It’s History Wednesday! This week, we’re moving closer to home with a group that’s documenting #LGBTQ history in our own state - the Southwest Virginia LGBTQ History Project.
Founded in September 2015, the project began with two goals in mind: 1) to create a permanent archive of regional LGBTQ+ historical materials, and 2) to gather oral histories of LGBTQ+ people from across Virginia.
Since then, the project has expanded considerably: they’ve established the LGBTQ History Collection with Roanoke Public Libraries with help from the Roanoke Diversity Center and Roanoke College and gathered oral histories from across the state. Additionally, the program offers LGBTQ+ walking tours of Roanoke, online exhibitions, the QTPOC Project, reenactments, workshops, and much more.
Check out the Southwest Virginia LGBTQ+ History Project to learn about Virginia’s rich LGBTQ+ past and present.