4/11/2025
This week is National Library Week. At Gerber/Hart, we’ve been thinking about our role and mission as a LGBTQ+ library & archives. The past few months have brought a flood of anti-LGBTQ+ rhetoric and legislation. With the firing of the head of the National Archives, the removal of any reference to Transgender activism from the Stonewall National Monument, the dismantling of IMLS, the deletion of HIV related material from the CDC, and the cascade of attacks on DEI policies, we are increasingly reminded of how critically important our work is to protect LGBTQ+ history. Please know that the Gerber/Hart Library and Archives remains committed to our mission: collecting, preserving, and making LGBTQ+ history accessible to all. LGBTQ+ communities have always been here, we will always be here, and we will resist and fight any movement to erase us.
Archives are places where history is protected. They are especially important when people try to alter that history and gaslight us into believing the opposite. It is abhorrent how easily our highest archival authority at the national level was dismantled, threatening the integrity of our nation’s historic record. It is scary to see how quickly tangible records of our history are erased. We are grateful to community partners who have chosen to resist these policies. Our collections at Gerber/Hart are full of examples of people and organizations that have resisted erasure and hostility, from early drag performers to Queer Nation Chicago activists, lesbian publishers, transgender healthcare activists, and more.
It is more critical than ever that we defend our community’s access to information and services. We need to know that our families, our livelihoods, and our history are safe and secure from agents who harm us. As a non-profit organization, your support allows Gerber/Hart to be independent from politicians who wish us harm, from school boards and hate-groups who wish to ban our books, and from the online trolls who spread fear against us. Our mission extends to ALL of the Midwest – including many areas that do not enjoy the rights, protections, and independence that we have in Chicago. This regional history must be preserved, and Gerber/Hart is a safeguard for queer preservation – and a safe space for our communities.
Thank you for your support for Gerber/Hart and its mission at this critical time in our history.
The Staff and Board of Gerber/Hart Library & Archives
Erin Bell, Jen Dentel, and Michael Rashid
Elisabeth Bayley, Becky Chmielewski, James Conley, Chris Jensen, Jen Kelly, Craig A. Nadborne, Kevin Nunley, Mike Stent, and Matthew Toland