Since at least the 1940s, two Fire Island hamlets—Cherry Grove and The Pines—have been known as safe havens for the LGBTQ community. Visitors are welcomed to the island by two enormous flags flapping fiercely in the breeze: one rainbow, and one traditional stars-and-stripes. Tame, white-tailed deer far outnumber the year-round residents (about 15), but in the summer the population of Cherry Grove swells to 2,000.

At 1:20 a.m. on June 28, 1969, eight police officers raided the Stonewall Inn, which, at the time, was the largest gay establishment in the U.S. Pennies, bottles, and bricks were thrown—everything inside of the Stonewall had been destroyed, but a movement was born. Over the years the space has been host to a bagel sandwich shop, a Chinese restaurant, and a shoe store. The bar reopened in 2007 under new management and hosts drag shows, trivia nights, karaoke, bingo, and private parties.

Operating as a bar in New York City's West Village since the late 1800s, Julius' was a popular speakeasy during Prohibition and began to attract members of the LGBTQ community in the 1950s. Three years before the Stonewall riots, on April 21, 1966, four activists staged a "sip in" at Julius' to draw attention to New York State's regulation prohibiting bars and restaurants from serving homosexuals.

Alice Austen, born in 1866, was one of the first female photographers in the U.S. to work outside of a studio. For 53 years, Austen was in a committed relationship with Gertrude Tate, and the two of them lived together in what is now the Alice Austen House Museum for 30 of those years. The photographer was known as a rebel who went against the expectations of women during the Victorian era, and her work provides a rare glimpse into lesbian relationships in the late 1800s.

Historic Congressional Cemetery was the first national burying ground in the U.S.—predating Arlington by at least 50 years. The cemetery's "gay corner" comprises the graves of more than 30 LGBTQ veterans and activists including Frank Kameny, Barbara Gittings, and Leonard Matlovich.

Celebrate the life and art of Pittsburgh-born pop art icon Andy Warhol. He’s so iconic that the Andy Warhol Museum is the largest museum in the U.S. dedicated to a single artist. A popular gay figure in the 1960s, ‘70s, and ‘80s, Warhol’s work attracted the likes of Hollywood celebrities and socialites. View a live feed of his gravesite (and the Campbell’s soup cans left by fans) or take an artist-led tour.

Not for the overly modest, Chicago’s Leather Archives & Museum is dedicated to leather, fetish, and BDSM history and culture. Chuck Renslow and Tony DeBlase, two icons in the Chicago gay community, founded the museum in 1991 as a way to preserve items relevant to the leather and kink scene. Many of these artifacts were lost during the AIDS crisis, and the museum plays a big role in safekeeping this important part of LGBTQ history.

June 5, 2021, marked 40 years since the first cases of AIDS were reported in the U.S. The National AIDS Memorial Grove in San Francisco's Golden Gate Park started as a way to honor the lives lost to the pandemic (more than 700,000 to date in the U.S.), and it continues to offer healing to survivors and fight against stigma and hate.

This plaza at the Castro Muni Metro subway station commemorates Harvey Milk, San Francisco community activist and the first openly gay elected official in California. Milk moved to the Castro neighborhood in the 1970s and only served 11 months in office (passing anti-discrimination legislation) before he was assassinated at City Hall on November 27, 1978.

Located in the heart of San Diego, Hillcrest is known as the center of the city’s LGBTQ scene. Packed with gay and lesbian bars, renowned restaurants, and cute boutiques, this vibrant neighborhood is also home to a weekly farmer’s market and one of the largest Pride parades in the country. The 30-foot Hillcrest Pride Flag is permanently welcoming everyone—no exceptions—to the neighborhood at the corner of University Avenue and Normal Street.