HISTORY HAPPENS
News From The GLBT Historical Society
& The GLBT History Museum



August 2013    

Three Questions for Archivist Sara De Giovanni:
Joining the International Fight Against Prejudice 
For panel speakers seated in front of a screen showing a slide
An archives symposium in France included Gerard Koskovich (center) from the GLBT Historical Society and Sara De Giovanni (right) from Il Cassero. Photo: Michael Sibalis.

The first international exhibition at The GLBT History Museum, "Migrating Archives: LGBT Delegates From Collections Around the World," highlights queer archives in nine different countries. Among the participants is the Il Cassero Gay and Lesbian Documentation Center in Bologna, Italy. The exhibition runs through August 15. 

 

Last month, Gerard Koskovich from the GLBT Historical Society joined the Il Cassero center's director, Sara De Giovanni, and other organizers at an archives symposium held in conjunction with EuroPride in Marseilles, France. He took the opportunity to interview De Giovanni about "Migrating Archives" and the value of transnational connections for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender archival work. 

 

What impact has taking part in "Migrating Archives" had on Il Cassero?

 

Taking part in the exhibition put together by GLBT History Museum artist-in-residence E.G. Crichton gave us an extraordinary opportunity to join in learning how to give value to LGBT memory through an artistic perspective. Being a partner of the museum had a very positive impact on our organization, and we also received significant coverage in Italian and international media. Sending our "migrating archives" to the exhibition increased our visibility and produced valuable new contacts for us.

 

What are your reactions to the symposium during EuroPride in Marseilles?

 

The symposium was a great chance for LGBT public-history organizers from Europe and the U.S. to compare notes. We very much valued the opportunity to tell the story of our documentation center. We also appreciated learning about the visions and strategies for preserving LGBT cultural heritage pursued by all the participants. I hope the connections created by the symposium will help solidify an international network and encourage further collaborations. At Il Cassero, we're certainly looking forward to working with the groups that took part -- including The GLBT Historical Society.

  

Why is it important for LGBT archives, libraries and museums to collaborate across national borders?

 

We need to know each other in order to exchange best practices and learn different methods for processing and caring for our collections. More importantly, by working together, we not only can share knowledge, experiences and resources to preserve the collective memory and personal stories of LGBT people, we also can contribute to the fight against prejudice, homophobia and transphobia in our own countries and around the world.

 

 
Activism With a Beat: New Exhibit Celebrates
25 Years of San Francisco's Real Bad Party

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A new multimedia exhibit opening August 8 at The GLBT History Museum highlights the history of Real Bad, a queer dance party held in conjunction with the Folsom Street Fair in San Francisco. "Be Bad...Do Good: Activism With a Beat" marks the 25th anniversary of the annual event; entirely produced and funded by volunteers, the party has raised nearly $1.7 million for local GLBT nonprofits.

  

"Be Bad...Do Good" explores how the city's queer tradition of compassion, creativity, club culture and giving coalesced in the Real Bad dance extravaganza starting in 1989. The exhibit will feature 1980s party ephemera; Real Bad posters, invitations and photos; a video documentary custom-made for the show; and a wall-size infographic tracing the fundraising impact of the party over 25 years.
 
An opening reception is set for Thursday, August 8, 7:00 - 9:00 p.m.
The exhibit runs through Oct. 27, 2013.

 
Programs Highlight Beatniks, Civil Rights
Legacies, Young Women of Color on Screen

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History Talk
From Beatniks to Gay Liberation:
Allen Ginsberg & Queer San Francisco  
Thursday, August 15
7:00 - 9:00 p.m.

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Black-and-white portrait of Allen Ginsberg By reading passages from biographies, memoirs and historical studies, Michael Flanagan will recreate the vibrant queer world that beat poet Allen Ginsberg inhabited in San Francisco in the 1950s -- and will trace how that world changed with the approach of gay liberation in the 1960s. The talk also will tell the story of how bohemian and beat San Francisco did and didn't blend into one another and will highlight Ginsberg's contemporaries including Jack Spicer, Sam Steward, James Broughton and José Sarria. Flanagan is a reference librarian, writer and independent scholar who lives in San Francisco. Cosponsored by the Contemporary Jewish Museum. Admission: $5.00 (general); $3.00 (California students); free for GLBT Historical Society members.
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Panel Discussion 
March on Washington: 50 Years  
Later -- Where Are We Now?   
Wednesday, August 21
7:00 - 9:00 p.m.
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Bayard Rustin giving a public speech A discussion of the legacy of Bayard Rustin, a prominent gay strategist for the 1963 March on Washington. Participants will look at the African American community's journey over the past 50 years and will address issues of queer economic status and demographics today. Panelists: Rev. Israel Alvaran, national organizer for economic justice, General Board of Church and Society; Billy Curtis, executive director, Multicultural Sexuality and Gender Centers, U.C. Berkeley; Kenneth P. Monteiro, dean, College of Ethnic Studies, San Francisco State University; Andrea Shorter, Andrea Shorter, Atlas Leadership Strategies. Cosponsored by the Bayard Rustin LGBT Coalition. Admission: $5.00 (general); $3.00 (California students); free for GLBT Historical Society members.
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Film Showing 
Sistah Sinema Presents Queer Women of
Color Shorts: Tracks & Gender Freaks
 
Wednesday, September 11
7:00 - 9:00 p.m.
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Woman With Afro Inside a Curling Strip of Film Launched in Seattle in 2011 and now sponsoring programs around the U.S., Sistah Sinema is a monthly event showcasing queer women of color cinema. Each showing is followed by a moderated discussion. The group's first San Francisco event, taking place at The GLBT History Museum, will feature two short films about queer youth: director Deanna William's Tracks (2010), the story of a shy runaway who falls for a flirtatious high-school basketball player with an overbearing, church-loving grandmother, and director Rebecca Louisell's Gender Freak (2012), with Rachel accepting Sammy into her band to play for a school dance, where Rachel defends her friends against homophobic insults from the audience. Admission: $5.00 in advance (purchase here); $10.00 at the door; free at the door for GLBT Historical Society members. 
   
 

 

EXHIBITIONS & PROGRAMS

The 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). 

 

Hours

Mondays - Saturdays: 11:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m.   

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  

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RESEARCH HOURS

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Weekdays: By Appointment & Subject to Availability

Members: Wednesdays - Fridays: 11:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.

Nonmembers: Fridays: 11:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.

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Saturdays: No Appointment Needed 

Open to members and nonmembers 1:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. the first and third Saturday of the month; no appointment needed. Hours subject to change; before visiting, check the GLBT Historical Society website.   

 

    
 

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MUSEUM EVENTS
 
 
August 8
7 - 9 p.m.
August 15
7 - 9 p.m.
History Talk
August 21
7 - 9 p.m.
Panel Discussion
 
September 11
7 - 9 p.m.
Film Showing
Get Connected
Click on the event title for
the Facebook invitation.


GET INVOLVED
 

 

An orientation for

volunteers for The GLBT History Museum is set  

for 7:00 - 8:00 p.m. on

Tuesday, September 10

For details, contact 

volunteer coordinator

Kyle Maxwell-Berman.

 


GALA BENEFIT
 

 

A high point of the queer social season, the annual gala of the GLBT Historical Society and The GLBT History Museum will take place on the evening of Thursday, October 24 at 

the Regency Center in

San Francisco. Mark your calendar now ... and start dreaming about fantastic entertainment, delectable food and drinks, and fabulous silent auction discoveries! 

 


ON DISPLAY
 
 

 The GLBT History  

Museum displays a  

wealth of material  

from San Francisco's 

vast queer past.

 

Street lamp banner for The GLBT History Museum 

Eye-catching new 

street-light banners on 

Castro and 18th streets ensure that locals and visitors won't miss the exhibitions at The GLBT History Museum.

 


IN THE ARCHIVES
 
 

 The GLBT Historical

Society is home to one 

of the world's largest 

gay, lesbian, bisexual 

and transgender 

archival collections.

 

Back of leather vest with stuffed bear attached

The back of the leather
vest owned by San Francisco's Mr. Red
features a teddy bear in
full leather. The vest is
one of hundreds of objects
in the Artifact Collection.


ON THE WEB
 

  

For in-depth 

information on the 

GLBT Historical Society 

and The GLBT History Museum, visit 

our website.

 

 

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archives, see our entry 

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 from our archives

and programs, see

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Copyright © 2013

GLBT Historical Society