There aren’t many places in the world where queer history is woven into the fabric of the city as deeply as it is in New York. From the Stonewall Riots and the queer liberation movement that followed, to the first Pride parades, the birth of ballroom culture, and the founding of the Gay Men’s Health Crisis and ACT UP—organizations that became models for HIV/AIDS activism across the U.S. and around the world—New York has been central to LGBTQ+ history.

So it makes sense that New York will be home to the American LGBTQ+ Museum, the first museum in the United States dedicated entirely to preserving and celebrating the rich and complex history of American LGBTQ+ life. It’s set to open in spring 2028.

“New York made sense partly because of its unique role in LGBTQ+ history and its global impact. But also, when the team did market research, we found that the city has the largest number of LGBTQ+ households and tourists in the country,” says Ben Garcia, who has been the museum’s director since 2022. “When starting a cultural institution like this, we wanted to make sure we were in a prominent location for the community.”

The idea for the museum came together in early 2017, when a group of community pioneers—including Richard Burns, Kevin Jennings, and the late Urvashi Vaid—began talking about what this museum could be, Garcia explains. They soon brought in other organizations and leaders to help shape the vision and scope of the museum’s future programs, and invited people like Michael Kors and his husband Lance LaPere, Imara Jones, Erik Stegman, and Leti Gomez to serve as trustees. “It was important that our team reflect the full range of queer identity, intersectionality, and community across the United States,” Garcia says.

The museum has partnered with the New York Historical on the Upper West Side, the oldest museum in the city. “Finding a partner with a long and trusted history as a cultural institution really helped support belief in this project,” says Garcia. “But also, having American LGBTQ+ history housed in one of the nation’s oldest museums carries a lot of symbolic weight.” The American LGBTQ+ Museum will be on the top floor of the New York Historical’s new Tang Wing for American Democracy, a 71,000-square-foot addition to its Classical Revival building on Central Park West. “All visitors will enter through a single entrance and can buy one ticket to visit both museums,” Garcia explains.

The new museum will include a main exhibition space that looks at American history through a queer lens. “We’ll start with Indigenous American communities, the first people to live on these lands, and explore what same-sex relationships and gender fluidity looked like at that time,” Garcia says. “Then we’ll move into early colonial life and the American Revolution, and how queer people were part of it all.” From there, the exhibition will move into the 19th century and show how the urbanization boom from the Industrial Revolution helped LGBTQ+ people find each other across the country.

Moving into the 20th century, the space will highlight how wartime, the civil rights movement, and the HIV/AIDS crisis affected the American queer community in different ways, and note when the American Psychiatric Association stopped classifying homosexuality as a mental disorder. The exhibition will end with the dawn of the internet era, when the web and social media allowed the community to connect in new and dynamic ways.

That idea of connection is a central theme in the museum’s storytelling. “From printed publications that were mailed to people in brown envelopes to the hanky code, where people wore bandanas in their back pockets as signals,” Garcia says, the museum “will show how our communityThey have found each other throughout time.

Photo: Leandro Justen

Another part of the space will feature temporary exhibits on changemaking activists and politicians; queerness in fashion, sports, and music; and broader topics like Black, femme, and trans life in American history. “The plan is for curators from across the country, representing every part of the community, to come to the museum and work on these rotating exhibitions with our staff. We’ll make sure they have the resources and platform they need to tell these stories,” Garcia says. The rest of the museum will host various public programs with local partners—some of which have already started, aiming to boost the museum’s visibility and gather direct feedback from the community.

The American LGBTQ+ Museum is still building its collection of queer historical artifacts, which will also be displayed—but one donated piece already sets a powerful tone. “The first thing we added to our collection was a brick from the original facade of the Stonewall Inn,” Garcia says. “When it was being torn down to build a new one, the owner wisely saved some bricks and has kept them safe ever since. Even though it’s a myth that bricks were actually thrown during the Stonewall Riots, the spirit of that time is captured in this brick. Having the actual material from the original Stonewall Inn serves as a symbolic seed within the building, growing into all these other examples of American LGBTQ+ history, all under one roof.”

Photo: Leandro Justen

I ask Garcia what his biggest hope is for the institution. “On one hand, I want queer people to come here and know that this place is for them, that they belong, and to see the people who have been fighting for them,” he says. “On the other, I want to show everyone who walks through these doors that American LGBTQ+ people have created and been part of some of the most important moments in this country’s history.”

Frequently Asked Questions
Here is a list of FAQs about the American LGBTQ Museum based on a first look inside

General Definition

Q What exactly is the American LGBTQ Museum
A Its a new museum dedicated to preserving and sharing the history culture and art of LGBTQ people in the United States Think of it as a national home for these stories

Q Where is the museum located
A Its housed inside the NewYork Historical Society on the Upper West Side of Manhattan Its a partnership so youll find it within that larger museum

Q Is it a physical building or just online
A Its a physical space inside the NewYork Historical Society with plans for future expansion They also have digital exhibits online

Q When did it open
A The first physical exhibition space opened in June 2024

BeginnerLevel Questions

Q Is this museum just for LGBTQ people
A Not at all Its for everyoneallies families students and anyone curious about American history Its a place to learn and understand

Q How long does it take to see the exhibits
A The current space is one gallery so you can see it in about 3060 minutes Its a focused powerful experience

Q Do I need to buy a separate ticket
A No Your admission to the NewYork Historical Society includes access to the LGBTQ Museums gallery

Q Is it appropriate for kids
A Yes the current exhibits are designed for a general audience There are no explicit or graphic displays Its a great way to teach kids about diversity and history

Advanced Deeper Questions

Q Whats the first exhibit about
A The inaugural exhibit is called A History of Drag From Ancient Times to RuPauls Drag Race It shows how drag has been a form of art protest and entertainment for centuries

Q How is this museum different from the GLBT Historical Society in San Francisco or the Stonewall National Museum