“Rise Up” explores what happened at Stonewall Inn and how it gave rise to a 50-year fight for civil rights for LGBTQ Americans. This exhibit looks at popular culture’s role in influencing attitudes about the LGBTQ community through film, television and music, and how the gay rights movement harnessed the power of public protest and demonstration to change laws and shatter stereotypes.

Through powerful artifacts and images, explore key moments of gay rights history. Including the assassination of Harvey Milk; the AIDS crisis; the efforts for hate crime legislation; and the fight for marriage equality.

Artifacts include the fused wedding rings of Jim Obergefell and John Arthur, who wed in Maryland in June 2013 because two men could not marry in their home state of Ohio; House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s gavel which she used to usher in the 2010 repeal of ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’; and the original rainbow flag designed by Gilbert Baker, self-described as ‘gay Betsy Ross.’