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  1. Historic Columbia
  2. Research
  3. LGBTQ Columbia History Initiative

LGBTQ Columbia History Initiative

Description

Historic Columbia is committed to telling the stories of all Columbians and linking contemporary audiences with Columbia and Richland County’s diverse and complex past. In 2019, we partnered with the Queer Cola Oral History & Digital Archive Project and the Harriet Hancock LGBT Center to begin planning a comprehensive project documenting the often unseen and untold stories of LGBTQ+ life in the Midlands. Two years later, thanks to seed money from the National Trust for Historic Preservation, grant funding from SC Humanities, and many sponsors, HC has expanded its Connecting Communities through History Platform to include the history of the LGBTQ+ community. 

This interactive project documents the often unseen and untold stories of the LGBTQ+ community through the creation and dissemination of oral histories, historic site interpretation, and digitizing archival collections.

Historic Columbia remains committed to expanding the LGBTQ Columbia Oral History collection. If you would like to recommend someone for an interview, donate to help fund transcriptions, or request a presentation, contact Katharine Allen. 
 

View Project Website
 

In Partnership With

Project Deliverables

Archival Processing and Preservation
Long-form Essays (StoryMaps)
Oral Histories
Presentations/Workshops Available
Site-based Interpretation

Project Images

  • Gay and Lesbian Pride March, 1991. (The State Newspaper Photograph Archive, Richland Library)

  • USC's BGLA, 1993. (South Caroliniana Library, University of South Carolina, Columbia)

  • Miss Gay Columbia at McBee's, 1982. (The State Newspaper Photograph Archive, Richland Library)

Research Team

Katharine Allen

Director of Outreach & Engagement

Email

(803) 252-7742 ext. 37

Robin Waites

Eric Friendly

‹ Back to projects

Reach Out to the Research Team

Historic Columbia supports all members of our community through project-based partnerships with tangible deliverables. Have an idea but not sure what comes next? Get in touch with a member of our team today!

Contact Us
NTHP Preservation Award Winner
Historic Columbia

© 2025 Historic Columbia

Administrative Offices
1601 Richland Street
Columbia, SC 29201

Tours
All historic house and garden tours start at the Gift Shop at Robert Mills.
1616 Blanding Street
Columbia, SC 29201

Questions? Call (803) 252-7742.

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