If queer history were a whodunnit, its biggest mystery would be: Well, who framed it? The answer, thankfully, is a multitude of museums, archives, and galleries worldwide. These bastions of LGBTQ+ culture preserve our his/herstory and the works of our greatest queer artists – foiling all conservative plots to erase us from the past.

So, from Stonewall to Tom of Finland, these are our favorite museums and galleries around the world for queer culture vultures to visit on their travels.

Schwules Museum – Berlin (Germany)

Berlin is a bohemian paradise, having been a refuge for queer people as far back as the 1920s. Therefore, it should come as no surprise that it houses the first-ever museum in the world dedicated to LGBTQ+ history.

Opened in 1985, the Schwules Museum unearths the hidden narratives of LGBTQ+ lives through art, photography, and archives. Past and present exhibitions include Lesbian Conspiracies, exploring lesbian subcultures; Queering the Crip, Cripping the Queer, addressing disability and queerness; Rainbow Arcade, documenting LGBTQ+ gaming history; and 100 Objects: An Archive of Feelings, telling queer stories through artifacts.

One of the most cutting-edge museums in the world, the Schwules Museum remains the true daddy of queer museums!

Leather Archives & Museum – Chicago (US)

Speaking of daddies, the leather and kink community has always been a fundamental part of the LGBTQ+ world. Chicago’s Leather Archives & Museum (LA&M) pays tribute to all things kink and most definitely isn’t your average gift shop experience! Its exhibitions feature rare artifacts, vintage BDSM gear, iconic photographs, and personal stories from the leather and fetish communities.

Permanent displays like the Dungeon Exhibit immerse visitors in the aesthetics of BDSM, while rotating exhibitions showcase erotic art, historic club memorabilia, and personal archives of kinky pioneers. What’s more, the museum doubles as a club, holding events like fetish film nights, kinky storytelling sessions, and leather nights.

Stonewall National Museum, Archives, & Library – Fort Lauderdale (US)

The Stonewall uprising of 1969 was the Big Bang of modern LGBTQ+ rights, and Fort Lauderdale’s Stonewall National Museum, Archives, & Library (SNMAL) ensures its legacy is never forgotten through an extensive collection of LGBTQ+ literature, artifacts, and historical documents.

As well as a rotating series of exhibitions, it houses a few permanent fixtures, including a Timeline of American LGBTQIA+ History, chronicling significant events and milestones in the LGBTQIA+ community, and the John C. Graves Library, one of the largest LGBTQIA+ lending libraries in the United States. The library holds over 28,000 volumes, including nearly 1,000 rare books, all related to LGBTQIA+ topics.

Queer Britain – London (UK)

London has always been on the gay pulse —just ask Oscar Wilde. So, it's surprising the city took so long for it to have a dedicated LGBTQ+ museum. Queer Britain in King’s Cross proves the value in being fashionably late though and as a newcomer to the cultural scene (established in 2022) it's already making waves with its dynamic exhibitions celebrating British queer icons, untold histories, and radical activism.

The museum's inaugural exhibition, We Are Queer Britain, marked the 50th anniversary of the UK's first Pride March and showcased a vibrant collection of voices, artifacts, and images from activism, art, culture, and social history. Recent exhibitions have included collaborations with community groups, such as We Are LGBTQIA+ ESEA, which celebrated the contributions and narratives of East and Southeast Asian LGBTQIA+ individuals.

Leslie-Lohman Museum of Art – New York (US)

Tucked away in Soho, New York City, the Leslie-Lohman Museum of Art is an iconic LGBTQIA+ institution. Founded in the 1960s and later becoming an official museum in 2011, its collection of queer art spans from underground erotica to contemporary masterpieces.

The brainchild of artists Charles Leslie and J. Frederic “Fritz” Lohman (thus the name), the museum has amassed a permanent collection of over 30,000 objects, including works by renowned artists such as Robert Mapplethorpe, Andy Warhol, and Catherine Opie. This extensive archive spans various mediums—painting, sculpture, photography, and more—showing that queer artists throughout history leave no canvas unpainted.

Australian Queer Archives – Melbourne (Australia)

Heading down under, Australian Queer Archives (formerly ALGA) offers an impressive collection of records, photos, and memorabilia, celebrating the rich history of LGBTQIA+ communities in Australia. Established in 1978 during the 4th National Homosexual Conference in Sydney, AQuA has amassed a collection exceeding 500,000 items, making it the most extensive repository of LGBTQIA+ materials in the country.

AQuA actively curates and collaborates on a rotating spectrum of exhibitions to showcase aspects of its collection and highlight significant moments in LGBTQIA+ history like in Serving in Silence? Australian LGBTI Military Service Since WWII, exploring the experiences of LGBTQIA+ individuals in the Australian military.

Tom of Finland Foundation – Los Angeles (US)

The iconic works of Tom of Finland are no doubt responsible for many a man’s discovered sexuality and his hyper-masculine drawings of leather-clad men are practically synonymous now with gay erotic art. His former home in Los Angeles now serves as a foundation and archive, holding the largest collection of his work, as well as exhibitions by LGBTQ+ artists who have followed Tom’s lead in pushing the boundaries of expression.

The foundation regularly hosts rotating exhibitions, artist residencies, and educational programs, fostering discussions on the importance of erotic expression in queer culture. Events like Life Drawing Sessions and the annual Tom of Finland Art & Culture Festival celebrate queer artistry across multiple mediums.

The Andy Warhol Museum – Pittsburgh (US)

Andy Warhol was not just a pop art genius; he was a trailblazer of queer visibility. The Andy Warhol Museum in Pittsburgh is a love letter to him and the largest museum dedicated to a single artist in the US.

Spread across seven floors, the museum houses an extensive collection of Warhol’s iconic works, including Campbell’s Soup Cans, Marilyn Monroe prints, his many drag queen sketches, and experimental films like Sleep and Empire. For a deeper look into his beautiful psyche, the museum also holds personal archives, rare sketches, interactive exhibits, and Warhol’s Time Capsules—a series of over 600 boxes filled with personal artifacts.

Dalí Theatre-Museum – Figueres (Spain)

Was Salvador Dalí queer? The jury is still on that one, but he certainly had experiences with men. One thing is certain though—his work defied norms and gender expectations in a way that is unmistakably queer. The Dalí Theatre-Museum in Figueres is an immersive, surrealist wonderland that reflects the artist’s eccentric mind. Opened in 1974 and built on the ruins of a former theater, the museum was personally designed by Dalí and it shows because even the building is a work of bizzarity.

The inside doesn’t disappoint either as a labyrinth of spiral staircases, mirrored rooms, and immersive installations. It also holds the largest collection of Dalí’s works, including all sorts of weird and wonderful paintings, sculptures, and mechanical devices. A highlight of the museum is Dalí’s crypt, where the artist is buried beneath the stage, making it his final work of art.

Queer history isn’t just framed, it’s well hung and these museums prove that while the world tries to rewrite us, we’ll always have the receipts—and the exhibitionist streak needed to show them off with pride!

Feature image by Queer Britain,