Many of us consider our personal history at the New Year more than at other times during the year, reflecting on where we’ve come from and where we’re going. This new year, place yourself in the context of GLBT history; think about those who have come before you, what they have fought for and what you are doing with the reins they have handed to you.

Acceptance — not just tolerance — of GLBTs is quickly becoming the norm. According to recent polls, the 21 and under generation is fifty percent more tolerant of homosexuality than any previous generation. Homophobia, it seems, may be starting to die out. Sitcoms and reality shows featuring GLBT characters are widespread. Cities across the nation cater to gay tourists. The rise of the fashion style in American society termed “metrosexual” — straight men who appreciate the finer points of fashion and primping generally associated with the gay male community — is another indication that the GLBT lifestyle, once seen as shameful and necessary to hide, is actually a closet full of advertising gold worth cashing in on.

Pretty soon, it will be time to write us into the mainstream history books. Junior high and high school students across the nation will get to groan about having to write a report on Bayard Rustin or Jess Jessop, name the creator of the rainbow flag on a multiple choice test, or memorize the meaning of each color on the rainbow flag (yes, there is a meaning for each color) to recite in social studies class.

Shouldn’t we as a community have some accurate literature prepared to donate to these textbooks? Wouldn’t it be nice if the struggle for recognition and inclusion that GLBTs have been fighting for were accurately presented, with the correct dates, biographical information, name spellings and chronology honoring those who have led us to where we are today?

History gets muddled, sure. That’s why careful research and fact checking is important. But you’ve got to have the resources available to cross reference facts for accuracy. And the point is, San Diego GLBT history is so under-documented that it’s dying off with each passing activist.

Take the AIDS epidemic, for example. The upcoming generation of GLBTs was in elementary school when the epidemic peaked in the late ’80s. The mainstream media wasn’t great back then about documenting the lives of those who had died of AIDS, focusing instead on the sensationalism of the epidemic: its celebrity fundraisers, red ribbons and the inane social commentary from people like Skid Row’s Sebastian Bach, who wore a shirt at a televised public appearance emblazoned with the words ‘AIDS kills faggots dead.’ Since many younger GLBTs were not of an age then to be considering their sexuality at all and were not in any way connected to a GLBT community, they do not remember the insults, or the panic, devastation and community decimation that occurred 15 years ago and is still occurring today.

Syndicated columnist Michelangelo Signorile asserts that higher survival rates caused by new HIV/AIDS medications is leading young gay men to downplay the severity of the disease and become less concerned about having safe sex. Because AIDS is no longer killing nearly 50 percent of the GLBT population today — as it was in some areas 15 years ago — AIDS is not perceived to be the ever-present threat it actually is, and this lack of awareness is causing a spike in AIDS cases among gay males 18-24.

Lacking pride and a sense of community history can also be linked to the GLBT community’s shortage of positive role models and the low-self esteem, disillusionment and substance abuse so common among us. Being aware of GLBT history supports a self-confident, healthy perspective; having a sense of community pride allows us to make better decisions, stand up for ourselves and reach out for help if we need it.

It’s time that preserving GLBT history ceases to be just a labor of love, and becomes a business. History needs to be recorded as it happens to ensure accuracy, and hard copies are essential.

The number for the Lambda Archives is (619) 260-1522. They are open by appointment only these days because they are so understaffed. Roll up your sleeves and help them sort through their boxes. Or, hey, if you don’t like doing the dirty work, cut them a check. Maybe one day they’ll have enough money to move out of their tiny, overstuffed space and into a real building with a full-time staff.

Our history is only as good as what we keep around. If you have a box of memorabilia, take it down to the Archives. If you have a head full of memories about the last thirty years of the GLBT civil rights, or you remember what life was like for GLBTs before that time, write it down. Then e-mail it to the Archives. If you don’t like to write, tape-record it and send it to the Archives to be transcribed. Get the tactile, the tangible, the emotional recorded somehow; don’t let our history be told only through dry journalistic reports and statistical analysis. A moving anecdote from a wizened older member of the GLBT community can make a lasting impression on a younger one, inspiring them to strive to match the achievements of their predecessors.