So apparently last year the National Park Service in the US dropped an over 1200 page study of LGBTQ American History as part of their Who We Are program which includes studies on African-American history, Latino history, and Indigenous history.Â
Like. This is awesome. But also it feels very surreal that maybe one of the most comprehensive examinations of LGBTQ history in America (it covers sports! art! race! historical sites! health! cities!) was just casually done by the parks service.Â
This is really great??
Chapter 1: Prologue: Why LGBTQ Historic Sites Matter by Mark Meinke
Chapter 2: Introduction to the LGBTQ Heritage Initiative Theme Study by Megan E. Springate
Chapter 3: Introduction to Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer (LGBTQ) History in the United States by Leisa Meyer and Helis Sikk
Chapter 4: The History of Queer History: One Hundred Years of the Search for Shared Heritage by Gerard Koskovich
Chapter 5: The Preservation of LGBTQ Heritage by Gail Dubrow
Chapter 6: LGBTQ Archeological Context by Megan E. Springate
Chapter 7: A Note about Intersectionality by Megan E. Springate
Chapter 8: Making Bisexuals Visible by Loraine Hutchins
Chapter 9: Sexual and Gender Diversity in Native America and the Pacific Islands by Will Roscoe
Chapter 10: Transgender History in the US and the Places that Matter by Susan Stryker
Chapter 11: Breathing Fire: Remembering Asian Pacific American Activism in Queer History by Amy Sueyoshi
Chapter 12: Latina/o Gender and Sexuality by Deena J. GonzĂĄlez and Ellie D. Hernandez
Chapter 13: âWhere We Could Be Ourselvesâ: African American LGBTQ Historic Places and Why They Matter by Jeffrey A. Harris
Chapter 14: LGBTQ Spaces and Places by Jen Jack Gieseking
Chapter 15: Making Community: The Places and Spaces of LGBTQ Collective Identity Formation by Christina B. Hanhardt
Chapter 16: LGBTQ Business and Commerce by David K. Johnson
Chapter 17: Sex, Love, and Relationships by Tracy Baim
Chapter 18: LGBTQ Civil Rights in America by Megan E. Springate
Chapter 19: Historical Landmarks and Landscapes of LGBTQ Law by Marc Stein
Chapter 20: LGBTQ Military Service by Steve Estes
Chapter 21: Struggles in Body and Spirit: Religion and LGBTQ People in US History by Drew Bourn
Chapter 22: LGBTQ and Health by Katie Batza
Chapter 23: LGBTQ Art and Artists by Tara Burk
Chapter 24: LGBTQ Sport and Leisure by Katherine Schweighofer
Chapter 25: San Francisco: Placing LGBTQ Histories in the City by the Bay by Donna J. Graves and Shayne E. Watson
Chapter 26: Preservation of LGBTQ Historic & Cultural Sites â A New York City Perspective by Jay Shockley
Chapter 27: Locating Miamiâs Queer History by Julio CapĂł, Jr.
Chapter 28: Queerest Little City in the World: LGBTQ Reno by John Jeffrey Auer IV
Chapter 29: Chicago: Queer Histories at the Crossroads of America by Jessica Herczeg-Konecny
Chapter 30: Nominating LGBTQ Places to the National Register of Historic Places and as National Historic Landmarks: An Introduction by Megan E. Springate and Caridad de la Vega
Chapter 31: Interpreting LGBTQ Historic Sites by Susan Ferentinos
Chapter 32: Teaching LGBTQ History and Heritage by Leila J. Rupp
We used it in my LGBT history class and itâs SO WONDERFUL I LOVE it PLEASE READ at least some chapters. It has photos and sources and goes into detail in footnotes when it doesnât have time for a tangent.
The NPS actually makes a lot of sense! NPS sites include not only our environmental resources, but many of our culture and historical sites. All of the big monuments in DC, presidential birth places, etc are NPS sites. Thereâs also Stonewall National Monument (https://www.nps.gov/ston/index.htm)! NPS employs A LOT of historians and archaeologists so that we can better understand and protect what we have, while also recognizing what our history is, including the bad parts.
