Adopt an archival collection by becoming a member of the GLBT Historical Society. Funds from the Society’s archival adoption program help us preserve and share more than 1,000 archival collections.
To see the collections currently eligible for adoption, scroll down on this page. You can also find more information about the various benefits of membership and the adoption program overall by exploring this page.
Become a member of the GLBT Historical Society to adopt an archival collection, support our work to preserve and share LGBTQ history, and receive special benefits and updates throughout the year.
Associate Membership | $70 annual dues
Sustaining Membership | $120 annual dues – BEST VALUE
Supporting Membership | $250 annual dues
Patron Membership | $500 annual dues
Sponsoring Membership | $1,000 annual dues and above
Discount Membership | $35 annual dues
For membership inquiries or to update your membership information, email us at membership@glbthistory.org.
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The GLBT Historical Society is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization and your membership is tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law.
This collection highlights the artistic oeuvre of Gilbert Baker (1951–2017), the artist and activist who designed the iconic rainbow flag with the help of collaborators. The collection includes the only known remnant of one of the two original eight-stripe rainbow flags created for San Francisco Gay Freedom Day in 1978.
Gilbert Baker in his hand-sewn Betsy Ross gown on Fire Island, ca. 2012; photographer unknown, Gilbert Baker Collection (2017-18), GLBT Historical Society.
This collection takes you into the world of Gilbert Block, better known as Sadie, Sadie the Rabbi Lady, a celebrated member of the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence in the 1980s.
Sadie, Sadie the Rabbi Lady poses in a red dumpster, 1983; photograph by Jean-Baptiste Carhaix, Gilbert Block/Sadie, Sadie the Rabbi Lady Papers (2002-05), GLBT Historical Society.
The Denise D’Anne Papers, acquired in 2021, document the life of a proud, pioneering trans woman who was an activist, environmentalist, civil servant, writer and candidate for the San Francisco Board of Supervisors.
Denise D’Anne poses in a May 1973 snapshot; photographer unknown, Denise D’Anne Papers (2021-26), GLBT Historical Society.
Lorraine Hurdle’s archival collection provides insight into the life of an African American lesbian and army veteran who served in Germany during World War II.
Lorraine Hurdle in her army uniform, ca. 1939–1945; studio photograph, Lorraine Hurdle Papers (2018-12), GLBT Historical Society.
The Henri Leleu Papers is among the most extensive photographic collections in the GLBT Historical Society’s archives and contains remarkable images of gay associational life and LGBTQ bars from the 1960s to the 1980s.
The exterior of the Twin Peaks Tavern, ca. 1975; photograph by Henri Leleu, Henri Leleu Papers (1997-13), GLBT Historical Society.
This archival collection documents the life and work of Phyllis Lyon and Del Martin, lesbian pioneers and activists who in 1955 co-founded the first lesbian civil and political rights organization in the United States, the Daughters of Bilitis.
Del Martin (left) and Phyllis Lyon (right) in their living room in San Francisco, ca. 1970s; photographer unknown, Phyllis Lyon and Del Martin Papers (1993-13), GLBT Historical Society.
This collection tells the story of Jiro Onuma, a gay Japanese American man who was incarcerated along with over 100,000 other Japanese Americans in a concentration camp in the California desert during the Second World War.
Sponsored by the Masto Foundation
For more information about sponsoring a collection, check out our Sponsoring Membership Benefits.
Jiro Onuma (center) poses with two friends in a studio photograph, ca. 1930s; Jiro Onuma Papers (2000-27), GLBT Historical Society.
This collection documents the extraordinary life of gay-rights activist, performer and Imperial Court System founder José Sarria, who in 1961 became the first openly gay person to campaign for elected office anywhere in the world.
Sponsored by the José Sarria Foundation.
For more information about sponsoring a collection, check out our Sponsoring Membership Benefits.
José Sarria in army uniform, ca. 1945; studio photograph, José Sarria Papers (1996-01), GLBT Historical Society.
This archival collection documents the life and times of Louis Sullivan, a gay and transgender activist who was as a community organizer, lay historian, diarist and GLBT Historical Society founding member.
Page from Louis Sullivan’s 1979–1980 diary; snapshot photographer unknown, Louis Graydon Sullivan Papers (1991-07), GLBT Historical Society.
A new acquisition in 2021, this photographic collection documents a 1966 demonstration, the Street Sweep, organized by members of Vanguard, an organization of LGBTQ youth and others living in the Tenderloin district of San Francisco.
Vanguard members sweep sidewalks in the Tenderloin, 1966; photographer unknown, Vanguard Street Sweep Photographs (2021-21), GLBT Historical Society.
How can I adopt an archival collection?
What are the benefits of archival adoption?
How do you use the funds raised by this program?
Can I gift an adoption?
How did you choose the collections eligible for adoption?
What if I want to adopt a collection not listed here?
Can I donate my collection to the archives?
