Pride

Pam Elam Collection, NYSM H-2019.5

The Gay Games, originally called the Gay Olympics, began in San Francisco in 1982 to combat prejudice in sports, promoting “participation, inclusion, and personal best.” In 1994, the games were held in New York City as part of Pride and commemorations for the 25th anniversary of Stonewall. Thirty-one sports were represented, and more athletes participated in the Gay Games than in the 1992 or 1996 Summer Olympic Games.

NYSM H-2012.6.6

Albert T. Martino, Jr. and Harold Lohner III married just after midnight on July 24, 2011, upon New York State officially passing the Marriage Equality Act. They were the first same-sex couple to marry in the City of Albany. Their sashes, provided by the lobbying group Empire State Pride Agenda, were gifted to the State Museum by the couple.

New York was the sixth state to legally recognize same-sex marriage, which was not protected at the federal level until the 2015 Supreme Court decision Obergefell v. Hodges. Like previous legislation, including women’s suffrage, proponents saw the passage of marriage equality in a populous state like New York as an important step toward marriage equality nationwide. Activists fought for the right to marry for many reasons, including basic equality and access to protections like health care, hospital visitation rights, and family benefits.

NYSM H-2019.78.1

The rainbow pride flag, representing the LGBTQ+ community, was conceived in San Francisco in 1978 by Gilbert Baker. Each year, more communities fly the flag during June for Pride Month, which coincides with the anniversary of the Stonewall Uprising. In 1994, in honor of the 25th anniversary of Stonewall, a Pride flag flew for the first time at Albany City Hall, and activists unfurled an enormous rainbow banner down the steps of the NYS Capitol. In 2019, for the 50th anniversary of Stonewall, a rainbow flag was officially flown over the New York State Capitol. The flag pictured here, now in the NYSM collection, was flown in Canton, New York.

NYSM H-2022.36

In 2022, Osun Zotique (they/them) declared their candidacy for New York's 19th Congressional District, becoming the first gender non-binary person to run for Federal office. This outfit was worn by Zotique at campaign events. Zotique was inspired by the suffragists, who used clothing to quickly get their message across, and the outfit also included references to Ruth Bader Ginsberg, whose work they admired.

NYSM E-2020.08

Kaluyahawi Jocelyn Antone, an Oneida and Cree artist, created this shirt to demonstrate solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement. Antone's art is also influenced by her identification as Two-Spirited: "I’m trying to be a part of the movement that is getting us back into that lifestyle where it doesn’t matter who you love or who you like.”

Vinyl, H-1987.52.87 A-B and Playbill, H-1990.101.204


Opened in 1957, the original Broadway production of West Side Story featured the work of a production team who were all part of the LGBTQ+ community: director and choreographer Jerome Robbins, composer Leonard Bernstein, librettist Arthur Laurents, lyricist Stephen Sondheim, scenic designer Oliver Smith, costume designer Irene Sharaff, and lighting designer Jean Rosenthal.

In addition to LGBTQ+ representation within the creative team, the musical featured the character Anybodys—a butch girl who tries to join the male Jets. The role has been interpreted variously as a transgender boy, a butch lesbian, and a cisgender girl fighting gender norms.

H-2019.5

Activists working for LGBTQ+ rights recognized that representation within the government was key to gaining greater protections in the law. In 1990, Deborah Glick was elected to the New York State Assembly, and became the first openly gay representative in the New York State Legislature. In addition to LGBTQ+ rights, including her work on passage of the Sexual Orientation Non-Discrimination Act (SONDA), Glick has worked for women’s rights, environmental protection, tenants’ rights, protection of animals, and accessibility of higher education.

Thomas Duane was elected to the New York City Council in 1991, and then to the New York State Senate in 1998. He was the first openly gay member of the New York State Senate, and first openly HIV-positive legislator in New York State. Duane was a Senate sponsor of same-sex union legislation (which failed in a 2009 Senate vote—the Marriage Equality Act was passed in 2011), SONDA (2002), and the Gender Expression Non-Discrimination Act (GENDA, which was passed in 2019 after Duane left office).

To learn more about New York State Legislation that protects the LGBTQ+ community:

• Office of Children and Family Services: https://ocfs.ny.gov/programs/youth/lgbtq/policies.php
• Division of Human Rights: https://dhr.ny.gov/lgbtq

NYSM H-L2020.14

This banner was carried by the Eleanor Roosevelt Democratic Club (ERDC) in Pride parades and marches. The ERDC was a political organization in Albany, NY, that pushed for legislation to protect LGBTQ+ rights and endorsed candidates that supported those efforts. One of its major successes, following a five-year battle, was the passage of the Human Rights Ordinance by the Albany Common Council in December 1992. This ordinance provided protections for LGBTQ+ individuals in housing and employment long before statewide laws were enacted.