The variety of materials in this collection speak to the long tradition of activism around the rights and well-being of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender youth in Massachusetts, and attest to changing societal attitudes both across the state and around the United States concerning LGBT youth. Importantly, this collection shows the central role that LGBT youth have played in activist efforts in both the Boston area and throughout Massachusetts.

Materials in this collection reach as far back as 1969, when Time Magazine published a cover story called “The Homosexual in America” which discussed, as part of its scope, lesbian and gay youth. A few years later, in 1972, High School Gays United (HSGU) formed in Boston to provide an outlet for gay and lesbian youth. HSGU is the first documented group of its kind in Massachusetts. From that point, and moving toward the present, the groups, organizations, and movements included in this collection reveal the varying issues that have shaped both the LGBT youth community and the LGBT community in general.

]]>