OUTWORDS has collaborated with The Santa Monica History Museum for Coming Out West: LGBTQ+ Elders Share Their Stories, a joint exhibition opening on June 1, 2023 in celebration of Pride. The exhibit will include oral histories, images, art, and ephemera from OUTWORDS interviewees with ties to Los Angeles and the Santa Monica Bay Area:
- Judy Abdo, former Santa Monica city councilperson and one of the nation’s first out lesbian mayors
- Don Bachardy, renowned portraitist, and longtime partner of author Christopher Isherwood
- Terri de la Peña, celebrated Chicana author and descendant of one of Santa Monica’s oldest familiesa
- Marianne Diaz, community mental health activist, educator, and civic leader; founder, Clean Slate
- L. Frank, Tongva-Ajachmem artist, writer, activist, and tribal scholar
- Jewel Thais-Williams, proprietor of the world-famous queer nightclub Jewel’s Catch One
- Chuck Williams, founder and namesake of the venerated Williams Institute at UCLA School of Law, who sadly passed away on April 12
- Mia Yamamoto, Harvey Milk Legacy Award-winning lawyer, and transgender rights activist
The exhibition will run June 1-December 17 at the Santa Monica History Museum, 1350 7th Street in Santa Monica. More information at santamonicahistory.org.