The Smithsonian’s collection of artifacts relating to the lives of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people is growing substantially with the addition of papers and items from important figures and events in LGBT history.
On August 19, the Smithsonian reported that they have received items from the groundbreaking television show Will and Grace, to add to their expanding collection. Donations given from the show include original scripts, political memorabilia focused on the show and a few props as reported by the Associated Press.
Along with items from Will and Grace, the Smithsonian also has the passports of the first openly gay U.S. ambassador confirmed by Senate, Ambassador David Huebner and photographs taken by photography Silvia Ros. Many of the pictures donated by Ros were taken at the National Equality March in October 2009 and according to The Miami Herald, they contain photos of notable people such as Janice Langbehn, who fought for the hospital visitation rights of same-sex couples and many others.
Katherine Ott, a curator, spoke of the increasing collection of LGBT items at the Smithsonian, saying according to the Associated Press that, “There have always been gender non-conforming people in the U.S., and we’ve made contributions and lived life since the beginning of the country. It’s not talked about and analyzed and understood in the critical ways in which it should be. So for us to build the collection means we can more fully document the history of this country.”