The American lgbtq+ Museum

10/19/2026

The Digital Archive at is changing the way archives inform our historical narratives. With the launch of the Capsule Collection from photographer, documentarian, and artist Michelle Handelman (‘BloodSisters: Leather, D***s, and Sadomasochism,’ 1995), we can create new possibilities for scholarship, public memory, and more equitable futures.

Join us in partnership with Q***r|Art, The Feminist Institute and Leslie-Lohman Museum of Art on October 28 to celebrate the launch and tap into a conversation with Handelman, Dr. Amber Musser, Exx Nottage, Stamatina Gregory, and American LGBTQ+ Museum historian Jeanna Vaccaro. Together, they will discuss how feminist and q***r archives expand the canon with historically marginalized work.

Image courtesy of Michelle Handelman.

10/16/2026

Thank you to everyone who joined us at El Museo del Barrio’s first-ever After Hours program, “Disco and Desire.” In celebration of Teddy Sandoval and the Butch Gardens School of Art, the American LGBTQ+ Museum invited attendees to channel Sandoval’s practice of creating an alter ego at our postcard station, inspired by Sandoval’s 1978 “Chili Chaps.” Additionally, disco, dancing, and late-night gallery experiences made it a night to remember. If you customized a postcard at the event and included an address, it has been mailed out. And if you haven’t, be sure to check out Teddy Sandoval and the Butch Gardens School of Art, on view at El Museo del Barrio through January 10th!

10/07/2026

Show up for q***r film! We’re partnering with The New York LGBTQ+ Film Festival NewFest on October 23 to screen HEARTLANDS, USA at SVA Theatre.

Home is where the heartland is in this compelling shorts program featuring trans stormchasers, Black q***r dreamers in the South, intergenerational connections at small-town bars, and a le***an trucker—stories that capture LGBTQ+ resilience across rural USA. Featuring shorts from niamh barry - photography & documentary, frankie⚡️, shea, DW Mccrary, ray, and georgia krause and post-screening conversation with the filmmakers moderated by Jessica Lynne.

A limited number of free tickets are available for this program, dropping at noon tomorrow, October 8th! To redeem a free ticket, register for a free account with NEWFEST, add a ticket to your cart, and use PROMO CODE: NF38FilmisQ***r2026 at checkout. Free tickets are limited to two tickets per account.

You can also stream Shorts: HEARTLANDS, USA virtually nationwide Oct. 15-30 with a NewFest38 Virtual Pass.

10/05/2026

This LGBTQ+ History Month, we’re not just celebrating our history. We’re documenting yours.

We’re thrilled for another cycle of Q***r Legacies Project (QLP) with SAGE and The Feminist Institute. For the next three Tuesdays—October 6th, 13th, and 20th— we’ll be at the Edie Windsor SAGE Center with LGBTQ+ elders in the NYC area to document their stories and ephemera (photographs, videos, tapes, and more) and ensure our histories are remembered for generations to come.⁠

Are you an LGBTQ+ elder interested in joining us? Check the link in comments to sign up. We look forward to seeing you there!

09/28/2026

Drag King History is making history *again* with their first-ever in-person exhibition at BSceneNYC! “90’s NYC Drag King Revolution” tells the story of Club Casanova, the world’s first weekly drag king party started in 1996, and how it paved the way for the modern-day drag king movement. 

Check out any of their events now through October 16th, including the Drag King History Show on 10/3. Link is in their bio. We’ll see you there!

09/25/2026

On October 9th, we’re partnering with The New York Historical and Out History to celebrate 50 years of “Gay American History: Le****ns and Gay Men in the U.S.A.” Written by Jonathan Ned Katz in 1976, the book spans four centuries of LGBTQ oppression and resistance. Plus, catch an excerpt from filmmaker Philip Harrison’s documentary-in-progress, “Do You Know Jonathan Ned Katz?”

Join our lead historian, Hugh Ryan, and an outstanding roster of LGBTQ+ scholars and historians to mark one of the most seminal works of LGBTQ+ literature.

Link to RSVP: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/october-lavender-literary-society-gay-american-history-at-50-tickets-1998924029582

Image credit: Jonathan Ned Katz in New York City, 1988. Photograph by Robert Giard, Permission Estate of Robert Giard

Join historian Jonathan Ned Katz to celebrate the 50th anniversary of his groundbreaking 1976 book Gay American History: Le****ns and Gay!

09/21/2026

Thank you to all who joined us for our fifth edition of REVERB, highlighting Eve Adams’ Tearoom, in partnership with ! This special evening featured presentations by playwright Barbara Kahn, a look into filmmaker Karen Song’s Sundays at Café Tabac, a roundtable conversation moderated by American LGBTQ+ Trustee Sonya Shields, and a tea activation curated by herbalist .sosa of Folk Mondaze™️, paying homage to Adams’ le***an literary salon of 1925 Greenwich Village. 

Our REVERB series connects the echoes of q***r history to the present through captivating history lessons and live performances while creating a space to cultivate a deeper connection to q***r history through education and expression. We can’t wait to see you at the next one!

09/15/2026

Thank you to everyone who joined us on Fire Island to experience the conclusion of Will Rawls’ BOFFO residency and the presentation of his work-in-progress film “I Had Too Much To Dream Last Night.” Following the screening, Rawls joined Chief of Programs at the American LGBTQ+ Museum, Suhaly Bautista, to discuss intergenerational horror, the impact of HIV/AIDS on the dance community, and the continued influence of q***r history on Will’s practice.

Afterwards, we hosted a pool party under the beautiful summer sky with music by Jesus Hilario-Reyes | MOREN###! Check out these gorgeous photos by Oscar Diaz to experience the celebration.

📸 Oscar Diaz 📸

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09/10/2026

Be sure to visit the American LGBTQ+ Museum’s “Mail Art” postcard station at El Museo’s first ever Museum After Hours program, “Disco & Desire” on Friday, September 18th! Tap into your alter ego, decorate your unique pair of chaps, and mail out your very own q***r art!

Inspired by Teddy Sandoval and the Butch Gardens School of Art, this after-hours celebration brings together Latino disco, dancing, and late-night gallery experiences. Explore the exhibition, hit the dance floor, and immerse yourself in the music, style, and nightlife that shaped Sandoval’s creative world.

25 free tickets are available now via the link in bio!

We hope to meet you on 9/18 for an evening of “Disco & Desire”

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09/08/2026

This is what joy looks like for LGBTQ+ families.

Thank you to all the folks who offered their smiles for Family Portraits during Provincetown’s Family Week! In partnership with Family Equality and photographer Roger Erickson, you documented your love and relationships for generations to come.

If you had your portrait taken, you will receive an email with a link to your personal photo gallery later this summer. Thank you for your patience.

Scroll through to see some of the magic from that day. We can’t wait to see you and your family at next year’s Family Week!