The Living Archive Honors
Witness QHB’s mission to document, preserve, and share Boston’s LGBTQ+ history live and in action at this annual award ceremony and brunch!
Get your tickets for Saturday, September 26th, 2026!
QHB invites you to The Living Archive Honors — the next chapter of what was formerly the History Maker Awards, now expanded into a five-award celebration honoring the LGBTQ+ individuals and organizations who shape our region's past, present, and future.
At the Living Archive Honors, QHB presents five awards:
The History Maker Award to Michael Bronski
The History Project Award to Susan Fleischmann
The Queer Commonwealth Award to Jacque's Cabaret
The Lavender Rhino Award to Justice Roe Williams
The Lavender Laureate Award to Candace Nguyen
Event Details
▷ Crystal Ballroom, 55 Davis Square, Somerville, MA, 02144
▷ Saturday, September 26, 2026
▷ Doors at 11:00 AM | Brunch 11:00 AM–12:00 PM | Ceremony 12:00–1:30 PM | Mingling until 2:00 PM
▷ Attire: Daytime glamour is encouraged; but come as you are, baby!
While The Living Archive Honors is a fundraiser for QHB, it's also a community event — and cost shouldn't be a barrier to being there. If you're not able to afford a ticket, please email info@queerhistoryboston.org. If you're able to pay it forward, consider getting a supporter ticket to help make that possible for others. Thank you.
Introducing the five awards + AWARDEES
The History Maker Award
The History Maker Award is Queer History Boston's highest honor, presented annually to a living legend whose life and work have left an indelible mark on LGBTQ+ history in Boston and New England. This lifetime achievement recognition celebrates someone whose contributions — whether through activism, community building, public service, or cultural leadership — have shaped the world that queer Bostonians inhabit today.
A History Maker is not simply someone who witnessed history; they are someone who made it.
Michael Bronski has been active in gay liberation as a political organizer, writer, publisher and theorist since 1969. He is the author of numerous award wining books including “A Queer History of the United States." He is Professor of the Practice in Activism and Media in the Studies of Women, Gender and Sexuality at Harvard University.
The History Project Award
The History Project Award honors the essential, often unsung work of preserving and transmitting LGBTQ+ history for future generations. Presented in recognition of Queer History Boston's origins as The History Project, this award may recognize an archivist, historian, educator, or archives materials donor whose contributions — whether a groundbreaking research project, a lifetime of teaching, or a significant gift of records to QHB's collections — have ensured that queer stories survive and are shared.
History doesn't preserve itself; this award honors the people who make sure it gets done.
Susan Fleischmann is a photographer who has spent decades photographing countless demonstrations, rallies, and cultural events in Boston. Retired now, she is reliving her youth by digitizing her negatives and slides; many of which are housed at QHB!
The Queer Commonwealth Award
The Queer Commonwealth Award honors an organization, venue, publication, or business that has served as a gathering place — literal or figurative — for the greater good of Boston's LGBTQ+ community. This award recognizes the institutions that have created meaningful space for our community to find one another: the bars and community centers that offered belonging, the publications that gave us a shared voice, the organizations that brought us together to organize, celebrate, grieve, and persist.
The commons are what we build when we show up for each other.
Jacque’s Cabaret is the oldest continuously operating queer bar in Boston, Massachusetts. Jacques is widely known for its nightly drag shows and live cabaret, drawing performers and audiences across generations.
88 years later, all roads still lead to Jacque’s Cabaret!
The Lavender Rhino Award
The Lavender Rhino Award is a community nominated award that honors a contemporary advocate whose tireless work advances LGBTQ+ rights, visibility, and justice in our community today. Named for the symbol of queer resistance that appeared on the streets of Boston in 1974, this award recognizes someone who is actively in the fight — organizing, agitating, representing, and refusing to be ignored.
The Lavender Rhino looks forward, celebrating the person who is writing the next chapter of our history right now.
~coach justice (he/him) is a Black trans healer, writer, and nationally recognized social justice leader, writer, and fitness coach based in Boston. He facilitates healing circles rooted in Indigenous and restorative traditions, bringing LGBTQIA2S+ people together across generations.
The Lavender Laureate Award
The Lavender Laureate Award is a community nominated award presented to an artist whose creative work reflects, preserves, or advances LGBTQ+ culture and community in Boston. From visual artists and writers to performers, drag artists, and musicians, this award celebrates the full spectrum of queer creative expression — and recognizes that art is itself a form of historical record.
The Lavender Laureate's work bears witness to and captures the spirit of Boston’s LGBTQ+ community.
Candace Nguyen (she/her) is a Vietnamese Trans woman who is a Boston local. Candace is widely known for her drag persona, Candace Persuasian. She was also featured in Beyoncé’s Renaissance Film after a viral moment holding a “Trans is Beautiful” sign garnering international attention.
