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The U.S. LGBTQ History Sites That We Should Preserve

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Earlier this month, Chicago's Henry Gerber House, a starting point for the gay rights movement in the United States, was designated a National Historic Landmark by Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell, making it the second such LGBT heritage site to be landmarked in the United States (after New York's Stonewall Inn). But that's far from the only such site on the radar of the Rainbow Heritage Network, a group trying to gain recognition and most importantly, protection, for the nation's LGBTQ History.

A coalition of more than 400 preservationists and gay rights activists, Rainbow Heritage, which started in January, has begun to push for preservation on a national level. According to one of the founders, Mark Meinke, who also worked with the Rainbow History Project, preserving LGBTQ sites on a local, state and federal level presents its own unique challenges.

"We're trying to spur local, grass roots interest in queer communities," he says, "and many of our community sites have traditionally been in marginal economic areas, since it was cheaper and less likely for neighbors to object. Our community isn't all about Mount Vernons. As these areas gentrify, we can easily lose historic sites, so the Rainbow Heritage Network is trying to ensure that more are saved."

Meinke points to the recent loss of the Michels-Carey house site in San Diego, demolished seemingly without notice, as an object lesson in why it's so important to focus on preservation now. The group has started working with the National Park Service on their LGBTQ Heritage Initiative, but believes it's important to be proactive about preserving their history.

"Recently, people were more worried about preserving their jobs, not preserving their history," says Meinke. "Now a new generation is aware there was a history that came before them. If you're, say, a Latino, you can see that history in front of you. Not a lot of our history has been preserved. People without a history can be erased."



· Durable Rainbow: MoMA Adds the Rainbow Flag to Its Permanent Collection [Curbed]
· Preservation Watch archives [Curbed]

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Reed Erickson Home

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Following his transition in 1963-1965 from female to male under the care of Dr. Harry Benjamin, Reed Erickson moved back to Baton Rouge, where, as Rita Alma Erickson, he had previously been a student at LSU. Here he incorporated the Erickson Educational Foundation that would channel his philanthropy to the transgender and gay activist communities.

Harry Hay Home

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One of the nation's earliest gay rights groups was founded here. In 1950 at this Cove Avenue residence, Harry Hay, Rudi Gernreich, and two of their friends, Chuck Rowland and Bob Hull, began meeting every week to discuss homosexuality and homosexual disenfranchisement, setting the stage for the modern gay rights movement. The group organized the Mattachine Society. The nearby Mattachine Steps marker was placed in 2012 to honor their efforts.

Dr. Fritz Klein Home

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Dr. Fritz Klein, a leading researcher on bisexualism, community organizer and a creator of the Klein scale (an expansion of the Kinsey scale) and founder of the American Institute of Bisexuality, lived here with his partner, Tom Reise, until his death in 2006 .

San Francisco Bisexual Center

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Opened in 1976 by Maggi Rubenstein and Harriet Leve, the center, the first of its kind in the world, created a sense of community and support for California bisexuals. The center closed in 1985.

Dr. Harry Benjamin's Office

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The ornate office building was the site of Dr. Harry Benjamin's San Francisco practice, which supported transgender individuals. For many years, Benjamin was seen as the one physician who would help transsexual individuals. His Standards of Care (1979) and 1966 book The Transsexual Phenomenon became the foundation of medical practice and counseling for transgender care. One of Benjamin's earliest transgender cases was that of Reed Erickson who transitioned under Dr. Benjamin's care in 1965.

Bloodroot

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Founded around 1974 by lesbian feminists in an effort to create their own institutions and organizations, Bloodroot began as a bookstore and restaurant. It's still known for its vegetarian and vegan cuisine, run by two of the original members of the collective, Selma Miriam and Noel Furie.

Hendrie Hall

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Hendrie Hall at Yale University housed a variety of LGBTQ organizations in the late 1970s, such as Yalesbians, the New Haven Gay Alliance, the New Haven Gay Coffeehouse, and the New Haven Gay Switchboard.

Gay Liberation Front House

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The Gay Liberation Front house was a political collective that offered support groups, meeting, space, and a haven for gay youth. Breadbox, GLF's outreach to gay street youth, was published from here.

Guild Press

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H Lynn Womack's Guild Press published calendars, gay guides, and books from this building on Barracks Row from 1964 to 1971, in the shadows of the U.S. Capitol Building. Guild Press and Womack became the subject of several obscenity prosecutions that resulted in significant changes to obscenity law and liberalization of censorship law. The Supreme Court's 1962 decision, Manual Enterprises Inc. vs. Day, which Womack brought to the court after being told his magazines were "unmailable," held that homosexual publications were not obscene per se. The Press also briefly published (1970) a national gay newspaper, The Gay Forum.

Elizabeth Bishop House

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Critically acclaimed lesbian poet Elizabeth Bishop purchased the house in Key West with her partner Louise Crane. She lived here and in Brazil with subsequent partners Marjorie Stevens and Lota de Macedo.

Smokey's Den

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This club was owned by iconic lesbian club owner Mary Lou "Smokey" Schneider. Opened in 1966, the club presented drag shows with the Smokettes that drew fans from St. Louis on weekends.

Sweet Evening Breeze Home

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James R. Herndon was known for many years as Miss Sweets, a well-known and much-loved drag performer in Lexington respected for his skills as an orderly and for his kindness and generosity.

Gay Community News Offices

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Gay Community News, the gay community newspaper of record, published here from 1973 to 1992. The paper's reach in the gay movement was so widespread, members were occasionally referred to as the "GCN Mafia."

Bisexual Resource Center

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Originally known as the East Coast Bisexual Network when it was founded in 1985, The Bisexual Resource Center advocated for bisexual visibility and support. The center grew out of the first national conference of bisexuals.

Equal Time Newspaper Offices

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From 1982 to 1994, Equal Times published on the west side of St. Paul, focusing on political and social issues. Alison Bechdel wrote the Dykes to Watch Out for comic strip for the paper.

Gay House

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The original Gay Liberation Front-inspired LGBT community center near the University of Minnesota. Known as FREE, it offered counseling, community activities and legal referrals. In the early 1970s.

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Reed Erickson Home

Following his transition in 1963-1965 from female to male under the care of Dr. Harry Benjamin, Reed Erickson moved back to Baton Rouge, where, as Rita Alma Erickson, he had previously been a student at LSU. Here he incorporated the Erickson Educational Foundation that would channel his philanthropy to the transgender and gay activist communities.

Harry Hay Home

One of the nation's earliest gay rights groups was founded here. In 1950 at this Cove Avenue residence, Harry Hay, Rudi Gernreich, and two of their friends, Chuck Rowland and Bob Hull, began meeting every week to discuss homosexuality and homosexual disenfranchisement, setting the stage for the modern gay rights movement. The group organized the Mattachine Society. The nearby Mattachine Steps marker was placed in 2012 to honor their efforts.

Dr. Fritz Klein Home

Dr. Fritz Klein, a leading researcher on bisexualism, community organizer and a creator of the Klein scale (an expansion of the Kinsey scale) and founder of the American Institute of Bisexuality, lived here with his partner, Tom Reise, until his death in 2006 .

San Francisco Bisexual Center

Opened in 1976 by Maggi Rubenstein and Harriet Leve, the center, the first of its kind in the world, created a sense of community and support for California bisexuals. The center closed in 1985.

Dr. Harry Benjamin's Office

The ornate office building was the site of Dr. Harry Benjamin's San Francisco practice, which supported transgender individuals. For many years, Benjamin was seen as the one physician who would help transsexual individuals. His Standards of Care (1979) and 1966 book The Transsexual Phenomenon became the foundation of medical practice and counseling for transgender care. One of Benjamin's earliest transgender cases was that of Reed Erickson who transitioned under Dr. Benjamin's care in 1965.

Bloodroot

Founded around 1974 by lesbian feminists in an effort to create their own institutions and organizations, Bloodroot began as a bookstore and restaurant. It's still known for its vegetarian and vegan cuisine, run by two of the original members of the collective, Selma Miriam and Noel Furie.

Hendrie Hall

Hendrie Hall at Yale University housed a variety of LGBTQ organizations in the late 1970s, such as Yalesbians, the New Haven Gay Alliance, the New Haven Gay Coffeehouse, and the New Haven Gay Switchboard.

Gay Liberation Front House

The Gay Liberation Front house was a political collective that offered support groups, meeting, space, and a haven for gay youth. Breadbox, GLF's outreach to gay street youth, was published from here.

Guild Press

H Lynn Womack's Guild Press published calendars, gay guides, and books from this building on Barracks Row from 1964 to 1971, in the shadows of the U.S. Capitol Building. Guild Press and Womack became the subject of several obscenity prosecutions that resulted in significant changes to obscenity law and liberalization of censorship law. The Supreme Court's 1962 decision, Manual Enterprises Inc. vs. Day, which Womack brought to the court after being told his magazines were "unmailable," held that homosexual publications were not obscene per se. The Press also briefly published (1970) a national gay newspaper, The Gay Forum.

Elizabeth Bishop House

Critically acclaimed lesbian poet Elizabeth Bishop purchased the house in Key West with her partner Louise Crane. She lived here and in Brazil with subsequent partners Marjorie Stevens and Lota de Macedo.

Smokey's Den

This club was owned by iconic lesbian club owner Mary Lou "Smokey" Schneider. Opened in 1966, the club presented drag shows with the Smokettes that drew fans from St. Louis on weekends.

Sweet Evening Breeze Home

James R. Herndon was known for many years as Miss Sweets, a well-known and much-loved drag performer in Lexington respected for his skills as an orderly and for his kindness and generosity.

Gay Community News Offices

Gay Community News, the gay community newspaper of record, published here from 1973 to 1992. The paper's reach in the gay movement was so widespread, members were occasionally referred to as the "GCN Mafia."

Bisexual Resource Center

Originally known as the East Coast Bisexual Network when it was founded in 1985, The Bisexual Resource Center advocated for bisexual visibility and support. The center grew out of the first national conference of bisexuals.

Equal Time Newspaper Offices

From 1982 to 1994, Equal Times published on the west side of St. Paul, focusing on political and social issues. Alison Bechdel wrote the Dykes to Watch Out for comic strip for the paper.

Gay House

The original Gay Liberation Front-inspired LGBT community center near the University of Minnesota. Known as FREE, it offered counseling, community activities and legal referrals. In the early 1970s.