Discover “Our Vast Queer Past” at San Francisco’s new GLBT Museum

Posted by admin on May 18, 2011

As I enter the Castro, a neighborhood known for being the heart of queer culture, I immediately begin to take in my surroundings, all of which are adorned with rainbow flags. The charmingly vibrant Victorians, intricate and elegant, have managed to find space for flowering pink and purple trees and bushes, and fuse together with the quaint corner cafes, flower shops, and friendly bars. I am on my way to a new museum in San Francisco, the GLBT History Museum, to visit their debut exhibit.

San Francisco has long been known as a socially progressive city. The museum’s appeal lies not only in its landmark significance for the queer community, but also its ability to illustrate how queer culture has impacted the city at large.

"Our Vast Queer Past: Celebrating San Francisco’s GLBT History" weaves together stories of the civil rights battles fought by San Francisco’s queer community, offering timelines of obstacles overcome and significant shifts in the evolving identity of queer society. Visitors are invited to explore the political and cultural challenges that GLBT individuals have worked to surmount, as well as the ways in which their work influenced the city’s general ethos of free love, freedom of expression, and political activism. Colorful characters and quirky personalities round out the experience for visitors wishing to see how San Francisco became a home to GLBT community and a symbol of queer culture.

"We’re proud to open a museum to showcase our community’s history," said Paul Boneberg, executive director of the GLBT Historical Society, which runs the museum. "We have gone all out to create a museum as rich, diverse, and surprising as the GLBT community itself."

"Our Vast Queer Past," runs in the museum’s main gallery through December 2011.

This story was written by Erinne Grant, the marketing and communications intern for Hostelling International’s Northern California hostels. Originally from Indiana, Erinne recently moved to San Francisco and is a student at SF City College.