There are extensive absences and distortions in queer and trans representation across human history; to rectify this injustice, we take seriously our social, ethical, and legal obligations to meticulously preserve our collections for research, education, and community use. 

Our role as historical custodian requires us to document expansively and share widely our history with honesty, accuracy, and professional rigor.

Queer history cannot be tidied or flattened into a single tone, identity, or political trajectory; it holds sorrow and joy, rage and love, conflict and kinship, sex and romance, assimilation and liberation, progress and backlash, struggle and celebration, and everything in between and beyond. 

We uplift the multiplicity and fluidity of experiences through which LGBTQ+ people have creatively navigated visibility, safety, stigma, and belonging. 

Community archives exist outside of traditional institutions in order to create a history by and for the people they serve; we are collaborative in our practices and programming with peer and partner organizations, volunteers, and supporters. 

We value mutual learning with those we work alongside, including queer/trans history lovers, community historians, and archivists; professional and nonprofessional alike.

Race, class, age, ability, sexual orientation, gender identity, and more all shape Boston’s LGBTQ+ history; to ensure our work advances collective liberation, we embrace diversity and use intersectional analysis to foster solidarity and challenge systemic oppression through our collections, programs, and public actions.

We support everyday community members, activists, and organizations in finding, understanding, and using their own history to take action.