Documenting Queer History: The NYC LGBT Historic Sites Project Co-directors

Invisible no more! The Federal Government has partly funded a project to document and preserve LGBT history in NYC. Andrew S. Dolkart, Ken Lustbader, Jay Shockley and Amanda Davis, the co-directors and project manager of the NYC LGBT Historic Sites Project, will discuss this survey of historic sites, the importance of preserving LGBT historic sites, and preview the upcoming nyclgbtsites.org website. While significant LGBT events continue to occur around us right now, this is a giant step in preserving our history. The NYC LGBT Historic Sites Project has received a grant from the National Park Service for this endeavor. The Project will document locations in all five boroughs to identify important historical and cultural sites and events, and to prevent threatened sites from disappearing. The survey will include clubs, bars, restaurants, theaters and performance venues, residences of lesbian and gay notables, spaces where civil rights and organizational events took place, and works of art and architecture important to lesbians and gays. Although NYC has been a national leader in the LGBT rights movements, this is the first time that a comprehensive survey has been attempted.