LGBTQIA+ Issues in Records at the National Archives
Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Pansexual, Transgender, Genderqueer, Queer, Questioning, Intersex, Agender, Asexual, Ally, and other queer-identifying community records
The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) engages, educates, and inspires multiple audiences to discover and explore the records of the American people.
Its collection documents the experience of the full range of our diverse society, with records that constitute a rich documentary history of the experience of LGBTQIA+ individuals.
What are you researching?
Federal Employment
National Archives documents show that LGBTQIA+ Americans have served in the federal civil service at least since the Civil War.
By the 1950s, in the political and social climate of the Cold War, hundreds of homosexual people were fired from or refused federal jobs during what is known as the "Lavender Scare."
This policy was not overturned until the mid-1970s.
Military
Members of the LGBTQIA+ community have served in the U.S. armed forces from the American Revolution to the present day.
The National Archives holds thousands of pages of documents related to U.S. policy towards members of the LGBTQIA+ community in the military.
Protest and Reform
From Frank Kameny to the Stonewall riots to Harvey Milk to same-sex marriage, the LGBTQIA+ community has spent decades struggling for equal protection rights.
These efforts can be found in a range of records at the National Archives, including Presidential records, legislative records, and records of federal courts and federal agencies.
LGBTQ+ Pride Month
Every June, the National Archives celebrates LGBTQ+ Pride Month.
Additional resources relating to the LGBTQIA+ community and the National Archives can be found at the LGBTQ+ Pride Month page.
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