Queer Heritage in Houston: Activism through Archival Practice

Keywords: activism, community archives, heritage, memory, Houston, Queer, LGBTQ+
Abstract Type: Paper Abstract

Abstract

This paper highlights how the Heart of Leather Foundation contributes to social justice through community archives as a means of remembrance and empowerment. The Heart of Leather Foundation, formerly the Gulf Coast Archive and Museum of Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual & Transgender History was formed by a group of queer community members to save their own history in the aftermath of the AIDS crisis. The museum has served Houston for 25 years, with no recognition or support from the city. The paper explores how community archives and museums serve as powerful tools of activism, resistance, and community building by preserving the histories, voices, and experiences of LGBTQ+ individuals. Unlike institutional archives, which often reflect dominant narratives, community archives empower people to reclaim their histories, challenge erasure, and assert control over their own stories. As sites of resistance, they disrupt exclusionary archival practices, fostering alternative ways of remembering the past, and contribute to strengthening social bonds by uniting communities around shared histories, fostering intergenerational dialogue, and creating spaces for collective empowerment.