In October of 2023 the Stonewall National Museum Archives & Library (https://stonewall-museum.org) and GayBarchives (http://gaybarchives.com) launched a groundbreaking program dubbed ‘Raising The Bars’ focused on elevating the history, culture, and representation of LGBTQ bars in the annals of history. Only a few months have passed since the announcement and already the program is making great strides toward the mission.
A video slideshow featuring a record-breaking 2500+ gay bar logos will be unveiled at SNMAL’s annual gala, Standing on the Shoulders of Heroes”, on February 24 in Wilton Manors, Florida. “Never have our historic safe spaces been recognized in this way, or at a. single event. This video only begins to touch the surface of recognizing these places that long were the social, political, and cultural hotspots for multiple generations of gay men and lesbians,” said Robert Kesten, executive director of Stonewall National Museum, Archives & Library.
GayBarchives founder Art Smith, a driving force behind Raising The Bars, has spent thousands of hours cataloging and digitally reconstructing these logos as part of this project. Many of the elusive images existed only in time-worn photos and poorly preserved clippings from gay ‘rags’ of the day. “This video will tug at the heartstrings of millions of gay club goers,” Smith said. “Much like scrapbooks and home movies from our childhood, the visual imagery opens a floodgate of emotions and a multitude of memories of the ‘good old days’. It also serves to underscore the sheer volume of safe spaces that built our community.”
Kesten, Executive Director of SNMAL, elaborates: “Stonewall National Museum, Archives and Library and The Gay Barchives Project ‘RAISING THE BARS,’ initiative will document and preserve gay history through LGBTQ+ Bars that served as safe havens for tens of thousands of people and that history is important to preserve, collect, and share.” Kesten stated that this will be an ongoing effort and invites everyone to reach out with information regarding establishments knowing that many may have been omitted or overlooked. SNMAL plans to release an updated version with potentially as many as 5000 LGBTQ bar logos in time for LGBTQ History Month in October. The video slideshow will be made available to bar owners, community leaders and queer historians for their use.
In addition to the video project, Raising The Bars is planning a gay trivia book, a video interview series, traveling exhibits and a variety of events designed to preserve the memories of the bars we lost and to celebrate those that still serve our community.
About Stonewall Museum National Museum, Archives & Library
Stonewall National Museum, Archives & Library is one of the largest gay archives and libraries in the USA, with a 12-month schedule of exhibitions on LGBTQ themes and public programs, including author presentations, films, panel discussions, and collaborative events at its museum and library in South Florida and in cities across the United States. Stonewall National Museum, Archives and Library (https://stonewall-museum.org), an invaluable yet small 501c3, in recognizing the inspiring works of leading figures in America’s LGBTQ+ community capped with the message ‘Stonewall Is For All.’
Sponsorship and Ticket Sales for Gala: https://stonewall-museum.org/gala-2024
About Raising the Bars
‘Raising the Bars’ is an innovative archiving project dedicated to preserving the memories of the thousands of bars and safe spaces that have served and nurtured our community for decades, and to the celebration of the thousands of venues that continue to embrace our LGBTQ+ community today. Through this initiative we will change the future of gay archiving.
About GayBarchives
GayBarchives is an independent research project committed to the documentation of the bars, restaurants and safe spaces that played an important role in the growth and development of our queer community. Their Facebook group https://Facebook.com/groups/GayBarchives is an interactive forum to share first-hand stories.