News in June that the Stonewall Inn, famous for sparking the riots that sparked the gay rights movement in the United States, would become the first national monument to the history of LGBT rights in the United States got me thinking: Where else in the world could I find something like this? The place? Celebrating the art, history and culture of LGBT people in an institutional way, whether as a monument, museum, archive or library? What does the Stonewall Inn join the ranks, and what does it need to do to stand out? The quality of these works has proven to be very high: in several countries, different groups have collected a vast amount of artistic and historical material that testifies to the historical, political and other struggles and daily lives of LGBT people. If you’re looking for something to do next weekend (or next time you travel abroad), allow me to give you some ideas.
LGBT history and its preservation in institutions matter. Even if you think of museums as places where interesting things die, they represent something important: the acknowledgment that LGBT issues and experiences deserve to be known, understood, studied, and placed within a larger historical narrative. This is a big deal considering the centuries of persecution the LGBT community has suffered as a minority (which is widely talked about in most places). Legitimacy is part of the political struggle, whether it's for the right to marry or the right to be remembered as part of a bigger picture.
Here are nine LGBT-focused museums and historical monuments around the world that deserve your attention and donations. While we are busy making LGBTQ history, we also need to take the time to study and preserve their places.
1. Leslie Lohman Museum of LGBT Art, New York
If you're an art history buff, here's one of the most comprehensive collections of LGBT art in the world; with 24,000 pieces, some dating back to the 16th century. It is currently receiving significant media attention for its groundbreaking national touring exhibition Art AIDS America, the artist's first art retrospective in the United States since the HIV/AIDS outbreak of the 1980s. ( The New York Times asked “What took the museum so long?”) The museum grew out of the art collection of J. Frederic Lohman and Charles Leslie, who first exhibited LGBT-themed art in 1969; it now houses Exhibited in three spaces in New York. Here's how to visit.
2. Alan Turing Memorial Museum, Manchester, UK
Alan Turing, a pioneer in the development of computers whose brilliant life and tragic death is one of the most famous figures in Western LGBT history, is believed to have committed suicide in 1954 after being arrested for being gay. The city of Manchester, England (where Turing created the first computer, the Manchester Mark 1), erected a statue in his honor to commemorate his immense contribution to computing and the desperate pain caused by society's hatred of his sexual orientation: real person A plaque beneath the 20-foot-tall bronze sculpture reads: "Father of computer science, mathematician, logician, wartime codebreaker, victim of prejudice." Flowers are often laid around the statue on June 23 (Turing's birthday) and June 7 (Turing's death date). Here's how to visit.
3. Schwuers Museum, Germany
Since its opening in 1985, the Schwules Museum has been a pioneer in documenting and exhibiting LGBT living art. It tends to focus on history; in 1984, its first (controversial) exhibition was "El Dorado – The History, Daily Life and Culture of Gay Men and Women, 1850-1950", and from 2004 it has hosted a A very popular exhibition that tells the story of 200 years of the struggle for LGBT rights in Germany, from legal testimonies to the small successes of the gay rights movement. It also has a checkered history geographically: originally located above an LGBT nightclub, it now has its own purpose-built building in the Berlin suburb of Kreuzberg, which now houses archives, a library and an art collection. Here's how to visit.
4. ONE National Lesbian and Gay Archives, University of Southern California
The ONE Archives at the University of Southern California bills itself as “the world’s largest lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer (LGBTQ) archive.” Just as they should: they've been collecting material since ONE magazine was founded in 1952, when it was the first national magazine dedicated exclusively to LGBT lifestyle. It is a research archive that provides historians with extensive resources on the American gay rights movement and other important parts of LGBT culture, but it also hosts exhibitions: for example, there is currently an exhibition of multimedia art by artist M. Lamar. Here's how to visit.
5. Denkmal für die im Nationalsozialismus verfolgten Homosexuellen, Berlin
It’s a monument built to a huge group of people with a specific purpose: it translates as “in memory of homosexuals who were persecuted under National Socialism (also known as Nazism).” LGBT people were specifically targeted during the Holocaust, and this memorial opened in 2008 and is located directly opposite Berlin's famous Holocaust Memorial Museum. It's an unforgettable experience: created by artists Michael Elmgreen and Inge Dragset, it's a giant concrete cube with a small window through which the observer can watch two men or Video loop of women kissing, depending on the year. It is also surrounded by plaques describing the special circumstances of Nazi Germany's persecution of LGBT people, including that they were not specifically recognized as victims until the 1980s. Here's how to visit.
6. Australian Lesbian and Gay Archives, Melbourne
If you're in the Southern Hemisphere or are interested in LGBT life in Australia, this is the place for you. The event, started in 1978, aims to preserve and record all aspects of LGBT historical life in Australia across all periods, from the AIDS crisis to early settlers. It also publishes books, runs history walks in Melbourne and holds academic conferences, but the heart of its work is archives and exhibitions; last year it staged an exhibition on the history of drag at an associated gallery in Melbourne. Here's how to visit.
7. Amsterdam Gay Monument
One of the most moving monuments to global LGBT persecution is actually not obvious. It takes the form of three triangles and is embedded in the ground near Amsterdam's canals. Built in 1987, it was one of the world's first LGBT-centered monuments, with a special focus on commemorating members of the community who were attacked by the Nazis (the pink triangles that make up the monument are a reference to the pink triangle badges that LGBT people were forced to wear) under Nazism). The location next to the canal is believed to be the dock where LGBT people were transported to the concentration camps, although this is unclear. Either way, this is a mobile and efficient space. Here's how to visit.
8. Stonewall National Museum and Archives, Fort Lauderdale
The United States is definitely an international leader in the field of LGBT museums; this particular example in Fort Lauderdale is one of the largest and most influential in the country, participating in everything from the March on Gun Control in Washington to the recently created series commemorating the victims in Orlando campaign #WeAreOrlando and more. Originally created in 1973, it now houses items such as the gavel Nancy Pelosi used to signal the end of "Don't Ask Don't Tell" in 2010. It also offers something for everyone: it now runs an exhibition of Marilyn Monroe memorabilia. Here's how to visit.
9. San Francisco GLBT Historical Society and Museum
If any place in the United States deserves to host a museum dedicated to LGBT life, it is the Castro Museum in San Francisco, one of the hotbeds of gay culture and the gay rights movement for decades. The area's GLBT historical societies and museums don't disappoint. It is both a research library with thousands of items and a museum space with extensive collections and exhibitions. Its permanent exhibitions include erotica and important moments in the city's LGBT history. Here's how to visit.
