This statement helps identify sites that could be helpful in documenting the city’s LGBTQ+ history, said Feuss.

“Otherwise, that history might get swept under the rug,” Feuss said. “We’ve seen a lot of buildings get demolished over the city’s history, and this would help identify those sites.”

The project has documented more than 100 pages of history. It’s research is as early as pre-1940, with photos and documentations of Two-Spirit expression within local Native American tribes. It also includes information on topics like the LGBTQ+ history during the American West, World War II and Shifting Gender Norms, the rise in Cruising and Gay Bar Culture, the history of Lavender Heights and Gay Liberation in Sacramento.

“History plays an important part in public education,” Torres Jr said. “Queer people, trans people, we all have existed for generations, for centuries, for millennia.”

Education is key for this project, said Torres Jr. The project will also support plaques and murals dedicated to LGBTQ+ history, and other grant opportunities for education opportunities in Sacramento, which could be in the form of local school curriculum or supporting museum grants.

With thoroughly documenting Sacramento’s history, it will also bolster a publicly accessible archive, Feuss said.

“We hope that it really just helps support and further the recognition of LGBTQ+ history in the city,” Feuss said.

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