LGBTQ+ History

The story of LGBTQ 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 LGBTQ history has been about laws, morality, understanding, cultural and political expressions, and city space.  At the heart of LGBTQ 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 - LGBTQ 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