LGBTQ+ people have always been part of Massachusetts’ history. Join Joan Ilacqua, Executive Director of The History Project, for a presentation and conversation exploring the history of LGBTQ+ people, community, organizing, and change in Massachusetts. Drawing on sources like court cases, diaries, letters, photographs, videos, oral histories, and more, Ilacqua will take you through over 400 years of history, from romantic friendships to Boston marriages, the gay liberation front to marriage equality and beyond - all in one hour!

The History Project is Boston's LGBTQ+ community archives. A non-profit established in 1980, The History Project documents, preserves, and shares the history and stories of Massachusetts' LGBTQ+ community.

Joan Ilacqua is the Executive Director of The History Project, Boston's LGBTQ+ community archives. She currently serves on the Massachusetts State Historic Records Advisory Board. She is a graduate of UMass Boston’s Public History master’s program. In her free time, Joan likes to read queer romance novels with her wife and cats and design subversive cross-stitch patterns.

Zoom Registration: HERE

This event is a collaboration between Burlington, Bigelow (Clinton), Memorial Hall (Andover), and Reading Public Libraries.