LGBTQ History and Heritage: An American Story

 We have discussed before how history is dominated by the stories of white, heterosexual men. Interestingly, although LGBTQ history is not as predominant, even its history is dominated by stories of white, urban, middle-class men. The National Park Service, America's storyteller, is dedicated to telling all our stories through research, interpretation, and collaboration. In recent years they have been able to increase the number of preserved sites that tell the story and history of underrepresented groups in America. In 2014, the National Park Service announced their LGBTQ Heritage Initiative, and in 2016, they published their LBGTQ Theme Study.

The histories of the LGBTQ community have often been erased through punishing laws and prejudice. There are bits and pieces of information scattered throughout court documents, medical reports, military hearing records, and immigration records. Many places that are significant to this community are not interpreted as such or have been demolished. Some have known associations to LGBTQ history, such as the Stonewall Inn, which was the first National Historic Landmark listed for its importance to LGBTQ history. Other places have hidden queer histories. Either way, these private residences, hotels, bars, government agencies, hospitals, parks and community centers are all assets that tell the story of the LGBTQ experience in America, and those stories are important for community building.

The Stonewall Inn, the first National Heritage 
Landmark listed for its significance in LGBTQ 
history (photo courtesy of nps.org)

The LGBTQ experience reveals the complexities of our society, highlighting how personal lives are impacted by politics, economics, laws, and other social influences. Personal identity and gender are important aspects of the American experience. The LGBTQ Theme Study is an interesting read because it incorporates diverse stories within the queer community. It also expands its reach to areas of the country not often discussed or thought about when discussing LGBTQ history, such as rural America, which often have quite a distinctive experience from other parts of the country. Something else we, as archaeologists, like about this study is that it includes a discussion on how archaeology has the ability to reveal important contextual information that may remain intact even after physical structures have been destroyed. The Theme Study also provides a section with resources for interpreters and teachers, but really we feel that anybody, including parents, can benefit from this section.