Gay Lesbian Bisexual Transgender Historical Society

Archives - The archives of the GLBT Historical Society had a tremendously productive 2023. We received several important grants, digitized a substantial amount of material, and had a surge in new archival collections that greatly enriched our holdings. We also continued implementation of a new digital asset management system, which provides robust digital infrastructure and helps us better preserve and share digitized content. We welcomed over 480 onsite researchers working on diverse projects, up from 350 in 2022. We continued to expand our online offerings, making 23 new digital archival collections available. The archives accessioned 107 new collections in 2023, including some previously donated in 2021 and 2022 that had not been formally accessioned due to onsite COVID restrictions.

Public Exhibitions - The GLBT Historical Society Museum in San Francisco remains a key setting for the GLBT Historical Society to share our past with LGBTQ and non-LGBTQ publics and to advocate for the preservation of queer history and culture. In 2023, we updated the museum's COVID-19 safety precautions, continuing to require masks for all guests and staff in the space but no longer requiring proof of vaccination. We presented 3 new exhibitions in the museum space and launched the return of our in-person public programs, hosting 7 in-person public programs and exhibition opening receptions, as well as 1 online workshop. We welcomed nearly 80 schools and community organizations for group tours and nearly 9,000 individual guests visiting the museum. We continue to be specifically guided by the areas of strategic focus as outlined in the society's five-year strategic plan: Women, bisexual people, transgender people, people with disabilities, Black people, Native/Indigenous people, Asian Americans, Latinx people.