The segment of one of the original rainbow flags created for San Francisco Gay Freedom Day 1978 rests in its case at the GLBT Historical Society Museum; photograph by Andrew Shaffer.
At the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender (GLBT) Historical Society in San Francisco, Pride is not just a month – it’s a year-round commitment to honoring and preserving LGBTQ+ history. Home to the world’s largest archive of LGBTQ+ historical materials and the first museum of its kind in the United States, the Society is also proud to be powered by 100% clean energy as a CleanPowerSF customer.
While June is seen as a time of celebration, this year it arrives amid growing threats to LGBTQ+ communities and rights. In moments like these, reflecting on the past becomes more important than ever. San Francisco’s legacy of LGBTQ+ activism and resilience continues to inspire hope and shape a vision for a more inclusive future.
Read on for an interview with Brad Snyder, the Director of Development & Communications at the GLBT Historical Society.
Q: From the early beginnings of the archives to the opening of the museum space, tell us a bit more about the GLBT Historical Society’s own history?
A: Forty years ago, more than 60 people attended a public meeting at the old San Francisco Main Library (now the Asian Art Museum) to propose establishing an association to document and promote understanding of Bay Area queer history. At the time, many archives were not seeking or accepting LGBTQ material, and the AIDS epidemic further threatened the preservation of queer history. Our communities came together to preserve countless stories and objects central to our history.
Since then, the GLBT Historical Society has worked to collect, preserve, exhibit, and make accessible materials and knowledge to support and promote understanding of LGBTQ+ history, culture, and arts in all their diversity.
We are acquiring and establishing a permanent home for LGBTQ+ history and culture at 2280 Market Street, in the heart of the Castro, to ensure that LGBTQ+ history is preserved, shared, and appreciated for many generations to come. This is made possible by an extraordinary commitment of $18 million from the City of San Francisco and the State of California.
Museum collections registrar Ramón Silvestre working in the Dr. John P. De Cecco Archives and Special Collections of the GLBT Historical Society; photograph by Ellis Martin.
Q: In a time of renewed hostility and attacks on trans and queer communities, what can the past teach us about the present moment? How can our knowledge of LGBTQ+ history inspire and motivate us now?
Knowledge of LGBTQ+ history holds many lessons relevant to the renewed hostility our community faces today. It teaches us that through the power of community we can and will overcome forces of discrimination and bigotry. From the streets of San Francisco during opposition to the Briggs Initiative, which threatened to ban gay and lesbian people from working in public schools, to the front lines of AIDS activism and the victory of marriage equality achieved in the Obergefell case, our community has always fought back with courage and grit, driven by a vision of a kinder, more just world.
As José Sarria—the drag performer, activist, and first openly gay person to run for public office—reminded us: “If enough people scream, it will make a difference.” When any part of our community is under attack, our most powerful response is collective action and solidarity.
Q: Are there any events or special exhibits at the GLBT Historical Society this Pride Month?
A: This Pride Month, we are thrilled to feature a new museum exhibit entitled, Éamon McGivern: A/History. Bay Area artist Éamon McGivern’s paintings are presented alongside photographs and ephemera from the GLBT Historical Society archive, which seek to build an intergenerational connection with LGBTQ+ people of earlier generations, many of whom were lost to intersecting violences of governmental neglect (especially that of the HIV/AIDS crisis), transphobia, poverty, and the prison industrial complex.
Additionally, our long-term museum exhibit, Queer Past Becomes Present, continues to showcase how queer history informs the present and inspires us to build a community that embraces differences.
CleanPowerSF is proud to power the GLBT Historical Society. You can view the archives by appointment at 989 Market Street, or you can visit the museum on 4127 18th Street where you will find remainders of the original 1978 rainbow flags, artifacts from Harvey Milk’s Board of Supervisor’s campaign, and many other materials and collections showcasing the courage and vibrancy of San Francisco’s LGBTQ+ community.