Browse Exhibits (236 total)

Photographs of Gender-Bending Women, 1910s-1940s, by Sharon Weinman and Lauren Gutterman

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Collector Sharon Weinman gathered this groups of photographs of women in masculine clothing from the early twentieth century. The photographs are introduced by historian Lauren Gutterman.

Phyllis Lyon (1924-2020): Feminist Lesbian Icon, Human and Civil Rights Advocate, Friend, Mentor, by Marcia Gallo

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Historian Marcia Gallo recalls the life of an early lesbian activist. First published on OutHistory in 2020.

Picturing a Lesbian Feminist Household: A 2015 Interview with Cathy Cade by Stephen Vider

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Cathy Cade is a photographer who has been documenting the gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender communities since the 1970s. Based in Berkeley, California, she is the author, publisher and photographer of A Lesbian Photo Album: The Lives of Seven Lesbian Feminists (Oakland, Ca: Waterwomen Books, 1987). Her work is archived at the Bancroft Library, University of
California, Berkeley. Her website is cathycade.com

Stephen Vider is a Mellon Postdoctoral Fellow at the Museum of the City of New York. From 2013 to 2015, he was the Clay Postdoctoral Fellow in the History of Sexuality at Yale University. He completed his PhD at Harvard in History of American Civilization in 2013, with a secondary field in Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies. His book Queer Belongings: Gay Men and the American Home After World War II will be published by University of Chicago Press. His essay “The Makings of Home,” appears in the catalog for “On the Domestic Front: Scenes of Everyday Queer Life,” curated by James Saslow at the Leslie Lohman Museum of Gay and Lesbian Art. His website is stephenvider.com.

First published on OutHistory in 2015.

Picturing African American Men with Men, 1918-1942, by John Ibson

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A collection of John Ibson's images of African American men with other men that appear in his 2002 book, Picturing Men: A Century of Male Relationships in Everyday American Photography. First published on OutHistory in 2015.

Poems by Jonathan Ned Katz

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A series of poems written by OutHistory's founder over many years. Published originally in 2023.

Polk Street History Project, 1950s-2010s, by Joey Plaster

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Polk Street’s history through the lens of neighborhood change in the early twenty-first century. Polk Street was San Francisco’s premier gay male center in the 1960s and 1970s. First published on OutHistory in 2010.

Postcards of Masculine Women and Feminine Men from the Early Twentieth Century, by Marshall Weeks and Jonathan Ned Katz

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Postcards collected by Marshall Weeks and dating to the early twentieth-century present satirical images of women who wore "mannish" shoes, shirts, collars, ties, and coats, who smoked, went to bars, and who moved independently in the world. Other cards portray effeminate men and, specifically, those then called "fairies" and "pansies." With an introduction by Jonathan Ned Katz. First published on OutHistory in 2011.

Prison Sex and Solitary Confinement in Pennsylvania, 1790-1829, by Jen Manion

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On the publication of Jen Manion’s book Liberty's Prisoners: Carceral Culture in Early America (University of Pennsylvania Press, 2015), OutHistory featured an original essay by Manion. It discusses how sex between men in early Philadelphia prisons was used as a rationale for solitary confinement.

Profiles of Ten LGBT Activists for Social Justice, 2013/2017, by Rich Wilson

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Profiles of ten LGBT social justice activists by Rich Wilson. First published December 10, 2013. Last edited: May 28, 2017.

Proud to be Working Class and Queer in 2020, by Anne Balay

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Pride Month opens at a moment of crisis for the United States and its unions. Professor and union organizer Anne Balay reflects on the need for a labor movement that is anti-capitalist, anti-racist, and unapologetically queer. Published originally on OutHistory on June 11, 2020.

Queen City Comes Out: Exploring Seattle's Lesbian and Gay History, 1950-1999, by the Northwest Lesbian & Gay History Museum Project

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Highlights of LGBT history in Seattle, drawn from the Northwest Lesbian & Gay History Museum Project members’ collective research conducted over fifteen years. An overview of the early history of taverns in Pioneer Square, the formation of early organizations that led to the flourishing of lesbian and gay community in the 1970s, and the early responses to the challenges of the 1980s and 1990s. First published on OutHistory in 2013.

Queer Bronzeville, 1900-1985, by Tristan Cabello

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The history of African American gays and lesbians on Chicago's South Side. First published on OutHistory in 2008.

Queer History of Colleges and Universities

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A collection of links to OutHistory projects and other materials on LGBT history in higher education, along with a timeline on Columbia University and a bibliography of sources. First published on OutHistory in 2021. Updated in 2025.

Queer Newark, 1885-present, by Timothy Stewart-Winter and Whitney Strub

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An exhibit on the often overlooked queer history of Newark, New Jersey, a history that is "tragic at times, but also bold, defiant, and resistant." First published on OutHistory in 2014.

Queer Sources from Queer Newark: Stories of Resistance, Love, and Community, 1870s-2020s, by Moira Armstrong

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This exhibit follows up on the recent book Queer Newark: Stories of Resistance, Love, and Community (New Brunswick: Rutgers University Press, 2024), which covers themes, figures, and events from the nineteenth, twentieth, and early twenty-first centuries. Each section of the exhibit focuses on a different chapter, presenting an overview of the chapter's argument and two primary sources used to provide insight into Newark queer life. Published originally on OutHistory in 2024.

Queer Transformations at San Francisco State, 1969-1974, by Marc Stein

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This exhibit is under construction as of December 2024.

Queer Workers I Have Known, June 16, 2020, by Anne Balay

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The day after the U.S. Supreme Court's anti-discrimination decision in Bostock v. Clayton County, a queer labor organizer contemplates the past and future.

Queer Youth: On Campus and in the Media, by Sharon Ullman and Her Students

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This exhibit focuses on LGBTQ+ activism on college and high school campuses and representations of queer youth in the media. The project was researched by Bryn Mawr and Haverford students for a class on the history of sexuality in America, taught by Sharon Ullman. First published by OutHistory in 2008.

Queering African American History: A Bibliography, by Kevin J. Mumford

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OutHistory is grateful to historian Kevin J. Mumford for creating this bibliography, and for research assistance he sends special thanks to Olivia Hagedorn, a doctoral candidate in history at the University of Illinois at Urbana—Champaign. First published November 11, 2020.