Here’s How to See LGBTQ History and More at the Newseum in Washington D.C.

Washington, D.C.’s Newseum bills itself as the premiere interactive institution for documents and objects which chronicle free expression and our First Amendment Rights. Therefore it’s only fitting that they’re celebrating the 50th Anniversary of the birth of the Gay Liberation Movement with an exhibition called Rise Up: Stonewall and the LGBTQ Civil Rights Movement. According to museum representatives, the exhibition will “look at popular culture’s role in influencing attitudes about the LGBTQ community through film, television and music, and explore how the gay rights movement harnessed the power of public protest and demonstration to change laws and shatter stereotypes.”

A variety of media are brought into play to tell the story of the community’s extraordinary advances during the last half century. As the museum aims to be interactive, there will be something for every attendee (whether you’re more a reader, listener or viewer).

As a fun bonus, the Newseum is partnering with the Hamilton Hotel to present “The Newsroom: Rise Up” suite. The room was curated with the guidance of famed LGBTQ actor, author and activist Alan Cumming and will feature artifacts and materials related to the exhibition. You can even enter a contest for a chance to win a stay at the suite. newseum.org

Good News, and Bad

In addition to LGBTQ attractions, Newseum also houses a vast treasure trove of objects, film shorts and photographic exhibits which depict America’s journey since newspapering began in the colonies. At the entryway, you’ll see an actual chunk of the Berlin Wall, and the still-chill-inducing ghastly piece of metal artwork. That piece is the twisted wreckage of the radio tower from the World Trade Center in New York that came down on September 11, 2001.

You’ll see triumphs and tragedies aplenty depicted and reported everywhere. Moments of television comedy preserved for generations to come, the 1969 moon landing, the takeover of the Iranian embassy in Teheran and of course the assassinations that rocked the country along with the Vietnam War in the 1960s.

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