBT Historical Society Archives.
The GLBT History Museum joins the Schwules Museum, founded 25 years ago in Berlin, as one of only two stand-alone, full-scale museums devoted to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender history.