Preservation Connecticut Awarded Grant to Identify and Preserve Historic LGBTQ+ Places
A $25,000 grant to Preservation Connecticut awarded by Connecticut Humanities as part of its America 250 | CT program will enable the first comprehensive effort to identify, commemorate, and preserve historic sites associated with Connecticut’s LGBTQ+ community.
The funds will be used to embark on a statewide effort to research, identify, catalog, and contextualize the historic sites, buildings, and landscapes associated with the historical contributions and experiences of Connecticut’s LGBTQ+ citizens, and it will be among the few projects of its kind nationwide. Preservation Connecticut is committed to preserving sites associated with the diverse populations of our state, but preservationists at large have failed to do so, not just for the LGBTQ+ population, but for indigenous, ethnic, and other marginalized groups as well. This project is the first step in addressing those failures and omissions. As preservationists, we know that documentation is the most important vehicle for understanding, interpreting, and eventually preserving historic sites; we cannot preserve what we do not know is historically valuable.
We also know we couldn’t and shouldn’t do this alone. Last year, Preservation Connecticut convened an open LGBTQ+ roundtable discussion, which brought together scholars, humanities professionals, community activists, and partner organizations from across the state to discuss the merits of developing the project into a more comprehensive survey. That meeting led to the formation of our LGBTQ+ Project Advisory Board to guide the project forward. The Advisory Board, which held its first formal meeting in October 2025, is composed of subject matter experts, public humanities professionals, activists, and community members from across the state. The Advisory Board’s charge is to provide general guidance for the project, provide academic oversight, and foster additional collaborative efforts. Chair of the LGBTQ+ Advisory Board, William Mann, says, “The generous and timely support of Connecticut Humanities for Preservation Connecticut’s initiative to identify historic LGBTQ sites around the state will help ensure that this rich history is not erased. This vital work discovers, documents, and preserves the stories of queer communities from the 18th century to today, recognizing the part they have played in the history of Connecticut.”
The product of this work will be a publicly accessible digital map and a linked oral history archive that will commemorate the contributions of LGBTQ+ citizens to Connecticut history. Jane Montanaro, Executive Director of Preservation Connecticut, says “Preservation Connecticut is grateful to Connecticut Humanities for their generous support for this project which will bring the community together to identify sites associated with the LGBTQ+ community. This important work will highlight the stories of LGBTQ+ people and link them to the places that shaped the history of our state. We celebrate this history and want others to join us in making sure it is not forgotten.”
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About Connecticut Humanities
Connecticut Humanities (CTH) is an independent, nonprofit affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities. CTH connects people to the humanities through grants, partnerships, and collaborative programs. CTH projects, administration, and program development are supported by state and federal matching funds, community foundations and gifts from private sources. Learn more by visiting cthumanities.org.