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Digitized Collections

Welcome

A selection of Queer History Boston's archival materials has been digitized, and is viewable below. We are always digitizing more materials, so check back in for updates!

Note: Many of the collections below have only been partially digitized. Feel free to contact us to ask about additional materials on site. 

Photographs: 

• Gay Community News Photograph Collection
  • Gay Community News was a weekly journal published in Boston from 1973 to 1992 by the Bromfield Street Educational Foundation. The GCN photograph collection has been partially digitized. 
• George Chapin Scott and Edward F. Bernier Photograph Collection
  • Digitized photographs primarily depict George Chapin Scott and Edward F. Bernier on the Beach in Provincetown, circa 1950s. 
• Trans Resistance 2020 Photograph Collection
  • Photographs taken during the June 13, 2020 Trans Resistance March, Franklin Park, Boston, Massachusetts by Jo Trigilio.
• LESLA (Lesbianas Latinas) Photographs, 1987-1991
  • Photographs digitized from Series III of the LESLA (Lesbianas Latinas) Collection. LESLA (short for Lesbianas Latinas) was a Boston-based group of self-identified Latina Lesbians active from approximately 1987-1991. 

Audio/Video:

    Oral History Collections:

• Daughters of Bilitis Oral History Collection
  • Through oral histories, 21 women share their stories of growing up, coming out, and joining the Boston chapter of the Daughters of Bilitis (DOB), the earliest known lesbian organization in the United States.
• DJ Oral History Project
  • A collection of 12 oral histories conducted by Brian Halligan with DJs in Boston's music scene.
• Oral Histories by The History Project
  • A selection of digitized oral history interviews conducted by volunteers of The History Project over the years. 

    Broadcasting Archives:

• Boston's Other Voice Radio Program Archives
  • Boston's Other Voice was an LGBTQ-themed radio magazine that ran from February 1981 to November 1989. These recordings of the show were rescued as the station was sold and the show cut due in part to the public affairs program requirement ending during the Reagan administration.

Buttons and Pins:

• LGBTQ+ Boston Button and Pin Collection 
  • The LGBTQ+ Boston Button and Pin Collection brings together various LGBTQ+ buttons and pins from the Boston area dating from approximately 1973-2009. 

Publications:

Mixed Format:

• Boston Pride Collection
  
  • A selection of digitized materials from the Boston Pride Collection, which consists of papers (some originals and some photocopies), photographs, and ephemera from 1970 to the present related to the Boston Pride March and Rally, as well as materials from various celebrations and events during Pride week.
• Charles Shively Collection
  • Selected materials from Series I of the Charles Shively Collection have been digitized. Charles Shively, often called Mr. Gay Liberation by his friends, helped found such organizations as Fag Rag, Gay Community News, The Gay and Lesbian Advocates and Defenders, and Fenway Community Health Center. 

• Robert John Quinn's Memorial Books
  • This collection includes more than 7,000 obituaries, many of which specify that individuals died of AIDS or AIDS-related illnesses.
  • This digitization project was funded in part by Mass Humanities, which receives support from the Massachusetts Cultural Council and is an affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Crowdsourced Collections:

• The Marriage Equality Collection
  • The Marriage Equality Collection, a digital collecting initiative that enabled community members to submit their own wedding stories, their photographs, invitations, vows, and other materials. 
• #QueerArchivesAtHome
  • #QueerArchivesAtHome is a crowdsourced digital archives of pictures, videos, and stories; a space where we in the LGBTQ community came together during the COVID-19 Pandemic by sharing our personal histories. 
• Stories and Contributions from Our Community 
  • We want to hear and share your story. We welcome any contribution that community members and supporters believe helps tell their unique story of our community.