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Items will be added to LGBT history collection at National Museum of American
History in Washington
By Kevin Rector, The Baltimore Sun
Old photographs, newspapers and other miscellaneous "gay pride ephemera" from
the last half-century of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender history in Baltimore
will be added on Tuesday to one of the nation's most esteemed museum collections.
Officials at the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History will accept the
archival materials from the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Community
Center of Baltimore (GLCCB), and add them to its growing collection of items
documenting LGBT history.
The collection is part of the museum's "mission to document the full breadth of the
American experience," it said in announcing several new additions it will be accepting
— including the original transgender pride flag and show scripts and other
correspondence from the creators of the popular and long-running NBC sitcom
"Will & Grace."
"The pursuit of civil rights in America is woven throughout our history," said John
Gray, the museum's director, in a statement. "It is a tale of struggle and
accomplishment as the nation strives to fulfill its ideals. We are grateful to our
donors for assisting us to fulfill our mission to help the public understand the past
in order to make sense of the present and shape a more humane future."
Dan McEvily, a spokesman for the GLCCB, said it is "thrilling" to see the
organization's history become part of the storied collection of the Smithsonian.
The museum's total collection includes more than 3 million objects from across
the American experience, including items that explore "the infinite richness and
complexity of American history," it says. Its LGBT collection dates back to the
19th Century, and includes materials from the early gay rights movement as well
as from groups that oppose gay rights — including the controversial Westboro
Baptist Church.
The museum is located near the Washington Monument on the National Mall,
at 14th Street and Constitution Avenue in northwest Washington. Its LGBT
collection has been displayed to commemorate various occasions, including
anniversaries of the 1969 Stonewall riots in New York City against police
harassment, which are widely considered to be a jumping-off point for broader
gay rights activism in the country.
Kelly Neel, the GLCCB's acting executive director, was scheduled to sign a deed
of gift at a ceremony with other donors on Tuesday. Also in attendance will be
Monica Helms, the creater of the transgender pride flag; David Kohan and Max
Mutchnick, the creators of "Will & Grace."
Additionally, David Huebner and his spouse Duane McWaine will be in attendance.
Huebner is the former U.S. Ambassador to New Zealand and Samoa and was the
first openly gay ambassador in the Obama administration. The couple are donating
their diplomatic passports and other items to the museum's collection.
The GLCCB first began the process of preserving its archives in 2012, as it prepared
to move out of its longtime home in Mount Vernon. At the time, its records were in
disarray in the attic. An archives committee was formed, and the group began
cataloging items, including back issues of what is now its Gay Life newspaper.
The GLCCB eventually brokered a deal to store and begin properly itemizing its
archives at the University of Baltimore's Langsdale Library, with the collection
focusing on Baltimore-centric items and history.
The items now going to the Smithsonian are either duplicates of what can be found
at UB, or are items that aren't specifically relevant to Baltimore but are still historically
significant within the nation's broader LGBT scope, McEvily said — such as early
advertising and organizational materials from the National Association of LGBT
Community Centers.
krector@baltsun.com
Source: "www.baltimoresun.com"
History in Washington
By Kevin Rector, The Baltimore Sun
Old photographs, newspapers and other miscellaneous "gay pride ephemera" from
the last half-century of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender history in Baltimore
will be added on Tuesday to one of the nation's most esteemed museum collections.
Officials at the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History will accept the
archival materials from the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Community
Center of Baltimore (GLCCB), and add them to its growing collection of items
documenting LGBT history.
The collection is part of the museum's "mission to document the full breadth of the
American experience," it said in announcing several new additions it will be accepting
— including the original transgender pride flag and show scripts and other
correspondence from the creators of the popular and long-running NBC sitcom
"Will & Grace."
"The pursuit of civil rights in America is woven throughout our history," said John
Gray, the museum's director, in a statement. "It is a tale of struggle and
accomplishment as the nation strives to fulfill its ideals. We are grateful to our
donors for assisting us to fulfill our mission to help the public understand the past
in order to make sense of the present and shape a more humane future."
Dan McEvily, a spokesman for the GLCCB, said it is "thrilling" to see the
organization's history become part of the storied collection of the Smithsonian.
The museum's total collection includes more than 3 million objects from across
the American experience, including items that explore "the infinite richness and
complexity of American history," it says. Its LGBT collection dates back to the
19th Century, and includes materials from the early gay rights movement as well
as from groups that oppose gay rights — including the controversial Westboro
Baptist Church.
The museum is located near the Washington Monument on the National Mall,
at 14th Street and Constitution Avenue in northwest Washington. Its LGBT
collection has been displayed to commemorate various occasions, including
anniversaries of the 1969 Stonewall riots in New York City against police
harassment, which are widely considered to be a jumping-off point for broader
gay rights activism in the country.
Kelly Neel, the GLCCB's acting executive director, was scheduled to sign a deed
of gift at a ceremony with other donors on Tuesday. Also in attendance will be
Monica Helms, the creater of the transgender pride flag; David Kohan and Max
Mutchnick, the creators of "Will & Grace."
Additionally, David Huebner and his spouse Duane McWaine will be in attendance.
Huebner is the former U.S. Ambassador to New Zealand and Samoa and was the
first openly gay ambassador in the Obama administration. The couple are donating
their diplomatic passports and other items to the museum's collection.
The GLCCB first began the process of preserving its archives in 2012, as it prepared
to move out of its longtime home in Mount Vernon. At the time, its records were in
disarray in the attic. An archives committee was formed, and the group began
cataloging items, including back issues of what is now its Gay Life newspaper.
The GLCCB eventually brokered a deal to store and begin properly itemizing its
archives at the University of Baltimore's Langsdale Library, with the collection
focusing on Baltimore-centric items and history.
The items now going to the Smithsonian are either duplicates of what can be found
at UB, or are items that aren't specifically relevant to Baltimore but are still historically
significant within the nation's broader LGBT scope, McEvily said — such as early
advertising and organizational materials from the National Association of LGBT
Community Centers.
krector@baltsun.com
Source: "www.baltimoresun.com"
