Preservation Connecticut Advances Comprehensive LGBTQ+ Initiative

Preservation Connecticut’s LGBTQ+ Historic Places Project – the first comprehensive effort to identify, commemorate, and preserve historic sites associated with the State’s LGBTQ+ community – will be hosting a fundraiser, along with Connecticut Landmarks, to support the statewide initiative.  The event is being held at the Palmer-Warner House, 307 Town Street, East Haddam, on Thursday, June 18. 

As the Preservation Connecticut website explains, “Connecticut’s history is a complex tapestry woven from diverse threads—including Indigenous culture, religion, colonial settlement, industrial advancement, and ethnic heritage. Interwoven through all of these are LGBTQ+ stories of resilience, innovation, and the pursuit of equality that transcend the traditional boundaries of class, race, ethnicity, and religion. The significant contributions of our state’s LGBTQ+ population on the broad patterns of our economic, social, and cultural history, warrant attention from historians and historic preservationists.”

Individuals with knowledge of LGBTQ+ sites of historic significance in Connecticut can register them with Preservation Connecticut by filling out the form on the organization’s website here.

The mission of Preservation Connecticut is to “enhance and sustain the culture and vitality of Connecticut’s varied communities by preserving, protecting, and promoting historic places which embody the stories of our shared past and enrich our shared future.”  The organization’s mission statement notes that “The historic places we choose to preserve speak to our identity and reflect our values as a society.”

Historic preservation is described as “a multifaceted field that conserves and protects structures, sites, and artifacts that have significant historical, cultural, or architectural value.  But it’s about much more than just saving buildings from the past. At its heart, historic preservation is about people,” the Preservation Connecticut website explains.

Regarding the LGBTQ+ initiative, the website explains that “Despite the increasing recognition of the role that LGBTQ+ people played in history, historic preservation’s attention to LGBTQ+ sites is only at a nascent stage. This project builds upon the recent growth in LGBTQ+ scholarship by identifying physical sites related to LGBTQ+ citizens and by expanding the significance of already recognized historic sites to include LGBTQ+ stories.

An analysis of these sites’ histories can teach us a great deal about the development of LGBTQ+ culture and its relationship with broader society over time. Many sites, such as bookstores and other welcoming businesses, offered anonymity and safe places for freedom of expression and identity. Others, such as the Connecticut State Capitol, represent the growing political power of an LGBTQ+ Rights movement in Connecticut and nationwide.”

Support for Connecticut LGBTQ+ Historic Places Survey is provided by CT Humanities as part of its America 250 | CT program.