Adopt an archival collection by becoming a member of the GLBT Historical Society. Funds from the Society’s archival adoption program help us preserve and share more than 1,000 archival collections.
To see the collections currently eligible for adoption, scroll down on this page. You can also find more information about the various benefits of membership and the adoption program overall by exploring this page.
Become a member of the GLBT Historical Society to adopt an archival collection, support our work to preserve and share LGBTQ history, and receive special benefits and updates throughout the year.
Associate Membership | $70 annual dues
Opportunity to adopt an archival collection and receive a custom adoption certificate with more information about your adopted collection.
Free admission for yourself plus a guest to the museum and programs.
Invitations to members-only events, exhibition previews and tours.
20% discount off all merchandise at the museum and in the online store.
Free subscription to our monthly newsletter.
Sustaining Membership | $120 annual dues – BEST VALUE
Free admission to more than 1,000 partner museums throughout North and South America through the Reciprocal Organization of Associated Museums (ROAM) and North American Reciprocal Museum (NARM) programs.
Opportunity to adopt an archival collection and receive a custom adoption certificate with more information about your adopted collection.
Free admission for yourself plus 3 guests to the museum and programs.
Invitations to members-only events, exhibition previews and tours.
20% discount off all merchandise at the museum and in the online store.
Free subscription to our monthly newsletter.
Supporting Membership | $250 annual dues
Invitations to VIP events and receptions throughout the year.
Free admission to more than 1,000 partner museums throughout North and South America through the Reciprocal Organization of Associated Museums (ROAM) and North American Reciprocal Museum (NARM) programs.
Opportunity to adopt an archival collection and receive a custom adoption certificate with more information about your adopted collection.
Free admission for yourself plus 3 guests to the museum and programs.
Invitations to members-only events, exhibition previews and tours.
20% discount off all merchandise at the museum and in the online store.
Free subscription to our monthly newsletter.
Patron Membership | $500 annual dues
A behind-the-scenes tour of the Archives and Research Center.
Free admission to more than 1,000 partner museums throughout North and South America through the Reciprocal Organization of Associated Museums (ROAM) and North American Reciprocal Museum (NARM) programs.
Opportunity to adopt an archival collection and receive a custom adoption certificate with more information about your adopted collection.
Free admission for yourself plus 5 guests to the museum and programs.
Invitations to members-only events, exhibition previews and tours.
20% discount off all merchandise at the museum and in the online store.
Free subscription to our monthly newsletter.
Sponsoring Membership | $1,000 annual dues and above
Opportunity to sponsor an archival collection, including branding on the adoption page and a custom adoption certificate with more information about your sponsored collection.
A behind-the-scenes tour of the Archives and Research Center.
Free admission to more than 1,000 partner museums throughout North and South America through the Reciprocal Organization of Associated Museums (ROAM) and North American Reciprocal Museum (NARM) programs.
Free admission for yourself plus 5 guests to the museum and programs.
Invitations to members-only events, exhibition previews and tours.
20% discount off all merchandise at the museum and in the online store.
Free subscription to our monthly newsletter.
Please click here for a listing of sponsorship levels and benefits, including naming opportunities.
Contact Andrew Shaffer via email or at (415) 777-5455, ext. 009 with any questions.
Discount Membership | $35 annual dues
Available for students, seniors and people on low or fixed incomes.
Opportunity to adopt an archival collection and receive a custom adoption certificate with more information about your adopted collection.
Free admission for yourself plus a guest to the museum and programs.
Invitations to members-only events, exhibition previews and tours.
20% discount off all merchandise at the museum and in the online store.
Free subscription to our monthly newsletter.
For membership inquiries or to update your membership information, email us at membership@glbthistory.org.
If you are unable to see or use the form above, click here to go directly to the checkout page.
The GLBT Historical Society is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization and your membership is tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law.
This collection highlights the artistic oeuvre of Gilbert Baker (1951–2017), the artist and activist who designed the iconic rainbow flag with the help of collaborators. The collection includes the only known remnant of one of the two original eight-stripe rainbow flags created for San Francisco Gay Freedom Day in 1978.
Gilbert Baker in his hand-sewn Betsy Ross gown on Fire Island, ca. 2012; photographer unknown, Gilbert Baker Collection (2017-18), GLBT Historical Society.
This collection takes you into the world of Gilbert Block, better known as Sadie, Sadie the Rabbi Lady, a celebrated member of the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence in the 1980s.
Sadie, Sadie the Rabbi Lady poses in a red dumpster, 1983; photograph by Jean-Baptiste Carhaix, Gilbert Block/Sadie, Sadie the Rabbi Lady Papers (2002-05), GLBT Historical Society.
The Denise D’Anne Papers, acquired in 2021, document the life of a proud, pioneering trans woman who was an activist, environmentalist, civil servant, writer and candidate for the San Francisco Board of Supervisors.
Denise D’Anne poses in a May 1973 snapshot; photographer unknown, Denise D’Anne Papers (2021-26), GLBT Historical Society.
Lorraine Hurdle’s archival collection provides insight into the life of an African American lesbian and army veteran who served in Germany during World War II.
Lorraine Hurdle in her army uniform, ca. 1939–1945; studio photograph, Lorraine Hurdle Papers (2018-12), GLBT Historical Society.
The Henri Leleu Papers is among the most extensive photographic collections in the GLBT Historical Society’s archives and contains remarkable images of gay associational life and LGBTQ bars from the 1960s to the 1980s.
The exterior of the Twin Peaks Tavern, ca. 1975; photograph by Henri Leleu, Henri Leleu Papers (1997-13), GLBT Historical Society.
This archival collection documents the life and work of Phyllis Lyon and Del Martin, lesbian pioneers and activists who in 1955 co-founded the first lesbian civil and political rights organization in the United States, the Daughters of Bilitis.
Del Martin (left) and Phyllis Lyon (right) in their living room in San Francisco, ca. 1970s; photographer unknown, Phyllis Lyon and Del Martin Papers (1993-13), GLBT Historical Society.
This collection tells the story of Jiro Onuma, a gay Japanese American man who was incarcerated along with over 100,000 other Japanese Americans in a concentration camp in the California desert during the Second World War.
Sponsored by the Masto Foundation
For more information about sponsoring a collection, check out our Sponsoring Membership Benefits.
Jiro Onuma (center) poses with two friends in a studio photograph, ca. 1930s; Jiro Onuma Papers (2000-27), GLBT Historical Society.
This collection documents the extraordinary life of gay-rights activist, performer and Imperial Court System founder José Sarria, who in 1961 became the first openly gay person to campaign for elected office anywhere in the world.
Sponsored by the José Sarria Foundation.
For more information about sponsoring a collection, check out our Sponsoring Membership Benefits.
José Sarria in army uniform, ca. 1945; studio photograph, José Sarria Papers (1996-01), GLBT Historical Society.
This archival collection documents the life and times of Louis Sullivan, a gay and transgender activist who was as a community organizer, lay historian, diarist and GLBT Historical Society founding member.
Page from Louis Sullivan’s 1979–1980 diary; snapshot photographer unknown, Louis Graydon Sullivan Papers (1991-07), GLBT Historical Society.
A new acquisition in 2021, this photographic collection documents a 1966 demonstration, the Street Sweep, organized by members of Vanguard, an organization of LGBTQ youth and others living in the Tenderloin district of San Francisco.
Vanguard members sweep sidewalks in the Tenderloin, 1966; photographer unknown, Vanguard Street Sweep Photographs (2021-21), GLBT Historical Society.
How can I adopt an archival collection?
All GLBT Historical Society members can adopt an archival collection. Scroll up on this page to view the various levels of membership, then select the archival collection you’d like to adopt during the check out process.
What are the benefits of archival adoption?
In addition to helping us keep our irreplaceable history alive, when you adopt a collection you will receive:
An adoption certificate, including a photograph from and biography of your collection.
A one-year membership to the GLBT Historical Society.
Updates throughout the year from your adopted collection.
How do you use the funds raised by this program?
Your support:
Funds the collection’s preservation in our climate and humidity-controlled storage facility.
Makes the collection available, both in-person and online, to researchers, students, and community members for generations to come.
Ensures the collection is used in scholarly and artistic work, helping to weave it into the fabric of LGBTQ history.
Can I gift an adoption?
Yes! In the membership checkout box, click on “Gift,” then enter your information as the Giver/Buyer and the gift recipient’s information as the Member.
How did you choose the collections eligible for adoption?
With our archives containing more than 1,000 collections, selecting a few for adoption was no easy task! For the initial rollout of this program, we prioritized collections that:
Have current preservation or accessibility needs, including digitization, storage materials, processing, and researcher access.
Contain sufficient digitizable content.
Present few or no copyright or trademark concerns.
Represent a diverse range of LGBTQ communities.
What if I want to adopt a collection not listed here?
We hope to grow this program, offering new collections each year. Please send any requests or suggestions to membership@glbthistory.org. Pulling together the various pieces to offer a collection for adoption takes considerable work. Many collections we would like to include in this program have copyright or trademark concerns that, unfortunately, make them ineligible.
Can I donate my collection to the archives?
We are happy to consider new donations that fall within the society’s collecting scope and support our mission. If you have materials you want to donate, please read our Collection Development Policy and contact Kelsi Evans, director of archives and special collections.