The LGBTQ+ History Museum is taking shape on the Upper West Side of Manhattan in New York City

NEW YORK — New York’s oldest museum is ushering in a new era.

“We’ve had several exhibits that really touch on the history of America’s LGBTQ+ community,” said Louise Mirer, president and CEO of the New York Historical Society. “But we never got a chance to delve into that story.”

That is until now.

The Historical Society is expanding to include a new LGBTQ+ American Museum.

Leaders say it will be the first in the city to focus on global, national and local LGBTQIA+ history and culture.

“One of the features of LGBTQ history that has made it secondary to the larger range of interpretations of history is that for many people, late in life, writing about their queerness has destroyed my family members, and sometimes my loved ones, because the stigmas and disgrace,” said museum executive director Ben Garcia.

“So our goal is really to bring these stories out of the shroud of history and inspire future generations to not feel the stigma or shame that previous generations have felt,” he continued.

Stories like Addie Windsor, the activist whose landmark case led to the Supreme Court giving same-sex married couples federal recognition for the first time – along with access to many federal benefits.

The American LGBTQ+ Museum now lives online, hosting pop-up exhibitions from time to time.

For the first time he will have his own house on what was a vacant lot at 77th Street and Central Park West on Manhattan’s Upper West Side.

The lot was purchased by the Historical Society back in 1937.

“We were always looking for the right idea,” Garcia said. “Museums reflect what a culture values, and so having a physical sign of a physical museum says something very clear about what that culture values ​​in that community.”

It is planned that the new museum will open in 2026.

This story is part of a special two-part series, Our America: Pride in Historywhich tells the story of LGBTQ+ people throughout American history.

WATCH the first part here | WATCH Part Two here

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