The foundation of the Boston LGBTQ+ Museum emerged from a vision to address the significant lack of LGBTQ+ representation in museums and cultural spaces. This idea was first tested in partnership with Museum of Science Boston, through Rainbow Tales: a live storytelling and speaker series that amplified LGBTQ+ voices in history, science, and culture.
Another foundational initiative of the Museum was the first edition of Portraits of Pride in 2022. Portraits of Pride is a large-scale public art installation featuring 10-foot-tall, commissioned portraits of LGBTQ+ leaders, activists, and executives, that makes queerness more visible in Boston’s public and cultural landscape.
These projects underscored the critical need for a dedicated space that not only preserves LGBTQ+ history but also fosters dialogue, education, and artistic expression. The Boston LGBTQ+ Museum was created to fill a gap, to celebrate the diversity of LGBTQ+ experiences and establishing a lasting institution where queer stories are at the forefront of cultural storytelling.
