(Jack Nichols holding picket sign at 1st protest at Independence Hall, Philadelphia, 1965. Find this photo and other historical artifacts in our online archives.) Fifty years ago, on July 4, 1965, activists first convened in front of Philadelphia’s Independence Hall to demand equality for lesbians and gays. This first of five “Annual Reminders” […]
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You know, I read To Kill A Mockingbird when I was nine and various other classics of literature that talked about the awkward separate spheres for men and women. I know that I longed to go back in time and punch out anyone who said you can’t do this because […]
(Rainbow History board member Vincent Slatt. Photo by Sarah Welz Geselowitz.) On Tuesday, June 30th, the last day of Pride Month, the Rainbow History Project held a public information session at the Southeast Neighborhood Library. Board member Vincent Slatt discussed the history of the organization and our ongoing work, including […]
Oral History Training Tuesday, July 23 | 6 pm DC Center for the LGBT Community | 2000 14th St NW #105 Are you interested in helping collect the history of D.C.’s LGBT community? Oral histories are a vital component of our collections, providing students and researchers with rich and nuanced accounts of […]
(Screenshot of “What Happened to DC’s Lesbian Spaces?” [external link]) The Washingtonian (external link) recently featured Rainbow History board member Dr. Bonnie Morris in Harrison Smith’s article “What Happened to DC’s Lesbian Spaces?” (external link). In this terrific interview-style article, Dr. Morris discusses the swift disappearance of cultural spaces for lesbians […]
(Screenshot of article “Gay Rugby Teams And Transvestite Dancing Queens At Capital Pride.” [external link].) Rainbow History board member Jeff Donahoe was quoted in Linda Pentz’s recent article, “Gay Rugby Teams And Transvestite Dancing Queens At Capital Pride” (external link). Published in the Florida newspaper Agenda (external link), the article highlights the […]
Listen to the panel. Couldn’t make it to our June 16 panel Lost Lesbian Spaces? You can now find the full audio recording and accompanying images on our online archives. The Rainbow History Project partnered with LC-GLOBE to present the lunchtime panel “Lost Lesbian Spaces” at the Library Congress. The […]
Enter the online exhibit. The GLF-DC was founded by individuals who helped fight for civil rights and international peace in the 1960s, but found their sexuality at odds with the radical left at the time. As Michael Ferri, a founding member of Washington DC’s Gay Liberation Front recalls: “We […]
(Listen here.) In celebration of this morning’s Supreme Court ruling, which recognized same-sex marriage as a constitutional right, we invite you to listen to Madeline Davis’s 1971 gay liberation song, “Stonewall Nation,” as recorded on the local gay radio program Friends. 44 years ago, Davis first proclaimed through this song that “the […]
Earlier this week, Yahoo News released a 30-minute online documentary entitled “Uniquely Nasty: The U.S. Government’s War on Gays.” Based on research by the Mattachine Society of Washington D.C., the film explores the federal persecution of gays and lesbians since the Cold War. Its three chapters tell the stories of […]