San Francisco
— A groundbreaking conference set for June 16–18 in San Francisco will gather researchers, educators and community organizers from across the United States and beyond to showcase new directions in the histories of same-sex sexuality, transgender identities and gender nonconformity. The 2019 Queer History Conference, the first national conference of the Committee on LGBT History, an affiliate society of the American Historical Association, will survey the LGBTQ past across more than 500 years.
“QHC 19 will provide a fascinating window into the ways LGBTQ people lived in the past — not only the persecution they experienced, but also the ways they survived, fought back and found pleasure, companionship and love,” said conference co-chair Amy Sueyoshi, dean of the College of Ethnic Studies at San Francisco State University. “Presenters will discuss and debate the significance of our intimate, at times scandalous and often scintillating history in diverse communities in the United States and around the world.”
The conference is co-hosted by the GLBT Historical Society, an internationally renowned public history institution based in San Francisco. "We’re delighted to work with the Committee on LGBT History to bring queer historians and enthusiasts together,” said Terry Beswick, executive director of the society. “By engendering collaboration and fellowship as well as information-sharing, this conference will help ensure our queer past has a promising future."
According to conference co-chair Nick Syrett, professor of women, gender and sexuality studies at the University of Kansas, QHC 19 will welcome not only university and public historians, but also teachers, artists, activists and members of the public who are interested in learning about the LGBTQ past.
“There will be nearly 200 scholars making presentations on a wide range of topics,” Syrett said. “While many of them will be talking about their research, we also have panels dedicated to both digital and traditional archives, teaching queer history at the K–12 level and public history projects. Even the more academic panels will be accessible to the general public. We’re eager to share the LGBTQ past with as many people as possible.”
Most of the events for QHC 19 take place on the campus of SFSU. For more information, to see the full schedule of sessions and events, and to register, visit the conference web page at https://ethnicstudies.sfsu.edu/content/qhc19.
