As LGBTQ+ History Month approaches an end, we celebrate GLAM institutions worldwide. These organizations preserve and showcase LGBTQ+ history, culture, and voices. Archives document personal stories. Museums are filled with artifacts and art. These collections guarantee LGBTQ+ narratives are remembered. They are also accessible to future generations. Here’s a guide to some of the world’s most significant LGBTQ+ collections.
The American LGBTQ+ Museum, New York, NY, USA
In collaboration with the New-York Historical Society, this museum is dedicated to preserving, researching, and sharing LGBTQ+ history and culture. The yet-to-open museum will feature exhibitions, artifacts, and stories – spotlighting key moments and figures in LGBTQ+ history and culture.
The ArQuives, Toronto, ON, Canada
The ArQuives, located in Toronto (Ontario, Canada), is one of the largest LGBTQ2+ archives in the world. We collect material in any medium related to LGBTQ2+ life in Canada for our library, archive, art and artifact collections
Australian Queer Archives, Melbourne, Australia
The Australian Queer Archives (AQuA) collects, preserves and celebrates material from the lives and experiences of lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans and gender diverse, intersex, queer, Brotherboy and Sistergirl (LGBTIQ+) Australians. Established in 1978, we hold the pre-eminent research collection for LGBTIQ+ histories in Australia. We are a volunteer-run, non-profit, community-based incorporated association. We are located in Melbourne, Australia and are assisted by members and supporters around Australia and the world.
Bishopsgate Institute, London, UK
Bishopsgate Institute Special Collections and Archives document the experiences of everyday people, and the extraordinary individuals and organisations who have strived for social, political, and cultural change.
Gerber/Hart Library and Archives
Founded in 1981, Gerber/Hart Library and Archives seeks to collect, preserve, and make accessible the history and culture of LGBTQ+ communities in Chicago and the Midwest to advance the larger goal of achieving justice and equality. Three core purposes define our work: We operate a free, public, lending library of books, ebooks, and audiovisual media that document and represent the richly varied histories and cultures of LGBTQ+ individuals and communities in the United States, with a geographic emphasis on Chicago and the Midwest. We acquire, preserve, and make accessible, both at our physical location and online, an ever-growing archive of…
GLBT Historical Society Museum & Archives, San Francisco, CA, USA
The GLBT Historical Society collects, preserves, exhibits and makes accessible to the public materials and knowledge to support and promote understanding of LGBTQ history, culture and arts in all their diversity. Founded in 1985, we are recognized internationally as a leader in the field of LGBTQ public history. The GLBT Historical Society is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.
Human Sexuality Collection, Stanford University, CA, USA
The Human Sexuality Collection seeks to preserve and make accessible primary sources that document historical shifts in the social construction of sexuality, with a focus on U.S. lesbian and gay history and the politics of pornography.
Irish Queer Archive, Dublin, Ireland
The Irish Queer Archive provides a fascinating and valuable insight into the social, cultural and political history of the LGBT communities in an Irish and international context from the mid 20th century to early 21st century. The main collection was donated in 2008 to the National Library of Ireland by the National Gay Federation (now NXF). As a living archive, the Library continues to gratefully receive related donations of material from representative groups and by individuals.
Kinsey Institute Library and Special Collections, Indiana University, USA
The Kinsey Institute is known globally for its research on human sexuality. It preserves documents, photos, and artifacts. These highlight LGBTQ+ lives and relationships through history.
Lesbian Herstory Archives, Brooklyn, NY, USA
We founded The Lesbian Herstory Archives in the 1970s when a group of women involved in the Gay Academic Union realized that Lesbian history was “disappearing as quickly as it was being made.” Our mission is to gather and preserve records of Lesbian lives and activities so that future generations will have ready access to materials relevant to their lives.
Leslie-Lohman Museum of Art
The Leslie-Lohman Museum of Art was created by our founders to preserve LGBTQIA+ identity and build community. Our roots trace back to 1969, when Charles Leslie and Fritz Lohman held an exhibit of gay artists for the first time in their SoHo loft. Throughout the 1970s, they continued to collect and exhibit gay artists while supporting the SoHo art community. During the height of the AIDS pandemic, the collection continued to grow as they rescued the work of dying artists from families who, out of shame or ignorance, wanted to destroy it. This led to the formation of the Leslie-Lohman…
NYPL LGBTQ+ Collections, New York, NY, USA
The New York Public Library has one of the premier collections of LGBTQ+ history in the world. These collections include the published record of both academic and popular literature, rare books, little magazines, historic newspapers, at least 100,000 volumes, and over 300 archival collections—containing hundreds of thousands of letters, manuscripts, photographs, posters, and other items.
ONE National Gay & Lesbian Archives at the USC Libraries, Los Angeles, CA, USA
As the world’s oldest LGBTQ+ archival institution, ONE Archives at USC preserves significant documents and media. These resources capture LGBTQ+ history in the U.S., including records from the early gay rights movement.
Schwules Museum Berlin, DE, EU
The Schwules Museum (SMU) was founded in 1985 to provide a home for the history and culture of gay men and their emancipation movement, narratives that have been devalued and excluded by mainstream society’s museums and archives. It aims to house artistic works, life testimonies, and the documentation of social movements. Since then, the institution has evolved: Today, the SMU stands as the most important international center for researching, preserving, and presenting the culture and history of queer individuals, sexual and gender diversity, and is a sought-after collaborative partner for museums, universities, cultural support institutions, artists, and activists from around…
Transgender Archives, Victoria, Canada
60+ years of activism. 120+ years of research. The Transgender Archives at the University of Victoria Libraries is committed to the preservation of the history of pioneering activists, community leaders, and researchers who have contributed to the betterment of Trans+ people. We are accessible to everyone, free of charge. Our collections comprise the largest Trans+ archives in the world. Since 2007, we have been actively acquiring documents, rare publications, and memorabilia of persons and organizations associated with activism by and for Trans+ people. We officially launched in late Fall 2011. Our records: span over 160 meters or 530 linear feet…
Wereldmuseum Leiden, NL, EU
As of October 4, 2023, the Tropenmuseum in Amsterdam, Afrika Museum in Berg en Dal, Museum Volkenkunde in Leiden and the Wereldmuseum Rotterdam merged together under one name: Wereldmuseum. Wereldmuseum Berg en Dal (formerly Afrika Museum) is closed as of November 2023. We believe the world has no center but one vast network where everything influences each other. We explore the world around us and try to understand it better through our collections and exhibitions. At all locations of the Wereldmuseum, the focus is on themes that influence our daily lives.
Preserving LGBTQ+ Narratives for Future Generations
These institutions offer glimpses into the lives, struggles, and celebrations of LGBTQ+ individuals worldwide. They give vital resources for education and research. Visiting these archives, museums, and libraries—whether in person or online—gives us the opportunity to honor the LGBTQ+ community’s legacy. We make sure that these stories are preserved. We also guarantee they are celebrated across generations.
