LGBTQ – The UncommonWealth

George Green: A Self-Made Man

"He is a woman!” The voices of James McLaughlin, Jesse Barnes, and R.J Hardy rang out on March 21, 1902 in Ettrick, Virginia.1 Close friends…

Casey ClaubergApril 2, 2025

Manuscripts & Special Collections Newspapers Virginia Authors

“Authors of all four sexes:” Hunter Stagg, The Reviewer, and Richmond’s Literary Renaissance

A new pop-up exhibit near the circulation desk at the Library of Virginia looks at the hidden history of LGBTQ+ Virginia 100 years ago. One…

Anne McCreryNovember 22, 2023

Education & Programming Newspapers

“For love and for life, we’re not going back”: LGBTQ+ History Month

"For Love and For Life, We’re Not Going Back.” These words appeared as the banner heading in the October 1987 issue of Richmond Pride above…

Mary Ann Mason, They/ThemSeptember 22, 2023

Thomas/in Hall: Subverting the Gender Binary in Colonial Virginia

Among Virginia’s earliest records is a court case describing the first known intersex person in British North America. In 1629, a servant known as Thomas…

Rebecca SchneiderApril 17, 2023

Archives Newspapers

Becoming Visible: Transgender History

Transgender Day of Visibility is a day of awareness. It is therefore, in the most literal sense, a call to be aware. Aware of the…

Mary Ann Mason, They/ThemMarch 31, 2023

Education & Programming Newspapers Virginia Authors

Preserving Queer History

As the Library of Virginia approaches its bicentennial next year, it is a good time to reflect on what collections the Library holds but also…

Library of VirginiaOctober 21, 2022

Dear Jonnie: The Correspondence of a Gay Couple in Virginia in the Roaring 20s.

The archives of the Library of Virginia contain a noteworthy collection of letters offering a rare glimpse into the lives of LGBTQ people a century…

Kenneth ForestAugust 1, 2022

Education & Programming

New Displays for June

If you have visited the Library of Virginia in recent months, you may have noticed several new exhibit cases on the building’s second floor. These…

Mary Dean CarterJune 8, 2018

The Mystic Chords of Memory: The Payne Family of Frederick County

It’s often repeated that “those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.”1 I’m starting to think I misunderstood that quote. It seems to…

Vince BrooksOctober 28, 2015