Past events 2018
Many of our recent educational forums, programs and events have been recorded on video and are available for viewing online. Scroll down for information on these programs and links to video recordings.
Recordings from 2018 were made possible by the generosity of Archive Productions, the official videographer for over 60 Bay Area nonprofits.
December 6, 2018
We Built a Movement from Books
Panelists: Jack Collins and Carol Seajay. Moderated by James Van Buskirk.
A panel of creators of queer culture reminisce about the impetus books gave to the lesbian and gay movement in the 1970s–1980. The explosion of bookstores, publishing houses, organizational libraries and literature courses was an important component of San Francisco’s struggle for identity and community. In the years between Stonewall and the AIDS epidemic, lesbians and gay men separately and together charted new territory, established a tradition and literally changed and saved lives.
November 18, 2018
Fighting Back: Harvey Milk’s Living Legacy
Panelists: Tom Ammiano, Brad Chapin, Pablo Espinoza, Cleve Jones, Ken Jones, Ani Rivera and Don Romesburg. Moderated by Honey Mahogany.
Commemorating the 40th anniversary of the assassinations of Harvey Milk and his ally Mayor George Moscone on November 27, 1978, a panel of historians, veteran organizers and young activists will assess how the events of 1978 affected the progressive movement in the city and how Milk’s example continues to inspire work for positive change today.
November 1, 2018
The Indian Is Still Alive: Two-Spirit History and Drumming
An evening of music and history with the Bay Area American Indian Two Spirits (BAAITS) drum group, including a screening of the documentary short “The Indian is Still Alive and the Indian Knows the Songs” directed by BAAITS drum member Susana Caceres, followed by songs by the BAAITS drum group and an audience discussion. The evening brings together arts, music, dance, culture and traditions to help educate natives, nonnatives and all LGBTQ people. This program is co-sponsored by BAAITS.
October 5, 2018
Make History! The GLBT Historical Society's 2018 Gala
Emceed by Michelle Meow, and with entertainment from Tony nominee and Obie-winning trans-genre cabaret star Mx. Justin Vivian Bond, the evening was brimming with entertainment and fun inspired by LGBTQ history.
Honorees included archivist, collector and curator Lisbet Tellefsen; the San Francisco Gay Men's Chorus; Thomas E. Horn, president and trustee of the Bob Ross Foundation; and the memory of pioneering LGBTQ studies and human sexuality scholar and educator Dr. John P. De Cecco.
May 17, 2018
LGBTQ Youth in France & the U.S.: Looking Back, Looking Forward
Panelists: Michael Lucey, Don Romesburg, Nicolas Noguier, Clare Hart and Jodi Schwartz. Moderated by Mark Sawchuk.
For LGBTQ young people in France and the United States, claiming their sexuality and gender has long presented joys and challenges. This panel offers perspectives on how the lives of LGBTQ teens and young adults in the two countries were shaped in the past and how LGBTQ communities and their allies are working to support queer youth today. Offering the historical context are Michael Lucey, professor of French at the University of California, Berkeley, and Don Romesburg, professor of women’s and gender studies at Sonoma State University. The work of Le Refuge, a French organization that provides housing and support for LGBTQ young people rejected by their families, is discussed by the founder and president, Nicolas Noguier, and vice president, Clare Hart. For an American perspective, the initiatives of LYRIC, a pioneering San Francisco LGBTQ youth services organization, is presented by the nonprofit’s executive director, Jodi Schwartz. Serving as moderator for the panel is Mark Sawchuk, a communications volunteer with the GLBT Historical Society who holds a doctorate in French history.
April 25, 2018
Fighting Back: Queers & the Class Divide
As part of our GLBT Historical Society’s monthly “Fighting Back” series exploring contemporary queer issues in a historical context, “Queers and the Class Divide” offers a conversation about intersections between LGBTQ politics and growing class divisions locally and nationally. A panel of scholars, policymakers and veteran activists discusses the history of economic inequality in the Bay Area and the United States, the impact of wealth and poverty on LGBTQ community and politics, and how this history can help inform today’s resistance movements.
March 16, 2018
Two Anniversaries, One Celebration!
Thirty-three years ago, a band of queer history enthusiasts created the GLBT Historical Society to uncover and preserve stories of the LGBTQ past. Seven years ago, the society opened the doors of the GLBT Historical Society Museum in the Castro, featuring vibrant exhibits highlighting the resilience and diversity of the LGBTQ community. This double anniversary party celebrates our milestones and features performances by our mistress of ceremony, Landa Lakes, and the sounds of DJ Marke B. from The STUD.
February 28, 2018
Fighting Back: Finding the Bisexual in LGBTQ
As part of our GLBT Historical Society’s “Fighting Back” series exploring contemporary queer issues in a historical context, “Finding the Bisexual in LGBTQ” offers a multigenerational conversation about the place of bisexual people in the larger LGBTQ community. A panel of historians, veteran organizers and younger activists discuss bisexual representation, discrimination and activism in Bay Area LGBTQ organizing since the 1960s and how this history can inform today’s resistance movements. Participants: Carol Queen, Juba Kalamka, Amara Santos and Cianna Stewart, with Rebecca Hensler as moderator.
February 22, 2018
A Queer Love Story: Jane Rule & Rick Bébout
Marilyn Schuster discusses and reads from her new book, A Queer Love Story: The Letters of Jane Rule and Rick Bébout (University of British Columbia Press, 2017), collecting the extraordinary correspondence of two leading activists in the queer history of Canada. Both were born in the United States: lesbian novelist Jane Rule, who grew up in Palo Alto and attended Mills College in Oakland, and gay journalist and AIDS activist Rick Bébout.
February 15, 2018
We’wha: The Life & Times of a Traditional Two-Spirit
In this illustrated talk, historian Will Roscoe shares the story of We’wha (1849–1896), an accomplished potter and weaver, and a cultural ambassador for the Zuni people. We’wha was a traditional Two-Spirit — an individual belonging to a distinct third gender. Celebrated during her lifetime, We’wha traveled to Washington, D.C., to meet President Grover Cleveland. Her memory is now celebrated on the Rainbow Honor Walk in San Francisco’s Castro District. The event is cosponsored by Bay Area American Indian Two-Spirits (BAAITS), which makes a brief presentation after the talk.
February 9, 2018
Angela Davis: OUTspoken | Exhibition Opening
A new exhibition drawing on rare posters and ephemera from a private collection highlights the journey of black lesbian activist Angela Davis: from radical scholar, to political prisoner, to revolutionary icon, to public intellectual. Curated by collector Lisbet Tellefsen and historian Amy Sueyoshi, “Angela Davis: OUTspoken” considers some of the roles Davis has played in the American political imaginary and explores the complexity and impact of her life across nearly half a century.
January 26, 2018
Out/Look & the Birth of the Queer | Exhibition Closing Reception
The GLBT History Museum marks the closing weekend of our innovative exhibition “OUT/LOOK and the Birth of the Queer” with a public reception featuring a gallery tour by curator E.G. Crichton and a celebration of the participating artists and writers, many of whom are attending the event.
January 20, 2018
CARRY ON: Political PTSD Disco
Has it *only* been a year since the inauguration? This disco treats that political PTSD, celebrates our victories and recharges us for Year 2 with a night of art, resistance and dancing, dancing, dancing. Music by The Carry Nation (NYC) and Carrie Morrison (SF). Curated by Leo Herrera/Herrera Studio and The GLBT Historical Society. Bear GoGos sponsored by Bearracuda San Francisco.
January 11, 2018
Red Diaper Daughter
Presented by Laura Bock
Author Laura Bock reads and tells stories from her new memoir, Red Diaper Daughter (Second Wave Press). The term “red diaper baby” suits her perfectly: Her parents were committed left-wing radicals. Their activism was part of the air Bock breathed growing up in the 1950s, and later, the inspiration for her involvement in the civil rights, anti-war, feminist, disability rights and lesbian movements. Meanwhile, she was running her own business, Bock’s Bed and Breakfast, in her family’s historic home near Golden Gate Park. Bock’s memoir is a vividly written, revealing and often funny look at her family and her life choices through more than six decades of U.S. history. Bock’s papers are housed at the GLBT Historical Society, where she has been a volunteer for many years.