Our Queer History

Santa Clara Valley, once an agricultural hub, is now home to the tenth largest U.S. city, San Jose. From its bars and Imperial Courts, to fighting the Religious Right, to forming ethnic organizations, to battling HIV/AIDS, to fighting for marriage equality, San Jose’s rich history informs the greater LGBTQ+ movement in the United States. This is the story of a movement set in a traditional, heteronormative suburb.  Even without a central gathering place like Castro Street, or Greenwich Village, progress still happened. The archival documents, personal narratives, photographs, and videos found here tell that story.