In the heart of the Castro, a small museum tells the story of San Francisco's queer past. The GLBT Historical Society Museum describes itself as the first stand-alone museum of LGBTQ history and culture in the United States.
Background
The museum opened on Jan. 13, 2011. It is run by the GLBT Historical Society, whose roots go back to the early 1980s, when Willie Walker and Greg Pennington began pooling their personal collections of gay and lesbian history, according to Wikipedia. The society keeps a large archive of documents, artifacts and graphic art focused on LGBTQ communities in San Francisco and Northern California. Its archives and reading room are at 989 Market St., separate from the museum.
Wikipedia notes that a Swedish government exhibition agency counted it in 2016 as one of just three established museums dedicated to LGBTQ history in the world. It has been called San Francisco's "queer Smithsonian."
What's on view
The long-term exhibition is "Queer Past Becomes Present," and the museum hosts rotating temporary shows that draw on the society's archives, with an emphasis on diversity and social justice.
Tickets and hours
- Address: 4127 18th St., San Francisco
- Hours: Tuesday-Sunday, 11 a.m.-1 p.m. and 1:30-5 p.m.; closed Monday
- General admission: $10
- Discounted ($6): youth 13-17, seniors 65+, students and teachers with ID, active-duty military with ID, and people with disabilities
- Free: children 12 and under, and members
Free days: The museum is free to everyone on the first Wednesday of every month, first come, first served. SNAP EBT and Medi-Cal cardholders get free entry plus three guests, and some reciprocal museum memberships are honored.