Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender Historical Society, aka, GLBT Historical Society

We envision a world in which LGBTQ people are appreciated and celebrated by one another in all their diversity and by all people for their contributions to history and culture.

We envision a world in which everyone can learn about LGBTQ history as a vital means for promoting civic engagement, social justice, and political change.

We envision a world in which LGBTQ people find acceptance, strength, and pride in acknowledging their heritage and in sharing it with society as a whole.

Founded in 1985, the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender (GLBT) Historical Society is recognized internationally as a leader in the field of LGBTQ public history.

Our archives, the Dr. John P. De Cecco Archives and Research Center, is open to researchers in the Mid-Market district of San Francisco, and contains more than 900 unique archival collections. By preserving these stories, we provide a vital resource for the appreciation and celebration of LGBTQ people.

We publicly display our collections at various events and public exhibits throughout the year, as well as at the GLBT Historical Society Museum, located since 2011 in the heart of San Francisco’s Castro neighborhood.

The GLBT Historical Society currently has 11 staff members, 8 board members, 4 working groups, dozens of volunteers, and an operating budget of $1.4 million. The society manages one of the world's largest collections of LGBTQ history, and the nation's first stand-alone museum of LGBTQ history and culture.

The Dr. John P. De Cecco Archives & Special Collections of the GLBT Historical Society are among the largest and most extensive holdings in the world of materials pertaining to LGBTQ people, occupying more than 3,500 linear feet of storage. Broadly speaking, our over 900 discrete collections fall into four main areas: archives, periodicals, oral histories, and arts & artifacts.

The GLBT Historical Society Museum, located in the heart of San Francisco’s Castro District, is the first stand-alone museum of gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender history and culture in the United States. At 1,600 square feet (150 square meters), the museum, while small, packs a powerful punch, celebrating the city’s vast queer past through dynamic and surprising exhibitions and programming.

Our archivists have acquisitioned more than 900 collections, representing a broad range of LGBTQ individual and communal histories. They are permanently housed in our archive, where they will be preserved for future generations of researchers, scholars, and community members.

At our current museum, we receive more than 25,000 visitors each year and host tours for dozens of groups ranging from school children to seniors. The museum holds a permanent collection, as well as new exhibits throughout the year to highlight various aspects of our collections and community.

We are currently in the planning phase to create a new, full-scale museum which will allow even greater access to our collections, and combine our archives and museum into a single, consolidated facility.