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"Amor y Solidaridad" march linking San Francisco's LGBTQ and Latino/a/x communities in the wake of the Orlando massacre, June 18, 2016. |
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| The Healing Power of History |
In times of sorrow and outrage, communities traditionally draw on knowledge of their history for strength and guidance. At the GLBT Historical Society, we honor those we have lost by ensuring that they will not be forgotten.
Like many of you, we are grieving and angry in the wake of the Orlando massacre. We mourn the victims, and our hearts go out to the survivors and to the entire LGBTQ and Latino/a/x communities. At times like this, we're particularly grateful to be a part of an organization that has worked for more than three decades to discover, preserve and share LGBTQ history and to document our current struggles so they will not be lost to memory. Ultimately, we believe sharing our diverse histories doesn't just sustain the LGBTQ community. It's also one of our best hopes for changing hearts and minds and confronting anti-LGBTQ attitudes. Knowledge of our past is one of the keys to respect in the present and the future.
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 From the Executive Director
A New Museum to Make Us Proud
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Sketch by Alan Martinez
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Does San Francisco really need a dedicated world-class museum of LGBTQ history and culture? And how do we know people will support it?
The answer is right under our noses.
Now five years old, the GLBT History Museum has run into one major problem: lack of room. We struggle to accommodate curators eager to display our rich history. Those who succeed in getting on the calendar are often frustrated by the amount of space we can provide, leaving them to create shows with less depth than they had hoped. And the museum sponsors popular public programs, only to turn away many who wish to attend because we lack adequate seating.
The heart of the problem -- and the opportunity -- is the wonderful diversity and range of our history. We come from everywhere and we have so many stories to tell.
Our museum has accomplished a great deal with limited resources. But as GLBT Historical Society founding member Gerard Koskovich recently remarked, "We tested a rowboat -- and found out so many people want to come aboard that we need a full-scale cruise ship."
Last year, over 15,000 individuals visited the GLBT History Museum to take in the exhibitions or attend programs, with more than 60 percent of these coming from out of state or out of the country, and with many Bay Area schools and other groups coming for guided tours. It's an easy way for people from all backgrounds to discover LGBTQ history and go home with a new understanding.
I'm proud to be a part of the GLBT Historical Society - an organization that understands the importance of collecting and sharing the diverse stories of our past. We do this not just to honor our elders and inspire young people, but also to show our full selves to others who may not yet appreciate our history or even our humanity.
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Staged Reading
Rhino in the Castro: Swollen Tongues
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Tuesday, July 5
7:00-9:00 PM
The GLBT History Museum
4127 18th St., San Francisco
Free | $5.00 donation welcome
Theatre Rhinoceros, San Francisco's groundbreaking LGBTQ stage company, is teaming up with the GLBT History Museum to present "Rhino in the Castro," a monthly series of readings of plays reflecting the LGBTQ community and its allies. The museum provides the space, and Rhino provides the scripts and actors. Performances will take place the first week of every month.
The first staged reading will feature Swollen Tongues by playwright Kathleen Oliver. Written in rhyming couplets, the play is a take on Restoration comedy with a contemporary twist. Thomas and his sister Catherine are both receiving instruction in the powers of poetry from their tutor, Dr. Wise. While Thomas is more prolific than skilled in his praise of his beloved, Sonja, Catherine is strangely mute. The problem? Catherine is secretly in love with Sonja, too. Join the Facebook conversation here.
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History Talk
Philadelphia Freedom: Gay Patriots, Protesters & Profiteers at the Bicentennial
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Thursday, July 7
7:00-9:00 PM
The GLBT History Museum
4127 18th St., San Francisco
$5.00 | Free for members
Historian Marc Stein queers Independence Day by examining the U.S. Bicentennial in 1976, when disaster resulted from the strange political courtship that had linked Republican President Richard Nixon and Democratic Philadelphia Mayor Frank Rizzo; the gay porn magazine Mandate published a fashion spread titled "Philadelphia Freedom"; and LGBTQ patriots, protesters and profiteers marked the national birthday. A professor of history at San Francisco State and author of three books including City of Sisterly and Brotherly Loves: Lesbian and Gay Philadelphia, 1945-1972 (University of Chicago Press, 2000), Stein reveals the cultural and political significance of a nearly forgotten moment of the 1970s when LGBTQ people claimed a place in a national spectacle. Join the Facebook conversation here.
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Exhibition Opening
Stroke: From Under the Mattress to the Museum Wall
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July 21-October 16
The GLBT History Museum
4127 18th St., San Francisco
Opening Reception
Thursday, July 21
7:00-9:00 PM
$5.00 | Free for members
Take a nostalgic trip back to a time when gay men had to sneak peeks at Playgirl magazines, or even earlier had to hide "physique pictorials" under their beds. When flamingo pinks, neon aquas, and black travertine were all the rage -- and so were stereotypically handsome muscle boys with stunningly greased or blow-dried hair. An era of parting glances, sculpted torsos, erotic wall-art and very short satin shorts. A traveling exhibition originating at the Leslie-Lohman Museum of Gay and Lesbian Art in New York City, "Stroke" is a historical retrospective of erotic illustrations by artists who worked for gay men's magazines from the 1950s to the 1990s. Join the Facebook conversation here.
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New Party Series
After Hours Lights Up the Museum Every Month
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Friday, July 22
7:00-9:00 PM
The GLBT History Museum
4127 18th St., San Francisco
$10
Our new monthly After Hours party at the GLBT History Museum celebrates queer history with dancing and mingling in the galleries after the museum's regular exhibition hours. This month's theme: "Decades of Dive Bars" with Grand Duchess Olivia Hart, DJ Bus Station John, drinks and nibbles. Advance tickets and more info here. |
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Film Screening
Mighty Reels: That's MS. Leather to You
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Friday, July 29
7:00-8:30 PM
The GLBT History Museum
4127 18th St., San Francisco
$5.00 | Free for members
The monthly "Mighty Reels" series curated by media preservationist John Raines continues with "That's MS. Leather to You," featuring the first-ever International Ms. Leather competition of 1987. Media preservationist John Raines presents an hour-long video highlighting the excitement, laughs and thrills of this playful erotic romp held at San Francisco's long-vanished DV8 Lounge. Since its inception, International Ms. Leather has become a fixture in the leather and lesbian communities and an annual sibling to Chicago's International Mr. Leather contest. The special guest for the showing is Audrey Joseph, a longtime entertainment producer and LGBTQ rights activist who was closely involved with this inaugural event. Admission: $5.00; free for members of the GLBT Historical Society. Follow the Facebook conversation here.
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Save the Date
Living History: The GLBT Historical Society Gala
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| From the Museum Manager
Street Fair Supports Creating New Exhibits
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by Jeremy PrinceThe GLBT Historical Society has been named a beneficiary of two of San Francisco's major leather and kink celebrations, the Up Your Alley and Folsom Street fairs. The society will use the funds to develop new exhibits for the Main Gallery at the GLBT History Museum.
To qualify for the funding, the Historical Society has committed to recruiting volunteers to help out at the fairs. Coming up first is Up Your Alley on Sunday, July 31, with helpers needed for a minimum of 15 shifts. Many different tasks are available, with most involving a short advance training online.
Volunteering at the fairs is a great way to have fun, meet new friends, check out the leather scene and support the Historical Society, too, What's more, volunteers get some great perks, including access to a special area with free food and drink, no-line porta-potties, free coat check and a shady lounge. For full details and to sign up, visit the volunteer page.
Jeremy Prince is the operations manager at the GLBT History Museum.
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EXHIBITIONS & PROGRAMS
The GLBT History Museum
4127 18th St.
San Francisco, CA 94114
(415) 621-1107
Monday - Saturday: 11:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Sunday: Noon - 5:00 PM
ARCHIVES & RESEARCH CENTER
The GLBT Historical Society
989 Market St., Lower Level San Francisco, CA 94103-1708 (415) 777-5455
NOTE: The GLBT History Museum and Archives will be closed July 4th for the holiday.
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