The LGBTQ+ experience

Explore our new collection featuring a selection of films documenting the LGBTQ+ Experience — along with articles, digital shorts, and original features exploring America’s continued struggle with democracy, inclusion and justice for LGBTQ+ Americans, and celebrating the contributions of the LGBTQ+ community to the American story.

Full Documentaries

Film
Casa Susanna

In the 1950s and ’60s, an underground network of transgender women and cross-dressing men found refuge at a house in the Catskills region of New York. Known as Casa Susanna, the house provided a safe place to express their true selves.
Film
Stonewall Uprising

In 1969, homosexuality was illegal in almost every state... but that was about to change. The Stonewall riots marked a major turning point in the modern gay civil rights movement.

Explore

Casa Susanna | Image Gallery
A Weekend at Casa Susanna

Lost photographs bring a secret resort to life.
The Vote | Image Gallery
Suffragist Gender Benders

A Browse through our selection of historical images of notable gender non-conforming suffragists.
Stonewall Uprising | Timeline
Milestones in the American Gay Rights Movement

In 1924, the first gay rights organization is founded by Henry Gerber in Chicago.

Watch

Stonewall Uprising | Clip
An Uprising, Not a Riot

Reflections on the Stonewall Uprising.
Casa Susanna | Clip
(Trans)formation: The Story of Christine Jorgensen

Christine Jorgensen was one of the first people to successfully undergo gender affirmation surgery.
Casa Susanna | Clip
Transcending Media

Director and co-producer of the ground breaking Netflix Documentary DISCLOSURE Sam Feder and director of the Transgender Media Lab and Transgender Media Portal Laura Horak speak with activist, author and media strategist Raquel Willis about the history and effects of transgender representation in media.
Casa Susanna | Digital Short
The Tea on Drag

What exactly is Drag? How did it find its way into the limelight?

Read

Casa Susanna | Article
We Were Never Meant to See this Photograph

An amazing flea market find reveals the scene at Casa Susana—a safe haven for transgender women and crossdressing men.
The Vote | Article
Carrie & Mollie & Anna & Lucy

Queering the Women’s Suffrage Movement.
Article
Gathering History: The Digital Transgender Archive

People who research and write about transgender issues often face the challenge of finding primary sources. The Digital Transgender Archive seeks to change that.
Stonewall Uprising | Article
Who was at Stonewall?

Participants of the 1969 Greenwich Village uprising describe the effect that Stonewall had on their lives.
Casa Susanna | Article
There Was an Underground Magazine for Transgender Women in the 1960s

Transvestia's archives provide a window onto a hidden world.
McCarthy | Article
The Persecution of My Father

An American diplomat’s son remembers an idyllic childhood in 1950s Paris that abruptly came to an end.