community
“PINNING” A PROUD HISTORY by chris carpenter
When younger members of California’s LGBTQ community think
of landmark moments in our history, they most likely call to mind the recent battle over marriage equality epitomized by Prop 8 or the election of openly gay, political leaders such as State Senator Ricardo Lara and Long Beach Mayor Robert Garcia. Our more mature brothers and sisters might recall the assassination of Harvey Milk, the fight against the anti-gay Briggs Amendment, the development of West Hollywood as a gay mecca or the devastation wrought by AIDS during the 1980s and early 1990s. What many of us don’t realize, is that documented LGBTQ history in
the Golden State goes back more than 130 years, to at least the 1880s. This is becoming better known and recorded thanks to California Pride: Mapping Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer (LGBTQ) Histories. What’s more, each of us can contribute to this critical, ongoing project. It aims “to inspire and educate while preserving the important
stories of LGBTQ experience in California.” This is done through a crowdsourcing method that encourages everyone to share their personal stories, memories and images online. These can be “pinned” to a virtual timeline, where they become archived and available to both researchers and the general public.
“LGBTQ history is best told by the people who have lived it; your
pins will help make California Pride a reflection of the diverse places that define LGBTQ experience,” according to the organization’s website. It goes on to ask multiple questions: Where was the heart of your LGBTQ community? Where did you attend activist meetings or go to cultural events? Where were the great house parties? What was your favorite bar or club? Where did you shop for books, music and clothes? Such questions might not seem significant at first, but history is full of seemingly innocuous places and events that become vitally important in hindsight. California Pride builds on two recent studies, the Citywide Historic Context Statement for LGBTQ History in San Francisco and the LGBT Historic Context Statement for Los Angeles. Both document the critical role our state has played in LGBTQ history, not only locally but throughout the greater United States. The project is led by architectural historian Shayne Watson and public historian Donna Graves, as well as supported by a grant from the National Trust for Historic Preservation and fiscal sponsorship by the California Preservation Foundation. After completing a free personal profile on the website, one can watch
a video illustrating how to add to the project by pinning your stories and/or images to the site. There is also a thorough user’s guide available through the website. Whether a longtime resident of California or a more recent arrival, we all have stories to tell.
Anyone with questions about California Pride is encouraged to email them to
sflgbthistory@gmail.com. For more information, or to “pin” a piece of history, go to
historypin.org/project/469-california-pride.
LGBTQ HISTORY IS BEST TOLD BY THE PEOPLE WHO HAVE LIVED IT; YOUR PINS WILL HELP MAKE
THE DIVERSE PLACES THAT DEFINE LGBTQ EXPERIENCE.”
CALIFORNIA PRIDE A REFLECTION OF
12
RAGE monthly | JANUARY 2016 | JANUARY 2016
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