The History Project

The History Project is a non-profit organization that focuses on preserving the history of Boston’s community as to allow future generations access. Currently, they conduct research on lesbians, gay men, bisexuals, and transgender people is the state of Massachusetts, preserve the documentary record of that community’s social and historical contributions, and provide a forum for educating the general public on the history of the LGBT community.

Officers and staff

The history project is an all-volunteer board, currently co-chaired by Joan Ilacqua and Andrew Elder.

Mission: To document and preserve the history of Boston’s lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) communities and to share that information with LGBTQ individuals, organizations, allies, and the public.

Founded: 1980

History of the The History Project: The History Project — established in 1980 by a group of historians, activists and archivists — is the only group focused exclusively on preserving the history of Boston’s LGBT community, and on making that history accessible to future generations. This research and preservation is of paramount importance for the LGBT community, which is often excluded from history. In fact, some historians —whether deliberately or negligently— have taken steps to hide or obscure the nature of those contributions. Since the documentation of the gay and lesbian experience is fragmentary and scattered, it has remained largely inaccessible to researchers, educators, the general public, and even the gay community itself. Through its mission, THP seeks to provide an accurate portrayal of the contributions our community has made to the political, cultural and economic life of the region. To this end, The History Project produces or participates in 15-20 events or projects per year. Our audiences range from a few dozen people for our Out of the Archives series to the thousands of people who have purchased and read our full-length book, Improper Bostonians (Beacon Press).

Collection overview: The History Project’s exhibits represent the most groundbreaking and compelling displays of Boston GLBT history ever assembled. They range from Public Faces/Private Lives, which drew tens of thousands of visitors to the Boston Public Library, to smaller-scale exhibits focusing on Boston’s under-documented communities.

Copies and other services: THP also collaborates with different organizations that need information regarding Boston’s LGBT community. In recent years these groups have included Northeastern University, Speak Out, GLSTEN, the American Historical Association, BAGLY, Boston GLASS, and Prime Timers, as well as other groups and individuals. We make frequent appearances at conferences, meet with individual historians about Boston’s LGBT history, and answer inquiries from the general public related to our archives and our ongoing research.

Become a member: There are three important ways that you can participate in The History Project’s mission to research, preserve, and present Boston’s GLBT history.

Donate online: Become a History Project sponsor. Support a specific project, or help us continue our ongoing efforts to document Boston’s LGBT history. There are three ways to donate online: through PayPal, through Network for Good, and through Eastern Bank/First Giving. Donate by Check
As historians and archivists, we love to receive donations the old-fashioned way! Send a check (made out to The History Project) to:
The History Project, 29 Stanhope Street, Boston, MA 02116. Privacy Policy
The History Project uses its best efforts to respect and protect the privacy of our donors and online visitors. We will not share your postal or e-mail address with third parties. Refund Policy
All donations are final.

The History Project
29 Stanhope Street

Boston, Mass. 02116

Phone: 617-266-7733