The LGBT Historic World, Mapped

With the Supreme Court's historic decision today legalizing same-sex marriage nationally and the 46th anniversary of the Stonewall Riots this weekend, it seems a perfect time to look back at the history of the LGBTQ rights movements. It is true that we have a long way to go, but today let's reflect on how far we've come. And when I say "we," I do mean everyone, not just cisgender same-sex couples concerned with marriage. Some movements have advanced faster than others, but we have all advanced.

Last night, the free LGBTQ history app, Quist, released an historic 2.0 version. We have put together an unprecedented digital map of the LGBTQ/AIDS historic world.

In the app on Apple and Android devices (and soon for Windows phones), users can now select "Browse by Location" fromt top right right menu button. A Google map that is zoomed out a bit above your current location (if you allow us to know your location) will appear.

There are five types of locations on this supermap:

means that something related to LGBTQ/HIV history happened at this location. It could be the site of a protest, wedding, murder, etc. Places like parliaments have multiple related events. For our U.S. historic places, many are from a partnership with the U.S. National Park Service LGBTQ Heritage Initiative , who shared their research with us. There are already over 300 of these on the map and we add many more every day.

is for a museum related specifically to the history of sexuality or has another connection to LGBTQ/HIV history. You'll find erotic art museums, the Georgia O'Keeffe Museum, the World AIDS Museum and over 20 more.

represents an archives location. Most are stand-alone LGBTQ archives but there are also notable university collections, LGBTQ libraries, and a few AIDS-related archives. There are around 50 of these so far.

is for a LGBTQ monument or memorial. This could be a pink triangle memorial plaque or a statue of a LGBTQ person, for example. There are about 60 of these on the map to start.

means that an AIDS memorial is at the location. There are about 120 of these in the world and we partnered with AIDSmemorial.info who provided us with the locations, images, and descriptions of each one.

When you click on an icon, you'll see a pop-up like the one below. It will either show you a description or related historical events we have in the original section of the app.

When you tap on the hyperlinked name of the location, you'll come to the location's full page with reference, related Quist events, description, and more.

When you tap on the top image banner, you'll to see the full photo with the credit information and caption.

Have fun exploring! Get the free app here.