One Institute

Founded in 1952, One Institute is the oldest active LGBTQ+ organization in the United States.

Founded in 1952, One Institute, formerly ONE Archives Foundation, is the oldest active LGBTQ+ organization in the United States, dedicated to telling LGBTQ+ history and stories through education, arts, and social justice programs. Our one-of-a-kind exhibitions and public programs connect LGBTQ+ history and contemporary culture to effect social change. Through unique K-12 teacher trainings, lesson

plans, and youth mentorship programs, we empower the next generation of teachers and students to bring q***r history into classrooms and communities. As the independent community partner of ONE Archives at the USC Libraries, we also help promote the largest collection of LGBTQ+ materials in the world. The curatorial and educational choices made by One Institute are guided by our commitment to social equity and justice. We engage with the complexity of LGBTQ+ history and representation through highlighting the intersectional narratives of Black, Indigenous, people of color (BIPOC), women, gender- nonconforming and transgender people, people of various abilities, youth, and elders across all socio-economic classes. Connect with us on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, TikTok, and Threads .

06/02/2026

We're grateful to everyone who joined us at the City of West Hollywood Government's 4th annual Harvey Milk Day celebration.

It was great to meet new folks, and see the incredible talent of everyone who participated in the José Sarria Drag Pageant! 👑 What a way to kick off Pride Month.

Let's keep the festivities going! We hope to see you at WeHo Pride on Saturday, June 6 and Sunday, June 7 at booth 82. 🌈 Later in the month, visit our booth at LA Pride on Sunday, June 14.

Photos provided courtesy of the City of West Hollywood. Photo credit: Jonathan Moore.

05/29/2026

Our lesson plans and professional development on HIV/AIDS history continue the legacy of affirming educators like Dr. Virginia Uribe, a science teacher who founded Project 10 in 1984. Eventually adopted at schools throughout Los Angeles and the nation, Project 10 was the first in-school support program for LGBTQ+ youth and promoted accurate HIV/AIDS education. Posters in Uribe’s classroom read: “AIDS: Suddenly S*x Has Become Very Dangerous” and “AIDS is spread by blood, semen, & ignorance!!”

Are you a K-12 teacher passionate about HIV/AIDS history? Apply for our Teacher Symposium, happening July 13-17. 📝Work with One Institute’s curriculum specialists, historic leaders in HIV/AIDS art and activism, and archivists from ONE Archives. Together, we will begin to develop new California standards-aligned lesson plans on HIV/AIDS histories, using primary sources from ONE Archives.

Participating teachers can earn up to $500 for a completed lesson plan. Applications are due at 11:59 PM on Sunday, June 14. Learn more at https://www.oneinstitute.org/july-13-17-2026-stories-teaching-hiv-aids-histories/

Image: Kent Garvey, “Project 10 founder Virginia Uribe and students at Fairfax High School,” Dec. 1987. Kent Garvey photographs, ONE Archives at the USC Libraries.

05/28/2026

Opening soon: "The Birthplace of Contemporary Drag" highlights the network of performers, musicians, filmmakers, club kids, and cultural agitators orbiting Atlanta’s underground performance scene in the late 1970s and 1980s. 🪩🌈📺 See selections from songwriter, DJ, and q***r historian Larry Tee's archive.

Visit the show June 5-7 and June 12-14 from 1-7 p.m. at One Gallery, West Hollywood. 🗓 Mark your calendar for an artist talk on June 12 at 7 p.m. Admission is free and open to the public!

The exhibition begins with "The American Music Show (TAMS)," the early 1980 Atlanta cable-access television program created by Dick Richards, Ted Rubenstein, and drag performer Betty Jack. Several TAMS regulars formed the band The Now Explosion, led by Larry Tee, which showcased the talents of Lahoma van Zandt, Lady Clare, Elouise Champagne Montague Mellencamp, and Lizette Quatro Christian. The band introduced RuPaul, Lady Bunny, Felicia, and Opal Foxx to the rock club stages.

This archive highlights drag as a collaborative ecosystem — one built through friendship, nightlife, improvisation, public-access television, underground music, regional q***r scenes, and communities determined to invent themselves in public.

Learn more at https://www.oneinstitute.org/june-5-14-2026-larry-tee-the-birthplace-of-contemporary-mainstream-drag/

05/27/2026

Pride season is almost here! 🌴🤩 Join One Institute for three fun-filled days at WeHo and LA Pride. 🌈 Stop by our booth to say hello and win some swag.

WeHo Pride is on Saturday, June 6 and Sunday, June 7.
LA Pride is on Sunday, June 14.

See you there!

05/20/2026

Calling K-12 educators 📣 Applications are now open for “STORIES: Teaching HIV/AIDS Histories," One Institute's annual K-12 LGBTQ+ History Teacher Symposium, this year in conjunction with STORIES: The AIDS Monument. Presented in partnership with ONE Archives at the USC Libraries, the symposium will take place July 13-17, 2026.

Join One Institute’s curriculum specialists, historic leaders in HIV/AIDS art and activism, and archivists from ONE Archives to begin developing new California standards-aligned lesson plans on HIV/AIDS histories, with coaching support from UCLA History-Geography Project.

Participating teachers can earn up to $500 for a completed lesson plan. Applications are due at 11:59 PM on Sunday, June 14. Learn more and apply at https://www.oneinstitute.org/july-13-17-2026-stories-teaching-hiv-aids-histories/

05/18/2026

Come join us for a guided tour of STORIES: The AIDS Monument in West Hollywood Park.

These 45-minute tours will highlight the strategy of those during the AIDS epidemic to gather, care for one another, educate the public, and engage in activism.

We invite you to two upcoming tours: Saturday, June 13 at 11 a.m. and Tuesday, June 23 at 8 p.m.

These tours are free and open to the public. Space is limited. Register at https://www.oneinstitute.org/events/

05/08/2026

José Sarria was arrested on a morals charge in the 1950s, ending his aspiration to be a schoolteacher. He vowed “to be the most notorious impersonator or homosexual or fairy or whatever you want to call me—and you would pay me for it.”

A World War II veteran, Sarria hosted and performed at the Black Cat Bar in San Francisco, where he took to the streets in drag in an open challenge to local morals statues. In 1961, he ran for a city supervisor’s seat, the first openly gay person and drag queen to run for government office in the United States. His run galvanized an LGBTQ+ electoral base and laid the groundwork for Harvey Milk’s successful run for the same seat in 1978.

As founder and head of the Imperial Court System, Sarria created not only an oasis for LGBTQ+ pride and celebration, but a fundraising force for the community: “You do good work, your work will fight your battles.”

One Institute is proud to co-sponsor the City of West Hollywood Government's Harvey Milk Day celebration, featuring the José Sarria Drag Pageant, on Friday, May 22, 6-8 p.m., at the South Lawn of West Hollywood Park. RSVP at https://2026harveymilkday.eventbrite.com/

Image: Mark Thompson, “JOSE,” from “The Advocate,” Apr. 1980. Imperial Courts Collection, ONE Archives at the USC Libraries.

05/07/2026

🗓️We are so excited to announce our amazing community partners for our International Whores’ Day 2026 Celebration! 👠☂️😍🙏🏾✨

Please make sure to check out our community partners tabling at this event: The Sidewalk Project, St*****rs United, Stop the Raids, Pelvic Sanctuary, ESPLER, NOlympics Los Angeles, S*xPositiveLA, and ACLU of Southern California.

👉🏾 KEY INFO TO KNOW:

💋WHEN:
Tuesday, June 2, 2026
Doors Open: 5:00 PM
Event Program: 6:00 PM – 9:30 PM

💋WHERE:
Los Angeles LGBTQ Center - Renberg Theater & the Village Courtyard
1125 N McCadden Place, Los Angeles, CA 90038

Tickets at https://buytickets.at/oneinstitute/2155816

***r

05/06/2026

We need your input! 💡 Fill out the 2026 Qu**rs Arts LA Coalition survey to help us identify the needs of LGBTQ+ arts and culture communities. Survey open until Monday, May 11 at 5 p.m. PT.

The LA County LGBTQ+ Arts and Culture Coalition (Q***r Arts LA Coalition) formed in 2025 in response to federal attacks and widespread budget cuts impacting q***r arts and culture communities. The coalition brings together artists, organizers, and institutions to support LGBTQ+ creative communities by fostering advocacy for arts funding and visibility, while countering threats to q***r spaces and programming.

The 2026 survey, in partnership with Arts for LA and support from Los Angeles County, provides vital feedback that will help us build this advocacy and secure support from civic leaders, funders, and the public.

Make your voice heard at http://bit.ly/4n9MjxP

05/05/2026

Save the Dates 🗓 One Institute is proud to steward STORIES: The AIDS Monument in West Hollywood Park. The Monument commemorates lost loved ones, while educating future generations. For a more in-depth experience of the site, join us on a guided tour during two upcoming dates: Saturday, June 13 and Tuesday, June 23.

Tours are free with registration; stay tuned for more information on how to RSVP. Learn more about STORIES a thttps://aidsmonument.org/

Address

7655 W Sunset Boulevard
Los Angeles, CA
90046

Telephone

+13234192159

Website

http://oneinstitute.org/

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