On June 25, 1978, recently elected San Francisco City Supervisor Harvey Milk stood before a crowd gathered for the Gay Freedom Day celebration (the precursor to today’s Pride events) and gave one of his most remembered speeches. He ran through the list of lies and myths about queer people and invited those gathered to push back:
“Gay brothers and sisters, what are you going to do about it? You must come out … . Come out to your relatives. I know that it is hard and will upset them but think of how they will upset you in the voting booth … . But once and for all, break down the myths, destroy the lies and distortions.”
More than 40 years later, the same myths Milk described are still in wide circulation, and anti-LGBTQ activists have introduced hundreds of bills that would use those myths and distortion as the basis for law.
October is LGBT History Month, and October 11 is National Coming Out Day—a holiday first celebrated a decade after Milk’s speech. This month, we want to invite folks to come out and to come in—to visit our museum and learn about the incredible history of folks pushing for greater equality; to explore our online resources and celebrate the heroes and everyday people who have built the world we inhabit today.
And we hope you’ll join us on Saturday, October 14, at Reunion, our fall gala. Hosted by Honey Mahogany and Sister Roma, Reunion is an opportunity to gather to celebrate our vast queer past, while honoring the history makers who move our communities forward. The funds raised at Reunion help us keep our history alive, and push back against the lies and distortions our enemies continue to spread about us. Tickets and additional information are available at https://rb.gy/mq9zf
The photos seen here are from one of the more than 1,000 individual archival collections held by the GLBT Historical Society that reveal a vast array of LGBTQ life, history, and culture. We make these community treasures available to all at our archives downtown and at our museum in the Castro district. To book your visit, or to make a contribution to support our work, visit https://www.glbthistory.org/
Published (edited from previous version) on November 21, 2023
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