Uncover our hidden stories at these 11 LGBTQ+ museums & archives

Preserving our history and protecting our future.

LGBTQ+ history is often erased from our textbooks, andLGBTQ+ artis often censored. It feels like every day, new book bans are announced, but for those paying attention, this is nothing new for queer folks. Our story is one of perseverance, joy in the face of tragedy, and strength. We have been through it all and come out it while also, well, coming out.

Our stories are rich and the art we make is iconic. So, is it really any surprise that there are museums and archives around the world dedicated to those stories, histories, and creative expressions? While these foundations and groups are doing their part to collect and preserve these records and artworks, for them to truly stay alive, we need to bear witness and experience them!

So, consider visiting these incredible LGBTQ+ museums and archives from around the world that are combating erasure and celebrating queerness by preserving our rich history for future generations.

This story originally ran on Pride in March 2016.

Leslie-Lohman Museum of Gay and Lesbian Art in New York City

The Leslie-Lohman Museum has a permanent collection of 1,300 objects from incredible LGBTQ+ artists including Robert Mapplethorpe, Catherine Opie, Andy Warhol, and David Hockney.

GLBT History Museum in San Francisco

The GLBT History Museum from the GLBT Historical Society in San Francisco features art, objects, and publications from the 1940s to today. The museum also hosts events throughout the year with artists, activists, and authors.

Schwules Museum in Berlin, Germany

The Schwules Museum opened in 1985, and was originally located above a gay nightclub. The museum has become one of the world’s largest and most significant LGBTQ+ museums.

Leather Archives & Museum in Chicago, Illinois

The Leather Archives & Museum in Chicago isn’t your average museum. They’re dedicated to the preservation of leather, kink, and fetish lifestyles. Be sure to check out their extensive library and Tom of Finland gallery!

The ArQuives in Toronto, Ontario, Canada

The ArQuives (formally the Canadian Lesbian and Gay Archives) collects LGBTQ2+ historical records, personal papers, publications, art, photographs, posters, and artifacts. The CLGA also features art exhibits throughout the archive and in the gallery.

The Pride Library in London, Ontario, Canada

The Pride Library is a collection of periodicals, books, and audio-visual resources housed in the D.B. Weldon Library at The University of Western Ontario. There are over 6000 items in the collection in over 15 languages, from popular novels, to documentaries and art.

IHLIA LGBT Heritage in Amsterdam, Netherlands

IHLIA LGBT Heritage was established in 1999, and is an international archive of over 100,000 LGBT books, journals, magazines, films, documentaries, photographs, and objects.

Chris Gonzalez Collection in Indianapolis, Indiana 

The Chris Gonzalez Collection is housed at Central Library in Indianapolis. Many of the materials are circulated, and the library has over 7,000 individual titles, as well as LGBTQ+ publications, videos, art, and photos.

Australian Queer Archives in Melbourne, Australia

Australian Queer Archives (formally known as The Australian Lesbian and Gay Archives) was founded in 1978, and collects significant LGBT materials. Since its founding the collection has amassed over "400,000 items of archive, library, museum and gallery material." The archive also hosts gallery exhibits of LGBTQ+ artists.

Lesbian Herstory Archives, Brooklyn, New York

Brooklyn-based Lesbian History Archives seeks to preserve lesbian and sapphic history by documenting the lives and activities of women-loving women. Not only does this project aim to keep queer women’s stories alive but finds their all too often hidden histories that other patriarchal historians have ignored.