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Yahoo
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
7 best places to learn about LGBTQ+ history
Curious travelers seeking to understand different cultures—near and abroad—can cure their curiosity by visiting historic landmarks and museums. The same can be done when expanding one's knowledge about the LGBTQ+ community and its history—and not just during Pride month in June. These places are open to the public year-round and collect, preserve, and share untold LGBTQ+ stories and contributions to the local and larger mainstream community. Visiting LGBTQ+ points of interest when you travel can help forge a deeper understanding of a destination and its queer community. "For too long, LGBTQ+ history was oral and hidden. Dedicated museums preserve truth, challenge misconceptions, and affirm the fundamental right to exist," says George Savoulis, director of Qtopia Sydney. We've compiled a list of the seven best places around the globe, including LGBTQ+ museums, that history lovers should consider visiting for Pride Month and beyond. (These monuments honor LGBTQ history around the world.) Located in New York City's SoHo neighborhood, this visual arts museum collects, preserves, and exhibits the work of LGBTQ+ artists including pieces that analyze themes, issues, and people in the community. Founders Charles Leslie and Fritz Lohman created the concept for the museum after hosting an exhibition of gay artists in their SoHo loft. Today, the Leslie-Lohman Museum of Art's permanent collection includes Llanor Alleyne's mixed-media collage 'Another Poem (For Colin Robinson)' and Ann P. Meredith's photo taken during a women's AIDS foundation support group in 1987. Families visiting with children should be aware that some art on display does feature nudity. The museum also hosts temporary artist exhibits such as Young Joon Kwak's 'Resisterhood,' a celebration of the human body form and its imperfections during our youth, aging, gestation, or gender transformation. Queer figure drawing classes for and by queer trans bodies and storytelling that celebrate Latinx LGBTQ+ contributions to the arts are just a few examples of fun programs and activities offered to visitors. (See 100 years of LGBTQ history mapped across New York City.) Located in the King's Cross district of London, Queer Britain is the first LGBTQ+ museum in the UK. In 2018, Joseph Galliano-Doig and Iain Mehrtens held temporary art installations and exhibitions around the city, eventually becoming this one-of-a-kind museum in 2022. Queer Britain has four galleries that celebrate queer people but also serve as a place where visitors can immerse themselves in LGBTQ+ stories and ideas. Previous art installations and exhibitions have included a large Pride flag commissioned by Netflix to celebrate the third season of the TV series Heartstopper, a community showcase on queer migrant men, and an exhibit of Jimmy Somerville's album The Age of Consent (1984). The newest addition to the museum '20 Years of UK Black Pride,' follows the history of UK Black Pride, from its first gathering in Southend-on-Sea to how it became the largest free Pride celebration for LGBTQ+ Black and people of color. The exhibition runs through August 31, 2025. (Must-see LGBTQ-friendly destinations for every kind of traveler.) In 2024, Qtopia Sydney opened its doors to the public, becoming the largest LGBTQ+ museum in the world. The museum was the vision of the late Professor David Cooper who hoped to create a space to honor Australians impacted by the HIV/AIDS epidemic. Cooper shared this dream with David Polson, one of the first men diagnosed with HIV/AIDS in Australia. Making Cooper's dream a reality, Polson founded Qtopia Sydney. The history doesn't stop there, the LGBTQ+ museum is housed inside Sydney's old Darlington Police Station, where many gay activists were held after the city's first gay protest in 1978. The LGBTQ+ community reclaimed the harrowed building by turning the prison cells into exhibits. "This building is a profound act of spatial justice—transforming a site of oppression and abuse into one of celebration and education," says Savoulis. The first cell of the old police station focuses on police brutality as it relates to the LGBTQ+ community. When visitors enter the museum, they are confronted with a thought-provoking and revealing exhibition dedicated to the HIV/AIDS epidemic (1981 to late 1990s). Previous temporary exhibits have included an homage to beloved drag queen Joyce Maynge, queer media like Lesbians on the Loose, and 'Bedazzled,' a creative display of costumes worn at Mardi Gras (Sydney's annual Pride celebration). Located near Fort Lauderdale's Holiday Park, the Stonewall National Museum, Archives, and Library (SNMAL) has preserved LGBTQ+ history for over five decades. Mark N. Silber founded SNMAL, which claims to have the largest LGBTQ+ collection in the world. The collection started in his parent's home in 1973, and today, SNMAL frequently rotates its exhibits, but there are permanent, must-see exhibitions on-site, including one that highlights four decades of LGBTQ+ history in Broward County, where the museum is located. "The exhibits represent the voice of the people, the times, and society at large to represent a full picture of history and culture," says Robert Kesten, president and CEO of SNMAL. SNMAL has hosted previous and upcoming exhibitions and events such as a re-enactment of the Stonewall uprising, "55 Years of Pride" and "Queer Baseball" exhibitions, a book signing with comedian Bruce Vilanch, and free queer movie nights, including queer favorites such as All About Eve, Moonlight, and Death Becomes Her. (These12 historic LGBTQ figures changed the world.) In 1984, Andreas Sternweiler, Wolfgang Theis, and Manfred Baumgardt were students working as guards at the former Berlin Museum. They encouraged the museum's director to host an exhibition about Berlin's LGBTQ+ community. During the summer of 1984, the exhibition— 'Eldorado – the History, Everyday Life, and Culture of Homosexual Women and Men 1850-1950,' was on display in the Berlin Museum and welcomed over 40,000 visitors. The success and popularity of 'Eldorado' sparked the idea to create a permanent residence for the exhibit, which would eventually be housed in what's known as Schwules Museum today. Schwules Museum has been in Berlin's Tiergarten neighborhood since 2013. Its goal remains to preserve European queer culture by chronicling LGBTQ+ history in Germany and other European nations. Its archive is full of periodicals from the 1990s and over 25,000 books about homosexuality, queer-feminist issues, transgender, and intersex identities. Kit Heyam's Before We Were Trans: A New History of Gender and Andrea Rottmann's Queer Lives Across the Wall: Desire and Danger in Divided Berlin, 1945–1970 are a couple of books visitors will find here. After browsing the library, visit the main exhibition space which displays galleries of photos, videos, postcards, letters, and clothing items from the LGBTQ+ community. The museum has hosted exhibitions on dandyism and Charlotte von Mahlsdorf, an East German gay icon. (Learn about the great hunt for the world's first LGBTQ+ archive.) The Gerber/Hart LGBTQ+ Library and Archives in Rogers Park is the largest LGBTQ+ library in the Midwest. Founded in 1981, it houses nearly 15,000 items focused on the LGBTQ+ community and organizations in Chicago and the Midwest of the U.S. Items on display include photo albums from Miss Tillie, a drag performer who started performing in the 1940s and eventually moved to Chicago in the 1960s. Some of the 800 periodicals in its archives include vintage issues of Thing, a Chicago-based magazine in circulation from 1989 to 1993 that covered the local Black LGBTQ+ community. Visitors can also explore curated galleries that focus on Chicago's drag scene, Pride memorabilia, banned LGBTQ+ books, and areas that focus on topics such as lesbian feminism of the 1970s and 1980s, bisexual activism, and lesbians in sports. Throughout the year, the library has an array of queer events such as a Queer Stitch Night led by fiber artist Isabel Sperry and the Queer Zine Club, an informal gathering of LGBTQ+ people who are curious about queer culture and zine making. (Activist Pattie Gonia is on a mission to make the outdoors a more welcoming place.) The GLBT Historical Society—in San Francisco's famed Castro District—is touted as the first stand-alone museum to showcase exhibits focused on LGBTQ+ history and culture in the United States. The museum chronicles queer activism and cultural movements in the Bay Area with a focus on diversity and social justice. The "Queer Past Becomes Present" exhibit in the main gallery curated a few personal belongings of Harvey Milk, a gay activist and the first openly gay mayor of San Francisco. The museum is also home to a large collection of LGBTQ+ historical materials including the Asian/Pacific AIDS Coalition records and Meg Barnett's collection of Lesbians Against Police Violence records which consist of the organization's agendas, flyers, notes from general and committee meetings, and a few newspaper and magazine clippings. The archives at the GLBT Historical Society are named after Dr. John P. DeCecco, a psychology professor, author, and pioneer in sexuality studies. Visits to the archives are by appointment only. (How this Gold Rush town became an LGBTQ+ haven for travelers and transplants.) Lola Méndez is an Uruguayan-American freelance journalist who writes about sustainability, travel, culture, and wellness. Follow her on Instagram and Twitter.
National Geographic
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- National Geographic
7 places that honor LGBTQ+ history—during Pride Month and beyond
Curious travelers seeking to understand different cultures—near and abroad—can cure their curiosity by visiting historic landmarks and museums. The same can be done when expanding one's knowledge about the LGBTQ+ community and its history—and not just during Pride month in June. These places are open to the public year-round and collect, preserve, and share untold LGBTQ+ stories and contributions to the local and larger mainstream community. Visiting LGBTQ+ points of interest when you travel can help forge a deeper understanding of a destination and its queer community. "For too long, LGBTQ+ history was oral and hidden. Dedicated museums preserve truth, challenge misconceptions, and affirm the fundamental right to exist," says George Savoulis, director of Qtopia Sydney. We've compiled a list of the seven best places around the globe, including LGBTQ+ museums, that history lovers should consider visiting for Pride Month and beyond. (These monuments honor LGBTQ history around the world.) 1. The Leslie-Lohman Museum of Art, New York City Located in New York City's SoHo neighborhood, this visual arts museum collects, preserves, and exhibits the work of LGBTQ+ artists including pieces that analyze themes, issues, and people in the community. Founders Charles Leslie and Fritz Lohman created the concept for the museum after hosting an exhibition of gay artists in their SoHo loft. Today, the Leslie-Lohman Museum of Art's permanent collection includes Llanor Alleyne's mixed-media collage 'Another Poem (For Colin Robinson)' and Ann P. Meredith's photo taken during a women's AIDS foundation support group in 1987. Families visiting with children should be aware that some art on display does feature nudity. The museum also hosts temporary artist exhibits such as Young Joon Kwak's 'Resisterhood,' a celebration of the human body form and its imperfections during our youth, aging, gestation, or gender transformation. Queer figure drawing classes for and by queer trans bodies and storytelling that celebrate Latinx LGBTQ+ contributions to the arts are just a few examples of fun programs and activities offered to visitors. (See 100 years of LGBTQ history mapped across New York City.) 2. Queer Britain, London Located in the King's Cross district of London, Queer Britain is the first LGBTQ+ museum in the UK. In 2018, Joseph Galliano-Doig and Iain Mehrtens held temporary art installations and exhibitions around the city, eventually becoming this one-of-a-kind museum in 2022. Queer Britain has four galleries that celebrate queer people but also serve as a place where visitors can immerse themselves in LGBTQ+ stories and ideas. Previous art installations and exhibitions have included a large Pride flag commissioned by Netflix to celebrate the third season of the TV series Heartstopper, a community showcase on queer migrant men, and an exhibit of Jimmy Somerville's album The Age of Consent (1984). The newest addition to the museum '20 Years of UK Black Pride,' follows the history of UK Black Pride, from its first gathering in Southend-on-Sea to how it became the largest free Pride celebration for LGBTQ+ Black and people of color. The exhibition runs through August 31, 2025. (Must-see LGBTQ-friendly destinations for every kind of traveler.) 3. Qtopia Sydney, Australia In 2024, Qtopia Sydney opened its doors to the public, becoming the largest LGBTQ+ museum in the world. The museum was the vision of the late Professor David Cooper who hoped to create a space to honor Australians impacted by the HIV/AIDS epidemic. Cooper shared this dream with David Polson, one of the first men diagnosed with HIV/AIDS in Australia. Making Cooper's dream a reality, Polson founded Qtopia Sydney. The history doesn't stop there, the LGBTQ+ museum is housed inside Sydney's old Darlington Police Station, where many gay activists were held after the city's first gay protest in 1978. The LGBTQ+ community reclaimed the harrowed building by turning the prison cells into exhibits. "This building is a profound act of spatial justice—transforming a site of oppression and abuse into one of celebration and education," says Savoulis. The first cell of the old police station focuses on police brutality as it relates to the LGBTQ+ community. When visitors enter the museum, they are confronted with a thought-provoking and revealing exhibition dedicated to the HIV/AIDS epidemic (1981 to late 1990s). Previous temporary exhibits have included an homage to beloved drag queen Joyce Maynge, queer media like Lesbians on the Loose, and 'Bedazzled,' a creative display of costumes worn at Mardi Gras (Sydney's annual Pride celebration). 4. Stonewall National Museum, Archives, and Library, Fort Lauderdale, Florida Located near Fort Lauderdale's Holiday Park, the Stonewall National Museum, Archives, and Library (SNMAL) has preserved LGBTQ+ history for over five decades. Mark N. Silber founded SNMAL, which claims to have the largest LGBTQ+ collection in the world. The collection started in his parent's home in 1973, and today, SNMAL frequently rotates its exhibits, but there are permanent, must-see exhibitions on-site, including one that highlights four decades of LGBTQ+ history in Broward County, where the museum is located. "The exhibits represent the voice of the people, the times, and society at large to represent a full picture of history and culture," says Robert Kesten, president and CEO of SNMAL. SNMAL has hosted previous and upcoming exhibitions and events such as a re-enactment of the Stonewall uprising, "55 Years of Pride" and "Queer Baseball" exhibitions, a book signing with comedian Bruce Vilanch, and free queer movie nights, including queer favorites such as All About Eve, Moonlight, and Death Becomes Her. (These12 historic LGBTQ figures changed the world.) 5. Schwules Museum, Berlin, Germany In 1984, Andreas Sternweiler, Wolfgang Theis, and Manfred Baumgardt were students working as guards at the former Berlin Museum. They encouraged the museum's director to host an exhibition about Berlin's LGBTQ+ community. During the summer of 1984, the exhibition— 'Eldorado – the History, Everyday Life, and Culture of Homosexual Women and Men 1850-1950,' was on display in the Berlin Museum and welcomed over 40,000 visitors. The success and popularity of 'Eldorado' sparked the idea to create a permanent residence for the exhibit, which would eventually be housed in what's known as Schwules Museum today. Schwules Museum has been in Berlin's Tiergarten neighborhood since 2013. Its goal remains to preserve European queer culture by chronicling LGBTQ+ history in Germany and other European nations. Its archive is full of periodicals from the 1990s and over 25,000 books about homosexuality, queer-feminist issues, transgender, and intersex identities. Kit Heyam's Before We Were Trans: A New History of Gender and Andrea Rottmann's Queer Lives Across the Wall: Desire and Danger in Divided Berlin, 1945–1970 are a couple of books visitors will find here. After browsing the library, visit the main exhibition space which displays galleries of photos, videos, postcards, letters, and clothing items from the LGBTQ+ community. The museum has hosted exhibitions on dandyism and Charlotte von Mahlsdorf, an East German gay icon. (Learn about the great hunt for the world's first LGBTQ+ archive.) 6. Gerber/Hart LGBTQ+ Library and Archives, Chicago The Gerber/Hart LGBTQ+ Library and Archives in Rogers Park is the largest LGBTQ+ library in the Midwest. Founded in 1981, it houses nearly 15,000 items focused on the LGBTQ+ community and organizations in Chicago and the Midwest of the U.S. Items on display include photo albums from Miss Tillie, a drag performer who started performing in the 1940s and eventually moved to Chicago in the 1960s. Some of the 800 periodicals in its archives include vintage issues of Thing, a Chicago-based magazine in circulation from 1989 to 1993 that covered the local Black LGBTQ+ community. Visitors can also explore curated galleries that focus on Chicago's drag scene, Pride memorabilia, banned LGBTQ+ books, and areas that focus on topics such as lesbian feminism of the 1970s and 1980s, bisexual activism, and lesbians in sports. Throughout the year, the library has an array of queer events such as a Queer Stitch Night led by fiber artist Isabel Sperry and the Queer Zine Club, an informal gathering of LGBTQ+ people who are curious about queer culture and zine making. (Activist Pattie Gonia is on a mission to make the outdoors a more welcoming place.) 7. GLBT Historical Society, San Francisco The GLBT Historical Society—in San Francisco's famed Castro District—is touted as the first stand-alone museum to showcase exhibits focused on LGBTQ+ history and culture in the United States. The museum chronicles queer activism and cultural movements in the Bay Area with a focus on diversity and social justice. The "Queer Past Becomes Present" exhibit in the main gallery curated a few personal belongings of Harvey Milk, a gay activist and the first openly gay mayor of San Francisco. The museum is also home to a large collection of LGBTQ+ historical materials including the Asian/Pacific AIDS Coalition records and Meg Barnett's collection of Lesbians Against Police Violence records which consist of the organization's agendas, flyers, notes from general and committee meetings, and a few newspaper and magazine clippings. The archives at the GLBT Historical Society are named after Dr. John P. DeCecco, a psychology professor, author, and pioneer in sexuality studies. Visits to the archives are by appointment only. (How this Gold Rush town became an LGBTQ+ haven for travelers and transplants.) Lola Méndez is an Uruguayan-American freelance journalist who writes about sustainability, travel, culture, and wellness. Follow her on Instagram and Twitter.
Time Out
03-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Time Out
The world's biggest queer culture museum is in Australia — and it shines during Pride Month
It's here, it's queer… it's Pride Month! And there's no better place to celebrate than at Qtopia Sydney – the world's largest centre for LGBTQIA+ history and culture, right here in Australia. This colourful museum and cultural hub in the heart of Sydney's Rainbow Precinct dazzles in June with more than 150 events spotlighting the nation's top queer artists. Down here in Australia, our Pride celebrations generally take place earlier in the year when the weather is warmer, with the world-famous Sydney Mardi Gras Parade taking over Oxford Street in late February or early March. However, with growing awareness around International Pride Month happening in June, Qtopia's Pride Fest is spreading the love and creating more opportunities for connection and community (which is especially important when LGBTQIA+ rights are under threat globally). And the sparkle isn't just seasonal – it shines year-round as a proud beacon of identity, creativity and inclusion for Australia's LGBTQIA+ community. Despite only opening recently in February 2024, Qtopia Sydney has been a long time in the making. It was born from the vision of the late Professor David Cooper, a pioneering HIV/AIDS researcher who dreamed of building a space to honour those impacted by the disease. His dream was brought to life by David Polson AM, one of the first Australians to be diagnosed with HIV, who participated in 28 drug trials under Professor Cooper's care, helping pave the way for the life-saving medications we have today. Although Polson sadly passed away earlier this year, his legacy – and the legacy of those who stood loud and proud before him – lives on at Qtopia. At Qtopia, LGBTQIA+ stories aren't just recorded, but are vibrantly told and celebrated. The cultural centre hosts up to 17 thought-provoking exhibitions at any one time – all guided by five major themes: Human Rights, Sexuality and Identity, Media Representation, First Nations stories, and the HIV/AIDS epidemic. Throughout the year, Qtopia also comes alive with a dazzling program of theatre, cabaret, visual art, music, comedy, drag, literature events and burlesque shows. Qtopia's Artistic and Programs Director Carly Fisher describes it as "a place where stories come to life and where we strive to amplify voices that deserve to be heard. Pride Fest is one of our most powerful expressions of that mission. In just one year, it's grown by more than 180 per cent, with over 150 events and 400 artists taking part. We've built a festival that elevates bold voices, showcases emerging talent and invites audiences into a space that's vibrant, inclusive and unapologetically proud." Headlining this year's Sydney Pride Fest are three of the most awarded Queer acts on the Fringe circuit, including A Friend of Dorothy: Anthems of Pride, Skank Sinatra and The Platonic Human Centipede. Headliner artist Jens Radda (Skank Sinatra) reflects: 'Pride Fest is a fabulous reminder that while we revel in joy and glitter now, the fight for equality is ongoing and spaces like Qtopia Sydney help keep that fire alive with every show, story and sequin. I'm proud to be headlining Pride Fest and even prouder to be part of the Qtopia family, a place that honours our past while lighting the way forward.' Beyond the glitter of Pride Fest, Qtopia's doors – and arms – are open year-round. We asked some local people who identify as LGBTQIA+ what the space means to them, and here's what they had to say: Steve Spencer, LGBTQIA+ advocate and Qtopia Sydney ambassador, says: "As a proud bi man, it took me years to find my voice – but places like Qtopia Sydney give us all a place to find our voice and make a difference. It is here, where we come together to activate and celebrate, where I am reminded just how vital and joyful our stories are. Having a Queer home in the heart of the city where we connect, learn and celebrate together is life-changing for so many people." Rebbell Barnes, activist, Qtopia Sydney ambassador and the youngest person to participate in the first Mardi Gras protest in 1978, says: "As the youngest 78er and a proud ambassador for Qtopia Sydney, I'm thrilled to celebrate Sydney's vibrant Pride Month and the incredible space Qtopia Sydney has created in the heart of Taylor Square. It's a welcoming hub where artists and the community are coming together to host over 150 diverse events this Pride Month. Qtopia Sydney's mission to educate, honour our history and share stories ensures our community's rich history is celebrated and preserved. Given the global attack on gay and trans rights, it is more important than ever to stand proud and stand together. Here's to a month of pride, remembrance and unity!" You can check out our top picks for Sydney Pride Fest 2025 here, or plan your visit to Qtopia here. 🌳
