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Looking Back at our 2021 Favorites

2021 HistoryMaker Honoree John Ward (second from left) with Jeanne Bisson, Lisa Bisson, Ken Brooks, and Jim Ellis.

As 2021 comes to an end, we’re looking back at our favorite things. Our full list is below, but first, we have to thank you for supporting our work in 2021 - we couldn't have done it without you! To expand our programming, outreach, and collecting in 2022, we need your help. Please click here to make a donation today!

Our 2021 favorites (in no particular order!):

  • Editing Wikipedia | Together we added 20.8k words, 210 references, and edited 55 articles on Wikipedia during our Trans Awareness Month and Women’s History Month Edit-a-thons. We even published a page about Reverend Magora Kennedy!
  • The Only Wonderful Things | Melissa J. Homestead, author of The Only Wonderful Things, a new book about the creative partnership of Willa Cather and Edith Lewis, spoke with us last April. We’re excited to read Homestead’s take on lesbian life in the early 20th century. 
  • HistoryMaker Awards | Our 12th HistoryMaker Awards event, celebrating 2021 HistoryMaker John Ward, and 2021 Lavender Rhino honoree Tre’Andre Valentine, was notable for many reasons; John Ward’s emotional speech touched on the need to come out over and over again in the 1970s, in both his personal and professional lives; and the Awards marked our first return to an in-person event (well, a hybrid event) since the beginning of 2020. 
  • LGBTQ+ Immigration and Migration | This panel discussion, which looked at the long history of LGBTQ migration, immigration, and asylum from academic, legal, and community standpoints (with a focus on Massachusetts), was by turns enlightening, infuriating, and inspiring. 

With our deepest thanks to our partners, collaborators, and community who came together to share our LGBTQ+ past. See you in 2022! Happy New Year!

Click here to make a donation to make LGBTQ+ history in 2022!

Banner image of 2021 HistoryMaker Honoree John Ward (second from left) with Jeanne Bisson, Lisa Bisson, Ken Brooks, and Jim Ellis.

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