In October 1994, St. Louis, Mo., history teacher Rodney Wilson organized Gay and Lesbian History Month to coincide with National Coming Out Day (October 11). He was determined to build public school curriculum that was inclusive of gay, lesbian, bisexual, trans and queer+ individuals who contributed to history. Within a year, the National Education Association officially recognized October as a commemorative month. Despite repeated political attempts to erase LGBTQ+ history and living communities, this month remains important for recognizing the individuals, organizations, and places of LGBTQ+ history.
The City of Portland’s Historic Resources Program helps ensure places and spaces that are significant to Portland’s histories are protected. Our city’s LGBTQ+ history and its significant places are in the process of being protected through the program’s LGBTQ+ Historic Sites Project. With historic resource surveys, multiple National Register of Historic Places nominations, and a historic context statement, the project is documenting and preserving Portland’s LGBTQ+ history in order to combat demolition and erasure, while building a more inclusive preservation program.
Through engagement with community members, submissions to the project, and ongoing research, more than 400 Portland historic resources associated with LGBTQ+ history have been identified. These places and spaces reflect a range of time periods, events, people and areas of significance. A selection of resources, including some existing landmarks designated in the National Register of Historic Places, is highlighted below to uplift hidden and lesser-known histories in Portland’s built environment and showcase the diversity of places connected to Portland’s LGBTQ+ histories.
Portland State University
Portland State University has a long legacy of LGBTQ+ activism and organizing for queer history. In the 1970s, students formed Portland State Gay Liberation Front, later named Portland Gay Peoples Alliance. In 1973, these activists succeeded in organizing an accredited course teaching LGBTQ+ history and lives from local LGBTQ+ leaders. Years later, famed gay historian Allan Bérubé taught a history course inspiring Tom Cook, Pat Young, Jeanine Wicks, and Bonnie Tinker to form the Gay and Lesbian Archives of the Pacific Northwest as an organization focused on preserving local queer history.
Selling Building
Dr. J Allan Gilbert’s Selling Building office on SW Alder is a significant location for early transgender history. Between 1917-18, Alan Hart sought psycho-analytic examination and treatment, resulting in early medical transition care, from Dr. Gilbert.
Born in Kansas in 1890, Hart and his family relocated to Albany, Ore. He succeeded in academics, achieving the highest standing in all departments at the University of Oregon Medical School (now Oregon Health & Science University School of Medicine), and went on to graduate from University of Pennsylvania and Yale with Master’s degrees. In 1917, Gilbert spent unsuccessful months attempting to convert Hart’s gender and sexuality before they agreed on affirming care procedures that better aligned Hart’s identity and expression. Hart’s resulting hysterectomy, haircut, and new wardrobe is one of the earliest examples of medically affirming transformations for trans men in the United States. The Selling Building was designated as a National Register of Historic Places Landmark in 1991.
Read the Selling Building National Register of Historic Places Nomination.
Federal Building
On Feb. 28, 1989, the Portland, Seattle, and San Francisco chapters of AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power (ACT UP) participated in a rally, picket, and nonviolent civil disobedience at Portland’s Food and Drug Administration (FDA) office, located in the Federal Building at 511 NW Broadway. ACT UP, formed in New York City two years prior, held its first national demonstration against the FDA in October of 1988 to protest the agency’s refusal to release AIDS treatments and overall governmental ineffectiveness. ACT UP/Portland’s demonstration was intended to showcase the breadth of AIDS activism across the country, and 11 people were arrested. The Federal Building was designated a National Register of Historic Places landmark in 1979.
Read the US Post Office / Federal Building National Register of Historic Places Nomination.
Darcelle XV
Walter Cole Sr./Darcelle purchased Demas Tavern in 1967. Within two years, Cole’s developing drag persona of Darcelle organized drag shows and the rest is history― celebrated in the 2020 designation of Darcelle XV Showplace as Portland’s first LGBTQ+ National Register of Historic Places landmark. This designation marked a significant advancement for Portland’s Historic Preservation Program and the nation’s LGBTQ+ preservation movement as the first Oregon LGBTQ+ landmark. Thanks to the spearheading work of Don/Donnie Horn, Kristen Minor, and many other supporters, Darcelle XV Showplace’s designation provided the foundation for a citywide effort.
Read the Darcelle XV National Register of Historic Places Nomination.
Next steps
These resources are only a small fraction of the hundreds of places associated with Portland’s LGBTQ+ history. Community input of additional LGBTQ+ historic sites is crucial to continue learning, celebrating, and protecting Portland’s diverse built environment and history, especially as places illuminate and connect us to history. Be a part of Portland’s LGBTQ+ Historic Sites Project by sharing your memories through the project’s questionnaire.
To learn more, visit the project page or reach out to Cayla McGrail at cayla.mcgrail@portlandoregon.gov.