Gerber Hart Library and Archives

  • Home
  • Gerber Hart Library and Archives

Gerber Hart Library and Archives Ge**er/Hart is an LGBTQ library and archives - one of the largest such organizations in the United States.
(16)

02/2021 - Ge**er/Hart is resuming its regular hours of operation for walk-in patrons and for viewing exhibits. Researchers (those making use of archives collections, periodicals, or items from Special Collections) should still make appointments by emailing [email protected]. Hours of operation are Wednesdays and Thursday 6-9 p.m., Fridays 12 noon-4 p.m., and Saturdays 10 a.m.-4:00 p.m. Ge**er/Ha

rt Library and Archives was founded in 1981 to be a depository for the records of le***an, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer-identified (LGBTQ) individuals and organizations, and for other resources bearing upon their lives and experiences in American society. Ge**er/Hart Library and Archives has since grown into being the Midwest’s largest LGBTQ circulating library with over 14,000 volumes, 800 periodical titles, and 100 archival collections. Hosting various programs and events that support its beliefs that knowledge is the key to dispelling homophobia and that affirming information about le***an, gay, bisexual and transgender persons is critical to fostering pride and self confidence, Ge**er/Hart Library and Archives seeks to not only preserve and protect items of LGBT individuals and organizations, but to be a conduit for change. Recently relocated in the Rogers Park neighborhood of Chicago, Ge**er/Hart Library and Archives serves the research and recreational reading needs of the Chicago metro area and the Midwest, and through participation in the Interlibrary Loan program, people throughout the U.S.

Huge thanks to summer intern Madeline for curating our newest online exhibit! Head to the link below to read through her...
09/08/2024

Huge thanks to summer intern Madeline for curating our newest online exhibit! Head to the link below to read through her online exhibit all about Ge**er/Hart’s Transgender Periodicals:

https://exhibits.gerberhart.org/exhibits/show/transgender-periodicals
Madeline delves into early Transgender Fiction, Transgender Magazines, and Transgender Personals. She also spotlights Cathy Slavik, the trans founder and editor of Empathy Press.
About Madeline:
Madeline Fluckinger is a summer intern at Ge**er/Hart, whose main project this summer has been documenting and researching transgender-oriented periodicals. She attends Bennington College in Vermont, where she is focusing her studies in linguistics, Japanese, and media studies. In her spare time, she likes to translate songs and read esoteric Doctor Who spinoffs.
Huge thanks to Madeline for curating this beautiful and deeply researched exhibit. We’ll be featuring more photos and research from Madeline’s exhibit throughout the year.
Want to read any of the publications mentioned in Madeline’s exhibit? Stop by Ge**er/Hart!

Such a delight visiting with Joli and Patrick from Center on Halsted this week!
09/08/2024

Such a delight visiting with Joli and Patrick from Center on Halsted this week!

August 29th! Join us at Latitude Chicago at 6:30 PM for a conversation with their August resident James Hosking!James wi...
08/08/2024

August 29th! Join us at Latitude Chicago at 6:30 PM for a conversation with their August resident James Hosking!
James will be in conversation with Jen Dentel from Ge**er/Hart. James will discuss how he interprets Ge**er/Hart’s collections and other archival sources, and how LGBTQ+ print media of the 1960s and 1970s shaped q***r identity and intimacy. Jen will also be bringing a small collection of materials from Ge**er/Hart for a special pop-up exhibition.
Pictured here is a new archival collage (and a close up) from “The Personals” series by James Hosking from this year. The works are inspired by found personal ads and made from magazines dating from 1966-1975. They incorporate personal ad instructions, listings, and erotica order forms. Many of these items are from Ge**er/Hart’s collections.
Learn more and RSVP at the link in our bio!

***rart

We’re so excited to be partnering with the Oak Park Art League for IT’S A SIGN: Q***ring the Gallery!The exhibit will be...
05/08/2024

We’re so excited to be partnering with the Oak Park Art League for IT’S A SIGN: Q***ring the Gallery!
The exhibit will be open at OPAL ( ) from this Friday, August 9th, through Friday, September 6th with an opening reception on Friday, August 16th from 7-9. Learn more at the link in our bio!
About the Exhibit:
Throughout history signs, flyers, and handouts employing powerful images and text all serve to communicate ideas in impactful ways as tools of protest and of community building. This exhibit, which runs at the same time that the Democratic National Convention is in Chicago, will strive to uplift the artistry of image combined with text in these designs as OPAL partners with the Ge**er Hart Archives and the Protest Banner Lending Library to take a look at both the historical significance and the human perspective offered through the storytelling power of the sign. In this moment of political importance, works from the Ge**er Hart archive will be displayed alongside signs designed by artists participating in the exhibit.
Make sure to check out the exhibit in Oak Park and to stop by the opening reception on 8/16!
***ringthegallery

This Saturday! We are so excited to be participating in the 2024 Chicago Archives + Artists Festival by Sixty Inches Fro...
30/07/2024

This Saturday! We are so excited to be participating in the 2024 Chicago Archives + Artists Festival by Sixty Inches From Center !

Ge**er/Hart will be participating in the Unfurling Hour with Patric McCoy and Ankit Khadgi on Saturday, August 3rd, from 5:30-6:30 PM at Experimental Station but the festival will run from Friday August 2nd through Sunday August 4th.

Our unfurling will be followed by a conversation on Archiving in Times of Cultural Erasure + Censorship: A Roundtable Discussion with Maira Khwaja, Jose Luis Benavides, Fawn Pochel, Rebelle, and Anita Sharma. Co-Moderated by Erin Glasco & Tempestt Hazel.

Learn more and RSVP for the event here:

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/2024-chicago-archives-artists-festival-embodying-the-archive-tickets-911349519947?aff=oddtdtcreator

We’ll see you at Experimental Station on Saturday August 3rd at 5:30!
***rarchives

Head’s up! Ge**er/Hart will be closing early at 1 PM this Saturday, 8/3, for a volunteer appreciation party!Want to visi...
29/07/2024

Head’s up! Ge**er/Hart will be closing early at 1 PM this Saturday, 8/3, for a volunteer appreciation party!
Want to visit Ge**er/Hart this week? We’ll be open for our usual hours on Wednesday (6-9 PM), Thursday (6-9 PM), and Friday (12-4 PM). You can also stop by from 10-1 on Saturday. We’ll be back open for our usual hours next week.
We’re excited to celebrate all the hard work our volunteers have done over the past year!
***rarchives

Brat summer may be dead but chartreuse colored q***r media is foreverHuge thanks to  for this A+ new book display! Stop ...
26/07/2024

Brat summer may be dead but chartreuse colored q***r media is forever
Huge thanks to for this A+ new book display! Stop by Ge**er/Hart to pick up your next q***r summer read or watch this weekend! Our library is 100% q***r all year!
***rarchives

Next Thursday!Come learn about the history of q***r bars and their importance with us at Dorothy with authors Krista Bur...
26/07/2024

Next Thursday!
Come learn about the history of q***r bars and their importance with us at Dorothy with authors Krista Burton and Greggor Mattson. Moderated by drag artist Kerosene with a pop-up booksale of LGBTQ+ literature from Women & Children First!
Learn more and RSVP here:

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/gay-bar-books-a-panel-exploration-on-their-importance-with-gerberhart-tickets-942835665857
What’s the importance of a gay bar, q***r space, le***an night club or otherwise space specifically designed for the LGBTQIA+ community? Join us on August 1st at 7 PM for this free / pay-what-you-can panel in collaboration with Dorothy, a le***an bar in West Town, to dive into this topic with authors Krista Burton (Moby D**e: An Obsessive Quest to Track Down the Last Remaining Le***an Bars in America) and Greggor Mattson, PhD (Who Needs Gay Bars? Bar-Hopping through America’s Endangered LGBTQ+ Places). Conversation moderated by the fabulous Kerosene!
Doors at 6pm and our panel discussion begins at 7pm. Dorothy remains open after the panel until 11pm with late night happy hour from 10-11pm.
This event is free with any collected donations going back to Ge**er/Hart, Kerosene, and our authors.
Along with the panel, our authors and G/H, Women and Children First will be in attendance selling books all night!
Dorothy is 21+ and requires physical ID for all to enter. Dorothy is also ADA accessible with elevator access on Campbell Avenue. If you are a guest who requires elevator access, please wait by the black doors on Campbell Ave and call 773-770-3799 for assistance.
See you on August 1st!
.333
***rhistory ***rarchives

New display alert!Volunteer Em ( ) has transformed one of the display cases in our library reading room into a new exhib...
23/07/2024

New display alert!

Volunteer Em ( ) has transformed one of the display cases in our library reading room into a new exhibit - Illinois Says “Gay Rights”: 100 Years of LGBTQ Rights in Chicago & Illinois!
The exhibit takes a look at gay rights in Illinois - from Henry Ge**er and the founding of the first known gay rights group in the U.S. to early homophile activism like Mattachine Midwest and organizations like Equality Illinois.
Scroll through for a look at the display and stop by the library to check it out during our open hours! We’re open Wednesdays and Thursdays from 6-9, Fridays from 12-4, and Saturdays from 10-4.
***rarchives

Happy birthday to Lorrainne Sade Baskerville, and welcome to the archive of a true diva! This summer, I (Alena, intern) ...
23/07/2024

Happy birthday to Lorrainne Sade Baskerville, and welcome to the archive of a true diva! This summer, I (Alena, intern) have had the honor and joy of processing the new boxes of Lorrainne’s collection donated by Russell Myers in 2023. By engaging with her collection, self-published memoir, and VHS tapes, I’ve become immersed in Lorrainne’s legacy as a trans activist, characterized by her profound perseverance, unwavering dedication, and immense capacity for love. The materials I’ve chosen to share here capture just the surface of Lorrainne’s vibrant personality and inspiring work, and I hope that many others will have this truly wonderful opportunity to witness the incredible impact she has had both in Chicago, and around the world. Thank you, Lorrainne, for sharing your life with us!
Photo 1: Large portrait photograph of Lorrainne Sade Baskerville by Richard LaGray (2002)
Photo 2 & 3: Brief bio
Photo 4: Lorrainne’s memoir, One Trans Woman’s Spiritual Journey: Transcending into Womanhood in Phuket, Thailand (2012)
Photo 5: Advertisement for transGenesis’ program T-PASS (Trans People Advocating for Safer S*x) with iconic image of Lorrainne
Photo 6: Interview with Lorrainne in BLACKlines (2000)
Photo 7: Bookmarks and flier for transGenesis
Photo 8: transGenesis advertisement with Lorrainne holding a sign reading “Break the Silence, Get Tested!” from the 13th International AIDS Conference in South Africa (2000)
Photo 9: Framed portrait of Lorrainne
Photo 10: Three awards from Chicago Black Pride presented by transGenesis (2000)
Photo 11: Cover of Transgender Tapestry, featuring Lorrainne at the IFGE (International Foundation for Gender Education) conference (2001)
Photo 12: Assorted pins from Lorrainne’s HIV/AIDS activism, including pins from 5 years of participating in the AIDS Walk Chicago
Photo 13: Trophy and framed photograph of Lorrainne and Mayor Daley at her induction into the Chicago LGBT Hall of Fame (2000)
Thank you again, Alena ( ) for processing and sharing these photos from Lorrainne’s incredible collection!

This Thursday! 12:45 PM CST!One of our spectacular volunteers, Sharon Levy, will be presenting at UCLA’s second annual Q...
22/07/2024

This Thursday! 12:45 PM CST!
One of our spectacular volunteers, Sharon Levy, will be presenting at UCLA’s second annual Q***r Bibliography conference!
Sharon has been hard at work processing the Or Chadash collection at Ge**er/Hart. Founded in 1975, Or Chadash was formed as a gay support group for Jews in Chicago. Sharon will be presenting “From Our Lips to God’s Ears: Community Values Through the Lens of Prayer and Gender in Translation” at 12:45 CST this Thursday.
Register for the conference at the link below and check out Sharon’s presentation to learn more about Or Chadash!

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfI7cWqgJQwF2JsRrxu--wvvchE671oROMJW6mCNjsBTbAxzw/viewform
Hosted by the California Rare Book School ( ) at UCLA, the 2024 Q***r Bibliography Conference panel is hybrid and focuses on the school’s 2024 theme “Borders, Boundaries, and Margins.” The conference “ explores how the theories and practices of q***r bibliography inhabit areas of liminality and in-betweenness, and will interrogate how q***r orientations and approaches can reshape the cartography of bibliography and its allied areas of inquiry.”
***rbibliographyconference

Happy 75th Birthday to Roland!Roland is one of our longest-serving volunteers at Ge**er/Hart, having started volunteerin...
19/07/2024

Happy 75th Birthday to Roland!
Roland is one of our longest-serving volunteers at Ge**er/Hart, having started volunteering and visiting Ge**er/Hart in 1986. Roland turned 75 today and, like most every Friday, was here at Ge**er/Hart’s front desk! This time with surprise cupcakes!
Roland was interviewed in the Chicago Reader’s Pride Issue this June by Kayleigh Padar and reminisced about “many days spent wearing his winter coat while categorizing donated books in a chilly, 900-square-foot basement under a four-flat building on Sheffield Avenue.” Roland continued, saying “One of our main focuses early on was ensuring people could use our materials in [a] safe, welcoming space...The archive is still important today because if we don’t know our history, we don’t know where we’re going”
Swipe through for a photo of the interview and a few of people enjoying birthday festivities today. Huge thanks to Roland for his years of dedication - we love you and hope you have a lovely day!
***rarchives

Thanks to our friends at Alliant Credit Union for nominating Ge**er/Hart as their charity for their Pride Trivia event i...
19/07/2024

Thanks to our friends at Alliant Credit Union for nominating Ge**er/Hart as their charity for their Pride Trivia event in June with several local employee resource groups! This event helped raise money for Ge**er/Hart, and it looks like it was a lot of fun!
You can join them to support us by donating at the link below!

https://gerberhart.org/donatenow

***rarchives

Next Thursday!Join our friends at The Curve Foundation & The June Mazer Le***an Archives for a virtual tour of their new...
18/07/2024

Next Thursday!

Join our friends at The Curve Foundation & The June Mazer Le***an Archives for a virtual tour of their new online exhibit. Register for this free virtual event below!

Join us for a tour of June Mazer's online exhibit showcasing Curve magazine's legacy of representation and journalism.

Intern Spotlight featuring Oakley!Barbara Gittings? Billie Jean King? Le***an Nuns? You never know what might turn up in...
16/07/2024

Intern Spotlight featuring Oakley!
Barbara Gittings? Billie Jean King? Le***an Nuns? You never know what might turn up in Ge**er/Hart’s poster collection!
Oakley has been interning at Ge**er/Hart this Summer and has been unearthing some treasures from our poster collections! Swipe through for a look at a few favorites so far!

Photo 1 - Oakley holding a red tinsel bordered poster advertising an author talk at Ge**er/Hart with Nancy Manahan and Rosemary Curb who published Le***an Nuns: Breaking the Silence in 1985.
Photo 2- Oakley holding a poster for Out of the Past: The Struggle for Gay and Le***an Rights in America, a documentary film released in 1998, signed by Barbara Gittings and Kelli Peterson.
Photo 3 - Close up of signatures on poster
Photo 4 - Oakley holding a poster of Billie Jean King entitled “Long May She Reign” signed by Billie Jean King. This was a 1980s Nike advertising campaign poster. Volunteer Paul is in the background at our front desk!
Photo 5 - Oakley holding a sign reading “Hot Wire Lane.” Hot Wire: The Journal of Women’s Music and Culture was first published in 1984 in Chicago by Toni Armstrong Jr., Ann Morris, Etas Michele Carria, and Yvonne Zipter. Hot Wire covered all aspects of le***an feminist women’s entertainment and especially highlighted these spaces in Chicago.Throughout its 10 years of existence, Hot Wire published 30 issues, with its final issue printed in September 1994.
Ge**er/Hart has 7 interns this summer! We have had such a wonderful time working together on their projects and can’t wait to share more of their work! Many of the projects focus on digitization and making collections more accessible. Stay tuned for more - including some new online exhibits coming soon!mart
***rarchives

Did you know Ge**er/Hart has a book wishlist? That’s right! Head to the link below to buy us a book from our pals at Wom...
16/07/2024

Did you know Ge**er/Hart has a book wishlist? That’s right! Head to the link below to buy us a book from our pals at Women & Children First Books ( ) through ! Your support helps us continue making LGBTQ+ books accessible to all. The books pictured are all currently on our wishlist!

https://bookshop.org/wishlists/4c60e713bea12005f277951a0442add5a0998ac6
As a community LGBTQ+ library & archives, the books at Ge**er/Hart have two things in common - they’re all LGBTQ+ and they’re all donated! Want to check out your next LGBTQ+ read? Check out our lending library! Anyone over 13 can check out up to 10 items at a time - no fees! Checking out books is simple - just fill in a form at our front desk during our open hours - Wednesdays and Thursdays 6-9, Fridays 12-4, and Saturdays 10-4.
***rbooks ***rarchives

Tonight at 7!Join us at Ge**er/Hart for an author conversation with journalist Mike De Socio about Morally Straight: How...
10/07/2024

Tonight at 7!
Join us at Ge**er/Hart for an author conversation with journalist Mike De Socio about Morally Straight: How the Fight for LGBTQ Inclusion Changed the Boy Scouts—And America. This deeply-reported narrative illuminates the battle for LGBTQ+ inclusion in the Boy Scouts of America, a decades-long struggle led by teenagers, parents, activists, and everyday Americans.
Mike will be joined in conversation by Mary E. Anderson & Cate Lujan Readling, co-founders of Oak Park Scouts for Equality.
Copies of the book available for sale from Women & Children First books! Learn more at the link in our bio!
See you tonight!desocio
***rarchives

Happy Tillie Tuesday!!It’s been a minute since we’ve celebrated our favorite vintage Chicago drag queen! Today’s photo f...
09/07/2024

Happy Tillie Tuesday!!
It’s been a minute since we’ve celebrated our favorite vintage Chicago drag queen! Today’s photo features a very young Miss Tillie (at right) and friends- likely from the 1940s or early 1950s.
On Tuesdays, we celebrate the life of our favorite vintage drag queen, Miss Tillie “The Dirty Old Lady of Chicago” with photos from her archival collection. The Miss Tillie collection includes photos of Miss Tillie and friends starting in the 1940s all the way through the early 2000s.
Want to learn more about Miss Tillie? Listen in to Episode One of our podcast Unboxing Q***r History! Listen in on Spotify, our website, or wherever else you listen to podcasts!
Want to look through all of Miss Tillie’s photos? Stop by during open hours to check out her incredible collection!
***rhistory ***rarchives ***rarchives

A peek behind the social media curtain…This is early 20s me (Jen, Ge**er/Hart’s Community Outreach & Strategic Partnersh...
08/07/2024

A peek behind the social media curtain…
This is early 20s me (Jen, Ge**er/Hart’s Community Outreach & Strategic Partnerships Manager) wearing my little brother’s Cub Scouts uniform for Halloween.
Story time - when I was a little girl, I desperately wanted to be part of my brother’s Boy Scout troop. As a “tomboy” who loved camping and archery, I was frustrated that I was left out of all the activities he was able to participate in with my dad. Growing up in the late 90s and early 2000s in a conservative part of Washington State, I remember conversations happening about q***r troop members and leaders that I now realize were deeply homophobic.

I’m really excited to hear from author and journalist Mike De Socio on Wednesday about his own experience in the Scouts and about the national struggle for LGBTQ+ inclusion throughout the 2000s within the Scouts. Mike will be joined in conversation with Mary E. Anderson & Cate Lujan Readling, co-founders of Oak Park Scouts for Equality. Please join us on Wednesday at 7 PM at Ge**er/Hart for this conversation.

Ge**er/Hart is located on the second floor of 6500 N Clark Street. There is a stairwell as well as elevator access. See you on Wednesday - though no promises on the Cub Scout uniform making an appearance.
***rarchives

An incredible article by Megan Becker for The Buckeye Flame about Victor Banis, "The Godfather of Gay Pulp Fiction." We ...
08/07/2024

An incredible article by Megan Becker for The Buckeye Flame about Victor Banis, "The Godfather of Gay Pulp Fiction."

We are fortunate to have several of Banis's pulp novels in our collections at Ge**er/Hart, and it was a joy to be interviewed by Megan for this article about Banis's life and legacy!

Victor Banis, who grew up in Preble County, Ohio, redefined LGBTQ+ literature and captured a global audience.

Any former Boy Scouts here? This Wednesday! Join us at 7 PM at Ge**er/Hart for an author conversation with journalist Mi...
08/07/2024

Any former Boy Scouts here? This Wednesday! Join us at 7 PM at Ge**er/Hart for an author conversation with journalist Mike De Socio about Morally Straight: How the Fight for LGBTQ Inclusion Changed the Boy Scouts—And America. This deeply-reported narrative illuminates the battle for LGBTQ+ inclusion in the Boy Scouts of America, a decades-long struggle led by teenagers, parents, activists, and everyday Americans.
Mike will be joined in conversation by Mary E. Anderson & Cate Lujan Readling, co-founders of Oak Park Scouts for Equality.
Copies of the book available for sale from Women & Children First books! Learn more at the link in our bio!desocio
***rarchives

In Spring 2024 21 DePaul students visited Ge**er/Hart once per week as part of a course entitled, Do Say Gay: Banned Boo...
05/07/2024

In Spring 2024 21 DePaul students visited Ge**er/Hart once per week as part of a course entitled, Do Say Gay: Banned Books and LGBTQ+ Freedoms.
As part of the course, the students curated an incredible exhibit (on display now in the Sandfield Exhibition Gallery at Ge**er/Hart!) and also created group zines. These zines are available to read digitally on Ge**er/Hart’s website! Check the link in our bio to read all 4 of these beautiful zines. Physical copies have been added to Ge**er/Hart’s zine collection.
Do Say Gay: Banned Books & LGBTQ+ Freedom is on display at Ge**er/Hart in the Sandfield Exhibition Gallery throughout Summer 2024.
The students were all enrolled in Do Say Gay: Banned Books and LGBTQ+ Freedoms, a DePaul University Spring Quarter 2024 Experiential Learning course about contemporary book bans and their relationship to the democratic role of LGBTQ+ libraries and archives in the preservation, celebration, and continuation of intersectional q***r lives. The course was taught by Dra. Heather Montes Ireland (WGS) and Prof. Barrie J Borich (ENG/LGBTQ Studies) and was a part of DePaul’s HumanitiesX Collaborative, a program aiming to reimagine Humanities education through experiential, hands-on learning and community engaged project work.
The exhibit highlights four topic areas: Save Our Children, Silence=Death, Open Books, Open Minds, and We Have Always Been Banned. Q***r books represent the possibilities, traumas and beauties of LGBTQ+ lives often in spite of forces attempting to remove these works from libraries and schools q***r archives like Ge**er/Hart preserve and enhance voices that are too often silenced.

Read the zines at the link in our bio and make sure to stop by to check out the Do Say Gay exhibit this summer during our open hours!

***rarchives

It’s the Fourth of July so we had to share a few favorite patriotic themed items from our collections. This 1992 cover o...
04/07/2024

It’s the Fourth of July so we had to share a few favorite patriotic themed items from our collections. This 1992 cover of le***an erotic magazine On Our Backs features performance artist and activist Diviana Ingravallo promoting the film Steal America where she played a bisexual bohemian on a road trip across America
Cover image taken by Tracy Mostovoy. Jan/Feb 1992 issue of On Our Backs
On Our Backs ran from 1984-2006 and was the first known woman-run erotica magazine catering to a le***an audience. At Ge**er/Hart, our collections are entirely donated. The majority of our erotica collection currently skews very cis, white, and male. We always accept donations of LGBTQ+ material, and we would absolutely love to increase diversity in our erotica collections.
Do you have any lgbtq+ erotica laying around? We’d love to take it off your hands! Send us a DM or an email to learn more!
***rarchives ***anerotica ***an

“In THRUST we TRUST: A Campaign That’s So Hot...You Might Even Think About Running!”It’s the Fourth of July so we had to...
04/07/2024

“In THRUST we TRUST: A Campaign That’s So Hot...You Might Even Think About Running!”
It’s the Fourth of July so we had to share a few favorite patriotic themed items from our collections. This flyer is an advertisement for an erotic VHS tape, In Thrust We Trust starring Paul Hanson, distributed by FIlmCo Video from Los Angeles. Scroll to see a copy of the VHS tape in our collection. The tape we have was published in 1988. According the the flyer, copies of the original tape were sold for $49.98 a piece. In today’s money that’s about $130! For a single tape! These films were incredibly valuable and often difficult to find and access.
Many institutions do not collect po*******hy (or as we call it in the library biz, “erotica”). However, this is an integral part of the cultural record. Ge**er/Hart collects all materials related to LGBTQ+ history and culture - especially in the Midwest and Chicago. And, yes, this includes In Thrust We Trust!
Big thanks for volunteer Steven for sending this photo my way a few months ago. Processing and organizing erotica is one of many tasks that Ge**er/Hart volunteers handle. Interested in learning more about our erotica collection? Send us an email or stop by!
***rarchives

We had such a wonderful time marching with everyone in the Chicago Pride Parade this Sunday! Thanks to all who donated d...
03/07/2024

We had such a wonderful time marching with everyone in the Chicago Pride Parade this Sunday!
Thanks to all who donated during our June Pride fundraiser! Together, you gave $12,000 (and counting!) to help Ge**er/Hart save LGBTQ+ history and make it accessible to all. We will be sure to update you on the progress of the Community Room, as well as all our upcoming programs throughout the year.
We still have $8,000 to raise to meet our $20,000 goal for the summer, so if you didn’t have the chance to support us in June, please donate online at gerberhart.org/donatenow. Celebrate Pride all year at Ge**er/Hart Library and Archives!
***rarchives

Next week! Join us at 7 PM on Wednesday, July 10th, at Ge**er/Hart for an author conversation with journalist Mike DeSoc...
02/07/2024

Next week! Join us at 7 PM on Wednesday, July 10th, at Ge**er/Hart for an author conversation with journalist Mike DeSocio about Morally Straight: How the Fight for LGBTQ Inclusion Changed the Boy Scouts—And America. This deeply-reported narrative illuminates the battle for LGBTQ+ inclusion in the Boy Scouts of America, a decades-long struggle led by teenagers, parents, activists, and everyday Americans.
Mike will be joined in conversation by Mary E. Anderson & Cate Lujan Readling, co-founders of Oak Park Scouts for Equality.
Copies of the book available for sale from Women & Children First books! Learn more here:

https://gerberhart.org/morally-straight-author-talk-with-mike-desocio/desocio
***rarchives

FYI Ge**er/Hart will be CLOSED this Thursday, 7/4, from 6-9 PM.But not to worry! You can still come see us this week on ...
01/07/2024

FYI Ge**er/Hart will be CLOSED this Thursday, 7/4, from 6-9 PM.
But not to worry! You can still come see us this week on Wednesday 7/3 from 6-9, Friday 7/5 from 12-4, and Saturday 7/6 from 10-4. Regular hours resume next week.

Happy birthday, Henry Ge**er! Can you imagine a world without access to LGBTQ+ publications? 100 years ago, that was the...
29/06/2024

Happy birthday, Henry Ge**er!
Can you imagine a world without access to LGBTQ+ publications? 100 years ago, that was the world of Henry Ge**er.
In 1924, Henry Ge**er founded the Society for Human Rights – the first organization legally incorporated in the United States to advocate for homosexual rights. In 1925, he was arrested – just for publishing a gay newsletter.
Since then, a whole new world opened up in which LGBTQ+ publications, literature, and erotica could be widely produced and disseminated. What was once criminal became commonplace. What once caused Henry to be arrested, we now celebrate with PRIDE.
In honor of Henry’s birthday, it’s time to !
Please give a one-time donation, OR make it a monthly donation and receive a limited edition collectible Ge**er/Hart Library Card!

http://gerberhart.org/donatenow

**erHart

It’s  ! Every Friday in June, we’ll spotlight one of the amazing resources at Ge**er/Hart that your donations will suppo...
28/06/2024

It’s ! Every Friday in June, we’ll spotlight one of the amazing resources at Ge**er/Hart that your donations will support. You can help us raise $20,000 for PRIDE!

Today’s spotlight: YOU! Yes, you, our amazing community of volunteers and supporters. Our volunteers are the heart and soul of Ge**er/Hart, and have been since its incorporation in 1981. Without our volunteers, and our loyal supporters – individuals, foundations, and businesses – we would cease to exist.

To celebrate the courage of our communities, acclaimed filmmaker and Chicago native C.J. Arellano directed this short film that premiered at our spring soiree (https://youtu.be/XK6-xjAb4ak). Check it out and share it far and wide for anyone who wants to know more about Ge**er/Hart! – and then please give a one-time donation at gerberhart.org/donatenow, OR make it a monthly donation and receive a limited edition collectible Ge**er/Hart Library Card!

We still need to raise $9,000 to make our goal of $20,000. Your donation now will mean so much, and ensure that Ge**er/Hart remains q***r all year!

**erHart

This video celebrates the story of Ge**er/Hart Library and Archives, and the courage of the LGBTQ+ communities it serves in Chicago and the Midwest. It debut...

One of our summer interns, Levynn, has been hard at work processing the Robert Castillo papers! As part of this project,...
26/06/2024

One of our summer interns, Levynn, has been hard at work processing the Robert Castillo papers! As part of this project, Levynn is digitizing select items and will be creating an exhibit case and a detailed finding aid to make this exciting collection accessible to researchers! Levynn is also creating a few social media posts with highlights discovered while processing!

Robert Castillo is a lifelong Chicagoan and LGBTQ+ activist. Robert's photos and stickers from his work with Q***r Nation Chicago have been featured in several of our exhibits. His activism includes LGBTQ+ and Latinx activism in groups including ActUp, Association of Latin Men for Action (ALMA), and LLEGO. He and his late husband John Pennycuff were first in line for the Cook County domestic-partnership registry. Robert continues his activist work today and is currently a member of Chicago's LGBTQ+ Advisory Council. We are grateful that Robert chose to donate his papers to Ge**er/Hart, and we are so excited to share images from the collection throughout the summer!

From Levynn:
This Pride Month, it is important that we remember the activism central to the rights the q***r community has today. These items from the Robert Castillo collection currently being processed here at Ge**er/Hart show few of many events in Chicago related to the struggle for civil unions, marriage equality, remembrance and celebration.

Scroll through for a look and stay tuned for more updates about this collection!

***rarchives

Address


Opening Hours

Wednesday 18:00 - 21:00
Thursday 18:00 - 21:00
Friday 12:00 - 16:00
Saturday 10:00 - 16:00

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Gerber Hart Library and Archives posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Museum

Send a message to Gerber Hart Library and Archives:

Videos

Shortcuts

  • Address
  • Opening Hours
  • Alerts
  • Contact The Museum
  • Videos
  • Claim ownership or report listing
  • Want your museum to be the top-listed Museum?

Share