An historic display entitled A Celebration of San Diego LGBT History will be displayed in City Hall from July 12, 2010 through July 23, 2010. It is interesting that celebrating the contributions of GLBT Americans to our country is also being discussed with the Smithsonian Institute. Many in our community are concerned that our history is being overlooked in the massive exhibits of the Smithsonian. That is not the case in San Diego, the contributions of GLBT San Diegans will be highlighted in an extensive exhibit that will help educate the greater San Diego community about their GLBT neighbors.

I have had the honor to serve on the committee that was chartered with gathering the history of the San Diego GLBT community for the City Hall display. Let’s just say that it was not a small task. As with any retelling of history, it was critical to consult references that would help shape the nature of A Celebration of San Diego LGBT History. The Lambda Archives is the organization of record for our time in San Diego. The Archives mission is to collect, preserve, and teach the history of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people in the San Diego and Northern Baja California region. Although most of their collections date to post-1970, there are original materials dating back to the 1930s.

The committee began its work with the Lambda Archives San Diego GLBT History Timeline. Of course, any historical timeline is imbued with the perspective of the archivist or historian. Therefore, the committee also used a GLBT timeline from the Center, as well as reached out to members of the GLBT community for input. What was startling was how much of our history is an oral one, not unlike that of African Americans. While our time was very limited to collect historical perspectives, the committee realized that we need to make sure that the vast oral history from people like Bridget Wilson, Doug Moore, Cynthia Lawrence-Wallace, and Nicole Murray Ramirez, to name a few, is recorded for future generations. Otherwise, our role in San Diego history may be lost.

There was a wealth of information that was gathered concerning the rich history of GLBT San Diegans. The challenge: what should be included in the exhibit? While there will be over 1100 square feet of GLBT artifacts displayed in City Hall, we could have displayed 100 times as much. Inevitably, there will be those who say this was left out or that was missed. They will be absolutely right. Creating an historical exhibit that attempts to define a community is daunting and difficult. What A Celebration of San Diego LGBT History attempts to do is give a small snapshot of the many seminal events of GLBT San Diego. It is not meant to be the definitive history, or in any way, an exhaustive look at the rich San Diego GLBT culture. It is simply an acknowledgement that we too are San Diego. I encourage those of you who have mementos from time gone by about GLBT life in San Diego to donate them to the Lambda Archives. We need to ensure that future GLBT generations appreciate the struggle for their equality and the sense of community that was built by those before them.

When you are visiting the exhibit in City Hall, take time to reflect upon the historic nature of the display. It is something that we do not yet have at the Smithsonian, but for two weeks we have it right here in San Diego.