The country’s first museum for gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender people will open in San Francisco’s Castro District today.
The GLBT History Museum at 4127 18th St. is a 1600-square-foot space with installations that showcase items depicting gay history, which organizers have spent 25 years gathering.
“It’s been a long-time dream,” Gerard Koskovich, a spokesman and historian for the museum said.
Koskovich said he considers the GLBT History Museum the country’s first museum of its kind because other galleries and archives that discuss the gay community are not standalone operations.
Debut exhibits include one titled, “Our Vast Queer Past: Celebrating GLBT History,” which brings together 450 objects that illustrate 20 key themes in GLBT history. It will be in the museum’s main gallery.
The front gallery will have an exhibit called “Great Collections of the GLBT Historical Society Archives.”
The grand opening on Thursday will include a preview for donors and special guests, followed by a ribbon-cutting ceremony and reception, which will be open to the public from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.
The museum’s regular hours will be Wednesday through Saturday, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Sundays from noon to 5 p.m.
Regular admission is $5 and free to members of the GLBT Historical Society, a group established in 1985 dedicated to researching and archiving GLBT history.
A year’s membership to the society is $50, and $30 for students or low-income applicants.
Saul Sugarman, Bay City News
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