PHOTOS: A Wearable Revolution

Above: The Advocate
LGBT-interest magazine, printed bimonthly
Collection: Chris Gonzalez Library and Archives — Indianapolis

Doctoral student Eric Gonzaba’s digital history project, Wearing Gay History, has recently been awarded the 2016 National Council on Public History Student Project Award. Wearing Gay History is a free online educational digital archive of historical LGBT T-shirts and other textiles. The site currently hosts nearly 3,000 items from many LGBT archives and archival collections across the country, including from Indianapolis, Houston, Philadelphia, Minneapolis, Chicago, New York, San Francisco, San Antonio, and Washington, D.C.

The galleries have handy tags for searching by subjects. Some of the T shirts are heart-breaking. And if you are of a certain age, get a box of tissues before you look at the Bars & Nightclubs section. My entire life flashed before my eyes. And my liver.

You may have have your own category that takes you down memory lane, like Bisexuality or Pop Culture. This is an amazingly moving collection. 

Images of Bill Clinton and Al Gore with muscle bodies.
"Clinton/Gore '92"
Collection
GLBT Historical Society, San Francisco

"International Ms. Leather. March 26, 1988." 
Red print with graphic of a woman in leather and chains with wings in black on gray (short-sleeved)
Collection
James C. Hormel Gay & Lesbian Center--San Francisco

"Pomo Afros Homos Present Fierce Love: Stories from Black Gay Life"
Pomo Afro Homos (1990–1995), short for postmodern African American homosexuals, was an African-American gay theater troupe founded in San Francisco by choreographer-dancer Djola Bernard Branner, actor Brian Freeman, and singer, dancer, and actor Eric Gupton.

Collection
GLBT Historical Society, San Francisco

"Queer 'N Asian"
Collection: GLBT Historical Society, San Francisco

"Rainbow Cattle Co. Guerneville on the Russian River" 16220 Main St, Guerneville, CA 95446 

The 7th Michigan Womyn's Musical Festival 1982

Near Hart, Mich.
Collection
Gerber/Hart Library and Archives, Chicago

Front: Image of two human/animal hybrids. "ATB: At ihe Beach. 8th Annual Beach Party. 1996. Los Angeles. City Jungle"
Back: Damaged fabric. "Proud Sponsors: Anheuser-Busch. Brotherhood Crisis. Hollywood Spa. International Male. Jewel's Catch One. Watts Health Foundation, Inc.
Collection
In the Life Archive at Schomburg Center, New York City

"Badlands San Francisco"
4121 18th St, San Francisco, CA 94114
Collection
GLBT Historical Society, San Francisco

"Bisexuality: Best of Both Worlds
Back: "AC/DC"

This t-shirt is a part of Stephen Donaldson’s collection of well-worn T-shirts, which are hand-lettered and decorated with slogans and drawings, showing his penchant for frank public declarations regarding his sexuality. After being raped while under arrest in 1973, he became a counselor to male victims of sexual assault and spoke out publicly in a wide variety of forums on the issue of prisoner rape.
Collection
New York Public Library, Manuscripts and Archives Division

Red logo with bear image "Gay American Indians"
Collection
Jean-Nickolaus Tretter Collection. Minneapolis

"Advocate"

The Advocate is an American LGBT-interest magazine, printed bimonthly.
Collection
GLBT Historical Society, San Francisco

"Gay Asian Pacific Alliance"
Image of Godzilla and San Francisco building.
Collection: GLBT Historical Society, San Francisco

"Lesbian National Forest"
Collection
GLBT Historical Society, San Francisco 

"LGADDA. Lesbians & Gays of African Descent for Democratic Action" 
Yellow print with a pink triangle, overlaid with an Africa-shaped graphic in red, black, and green stripes, on black background (short-sleeved)
Collection
James C. Hormel Gay & Lesbian Center, San Francisco

"New Bell Saloon. San Francisco"
1203 Polk St., San Francisco, CA
Collection
GLBT Historical Society, San Francisco

"June 7-14 2009, Celebrating 1st Shanghai Pride" in both English and Chinese. Double male symbol.
BOB & BOB
Sleeve: Lelo Lust Objectified.
Back: Shanghai Pride 2009. BOB & BOBLelo Lust Objectified.
Collection
Jean-Nickolaus Tretter Collection, Minneapolis

"Sister Namibia Phenomenal Woman"
Sister Namibia is a feminist and women’s rights organzation located in Windhoek, Namibia. Since our establishment in 1989 we have been a constant voice for women and women’s equality throughout the lifespan of independent Namibia.
Collection
OutRight Action International Alumni LGBT Activist Collection
GLBT Historical Society, San Francisco

Image of a bird.
"The Leather Journal"

Leather/BDSM/Fetish Community Publication of Record, founded May 1987.
Collection
Gulf Coast Archive and Museum of GLBT History, Houston

Front: "The Lesbian Avengers. San Francisco. It's time for a fierce lesbian movement. We Recruit."
Back: "We are not waiting for the rapture, we are the apocalypse. We will be your dream and their nightmare."
Collection
GLBT Historical Society, San Francisco

Front: "The Brotherhood. Washington, DC. UHU. Us Heling Us People into Living." 
Back: "Healing Is a Natural Thing"

Us Helping Us, People Into Living Inc. (UHU) was founded in 1985 by Rainey Cheeks. UHU is "committed to improving the health and well-being of Black gay men through innovative programs and services"
Collection
In the Life Archive at Schomburg Center, New York City

Image of two stylized women "Vulva Riot"
a monthly cabaret of women performers
Collection
Jean-Nickolaus Tretter Collection, Minneapolis

W.A.R. Women Against Reagan
Collection
Jean-Nickolaus Tretter Collection, Minneapolis

"The Zuni Man-Woman"

Book by Will Roscoe that focuses on the life of We'wha (1849-1896), the Zuni who was perhaps the most famous berdache (an individual who combined the work and traits of both men and women) in American Indian history,
Collection
GLBT Historical Society, San Francisco

Tramp Nasty Bitch
The SARJ Guide
Collection
Chris Gonzalez Library and Archives, Indianapolis

Eric Gonzaba, a doctoral student in history at George Mason University, just outside of Washington, D,C., and the creator of WearingGayHistory.com.