LGBTQIA+ History

The story of LGBTQIA+ in Washington State is over 130 years in the making.  In the 1880s same-sex relations were of little concern to most residents.  Later, in 1893, they were declared a crime, and in the late 1960s, political activists organized around same-sex intimacy.  Gay Washingtonians fought for nondiscrimination in the 1970s. Transgender activists likewise fought for inclusion in nondiscrimination ordinances in the 1980s.   From the 1880s through today, Washington's LGBTQIA+ history has been about laws, morality, understanding, cultural and political expressions, and city space.  At the heart of LGBTQIA+ history are people, those who have been persecuted for their sexuality and/or gender nonconformism, those who have challenged heterosexist oppression, and those who wanted to live a life free of persecution and judgment.

 

Underrepresented Communities Grant - LGBTQIA+ Historic Context of Puget Sound

- Request for proposals

- RFP Pre-Proposal Conference Recording

- Grant Application Selected Images of Place-Based LGBTQ History

Research and History Resources

DAHP-Led/Sponsored

• LGBTQ+ Sites in Seattle - Complied by DAHP, 2023

Statewide

• Gay & Lesbian Archives of the Pacific Northwest LGBTQ History GLAPN
• The Northwest Lesbian and Gay History Project
• Out History
• Queer Anxieties in Washington State History by Michael Diambri (thesis) 
• Legacy Washington, Love Equally: Washington’s Journey to Marriage Equality
• McKinley Irvin Family Law: History of Marriage Equality in Washington State
• Society of American Architvists: Lavender Legacies Guide for WA State

Seattle

• "The Land at Our Feet: Preserving Pioneer Square's Queer Landscape" - Richard Freitas, 2017

• Seattle Municipal Archives: The Gay Rights Movement and the City of Seattle during the 1970s

• The Seattle Civil Rights & Labor History Project, University of Washington:

  • Washington State LGBTQ timeline from 1893 to 2015

  • “A brief history of LGBTQ Activism in Seattle,” by Kevin McKenna and Michael Aguirre

  • “A brief history of LGBTQ Activism in Seattle,” by Kevin McKenna and Michael Aguirre

• Gay Seattle: Stories of Exile and Belonging by Gary Atkins

• Seattle Pride: Seattle's Rich Queer History - A Historical Timeline

• GenPride Seattle LGBTQ Organizations and Periodicals Timeline

• Claiming Space - Seattle's Lesbian & Gay Historical Geography

• HistoryLink: 

  • Queer History in Seattle, Part 1: to 1967

  • Queer History in Seattle, Part 2: After Stonewall

Tacoma

• History Pub Pride in Grit City An LGBTQ+ Retrospective

• Heritage Café: LGBTQ History in Tacoma with the Rainbow Center

Olympia

• Historic Highlights of Olympia Lesbian Gay History 

Pullman

• Washington State University - Palouse LGBTQ History Project

Bellingham

• Bellinghistory with the Good Time Girls: Bellingqueerstory Podcast
• Western Washington University: LGBTQA+ H(i/er)story: Archival and Primary Source Collections
• History Repeats: The Criminalization of Gender Nonconformity

Walla Walla

• Sweeter Than the Onions: Stories of Queer Resilience in Walla Walla

Yakima

• Yakima Pride Timeline of Triumph

Vancouver

• Forbidden Vancouver: The Really Gay History Tour

Nationwide

• LGBTQ America: A Theme Study of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer History - National Park Service

• Digital Transgender Archive

• Mapping the Gay Guides: Visualizing Queer Space and American Life