Historic London Town & Gardens

Each Saturday, learn from a noted scholar about the LGBTQ+ experience in the Chesapeake region. Speakers include:
 

• CANCELLED DUE TO ILLNESS. If you had already registered, we will be in touch about the cancellation and regarding refunds. We apologize for the inconvenience. On Saturday, February 1, Kikeokan of the Wild Turkey Clan, Cedarville Band of the Piscataway-Conoy will present "Decolonizing Gender and Sexuality in 2020." Explore the sacred knowledge of two-spirit societies, 7 genders, and the honor of being a women in indigenous cultures of Turtle Island.  Discussion topics will include sex, gender, marriage, matriarchal societies, community based responsibility, and dismantling oppressive systems.

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• On Saturday, February 8, Dr. Christopher Mielke will present “More than Friends: The Queer Chesapeake in the 18th, 19th, & 20th Centuries.” This will be a stationary version of his Three Centuries of Queer Annapolis walking tour, including stories of Revolutionary War generals, African-American schoolteachers, a quack doctor called the “monopolize of her own sex,” and many more.
  
  Listen to Dr. Mielke on WYPR's On the Record with Sheilah Kast discussing his lecture here.
   

• On Saturday, February 15, Caitlin Heartweave will speak on “Fops, Fribbles, and Female Husbands: Gender Diversity in Early Anglo-America,” focusing on individuals who could and did ‘break the rules,’ defining and expressing themselves in gender-non-conforming ways.

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• On Saturday, February 22, Dr. Thomas Foster will talk on “LGBTQ History in Early America,” with a focus on colonial British America.  Dr. Foster is a professor of history at Howard University and the author or editor of seven books, including (as editor) Long Before Stonewall: History of Same-Sex Sexuality in Early America, and (as author) Rethinking Rufus: Sexual Violations of Enslaved Men.
  
  Every attendee will be put into a drawing for Dr. Foster's book, Long Before Stonewall. He will also be signing and selling his books for $20 after the lecture (cash only).

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• On Saturday, February 29, Ben Egerman will discuss Preservation Maryland’s project documenting the LGBTQ+ spaces in Maryland.  Throughout 2019, Ben Egerman worked with Preservation Maryland on a project to conduct a brief survey of sites associated with LGBTQ+ history, culture, and communities statewide. This talk will discuss this project and what it uncovered, how this helps us understand the story of LGBTQ+ people in our state's history, and the resources that are available for future work in preserving LGBTQ+ history and heritage.

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Included with general admission or free for members of London Town.