Vandals Strike GLBT History Museum: Front
Windows Shattered in Early-Morning Incident
 | The GLBT History Museum immediately after vandals smashed the front windows.
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Shortly before 5:00 a.m. on Monday, October 29, vandals struck The GLBT History Museum, shattering two large plate glass windows and leaving the reception area and the sidewalk covered with shattered glass. The historical materials in the museum's exhibitions were unharmed. News of the incident spread quickly via social media, sparking a strong response. "We're grateful for the outpouring of support we are receiving from people in San Francisco and around the world," said Paul Boneberg, executive director of the GLBT Historical Society. "That support speaks to the important role the museum plays in advancing understanding of GLBT history and culture."
Boneberg stressed that none of the objects on display at the museum were damaged and that no theft occurred. "We don't know who smashed the windows or why they did it," he said. "But it's clear that this was vandalism."
According to Boneberg, "When the alarm sounded at 4:50 in the morning, the security firm immediately summoned the San Francisco Police Department and notified our staff, who were on the scene very quickly. In short order, the broken glass was removed and the windows were boarded over."
The GLBT History Museum was closed for further clean up on the day of the vandalism, but reopened the following day for its normal hours. The museum staff expects that the broken windows will be replaced in the coming week. The total cost of the damage to the museum is not yet known, but will be minimally a few thousand dollars. Donations to support the museum and assist with expenses related to the vandalism can be made online. For updates on the repairs, visit the GLBT Historical Society's Facebook page.
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News Roundup: Unmasked Gala, Museum Hours
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Unmasked Gala. The Unmasked gala, held on Thursday, October 25, was a grand success. Some 400 supporters of GLBT history came together for a fun and festive evening that raised significant funds for the GLBT Historical Society and The GLBT History Museum. For photos of the gathering, see the albums posted on the Historical Society's Facebook page.
Museum Hours. The GLBT History Museum will be open for its regular winter hours starting November 1: Mondays and Wednesdays through Saturdays, 11:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m.; Sundays, noon - 5:00 p.m.; closed Tuesdays. The museum will return to being open seven days a week starting March 1.
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Programs Highlight Lesbian Gender
Politics, Bay Area Bisexual Organizing
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Open Forum
Dyke Space Continuum: Age Diversity and Gender Fluidity
7:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.
 Sponsored by the San Francisco Dyke March in honor of its 20th anniversary, this panel discussion and open forum features Elana Dykewomon, Elena Escalera, Krys Freeman and Julia Serano tracing the history of lesbian social and cultural space in San Francisco, with a focus on gender politics and how different generations experience them. Artist, photographer and activist Happy Hyder will moderate the gathering.
Reading & Reception
Bifabulous Authors: BABN 25th Anniversary Kick-Off
7:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.
 The Bay Area Bisexual Network celebrates 25 years of bringing bisexuals together with a reception and a reading by two bisexual authors, Jan Steckel (Mixing Tracks) and Betty Blue, who also writes as Jane Kindred (The Fallen Queen). Founded in 1987, BABN works to develop a healthy, vibrant, multicultural bisexual community in the Bay Area and to promote understanding of bisexual lives and issues in the GLBT community and the wider public.
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EXHIBITIONS & PROGRAMS
GLBT History Museum
Location: 4127 18th St., San Francisco, CA 94114
Phone: 415-621-1107
Website: www.glbthistorymuseum.org
Admission: $5.00 general; $3.00 with California student ID. Free for members. Free for all visitors on the first Wednesday of each month (courtesy of the Bob Ross Foundation).
Winter Hours:
Mondays & Wednesdays - Saturdays: 11:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m.
Tuesdays: Closed
Sundays: Noon - 5:00 p.m.
ARCHIVES & READING ROOM
GLBT Historical Society
Location: 657 Mission St., Suite 300, San Francisco, CA 94105
Phone: 415-777-5455, ext. 3#
Website: www.glbthistory.org
Research Hours (by appointment)
Members: Wednesdays - Fridays: 11:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Nonmembers: Fridays: 11:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
First & Third Saturdays: 1:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.
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MUSEUM EVENTS
November 15
7 - 9 p.m. Open Forum
Age Diversity &
Gender Fluidity
November 16
7 - 9 p.m. Reading & Reception
Bifabulous Authors:
BABN 25th Anniversary
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COMMUNITY
Chinese Culture Center
750 Kearny St., 3rd Floor
San Francisco
An insightful exploration
into feminism, gender and sexual identity in Chinese art and society today. The show created a sensation
in Shanghai in 2011. The San Francisco version includes work reflecting on the response in China -- and is accompanied by a film showing on November 17. For more information,
visit the website of the Chinese Culture Center.
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The GLBT History
Museum displays a
wealth of material
from San Francisco's
vast queer past.
The Front Gallery offers
a display of personal belongings owned by Harvey Milk -- including
his kitchen table and one
of his campaign t-shirts. November 27 is the 34th anniversary of Milk's assassination.
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The GLBT Historical Society is home to one
of the world's largest
gay, lesbian, bisexual
and transgender
archival collections.
The San Francisco LGBT Groups series in the Ephemera Collection includes hundreds of
GLBT postcards and greetings cards created from the 1950s to the present. In the photo: a sampling of postcards featuring lesbian erotica.
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For in-depth
information on the
GLBT Historical Society
and The GLBT History Museum, visit
our website.
For updates on the
museum and archives, follow us on Facebook.
For an overview of
the goals and history of
the museum and
archives, see our entry
on Wikipedia.
For an array of GLBT videos from our archives and programs, see
our YouTube channel.
Copyright © 2012
GLBT Historical Society
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