Out of the closet and into the archive
The U of M’s Tretter Collection houses decades of LGBTQIA+ history

The Jean-Nickolaus Tretter Collection in Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender Studies at the University of Minnesota is the largest archive dedicated to LGBTQIA+ history in the upper Midwest. It includes books, zines, pamphlets, and a wide variety of artifacts and ephemera such as banners, T-shirts, posters, and buttons. 

Although national and international in scope, the collection is especially strong in documenting the history of LGBTQIA+ people, organizations, and communities in the Twin Cities area. 

We spoke with curator Aiden Bettine to learn more about the significance of the archive and bring you a gallery of buttons from the collection that provide a glimpse into the history of the LGBTQIA+ community.

On the importance of the collection to the LGBTQIA+ community: 
It gives younger folks in the LGBTQIA+ community reflections of themselves in history. And for elders in the community, it’s amazing to see that their lives matter to other people.  

How the collection puts LGBTQIA+ issues in a historical context: 
I’ve had undergraduate classes come in, high school classes come in, younger people who are newly out … There's so much awe and disbelief in the ways that the broader LGBTQIA+ community has found ways to survive and exist and make space for each other, historically. I think all of our collected material evidences that—the fact that LGBTQIA+ folks have been able to live their lives for decades.

Why the Tretter Collection is for everyone: 
Of course the LGBTQIA+ community is at the center and core of what we do, but we have an incredible treasure trove of local history—about buildings and organizations and businesses, and groups that have been part of the city—that have supported and bolstered this progressive [Twin Cities] community that we’re a part of.

Support the archive by making a gift to the Jean-Nickolaus Tretter Collection Fund.

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