The 2025 HistoryMaker Awards, Presented by Queer History Boston at St. Botolph Club – Boston, MA

The 2025 HistoryMaker Awards

✨ Presented by Queer History Boston

QHB invites you to the 2025 HistoryMaker Awards, an annual celebration of the LGBTQ+ individuals and organizations who shape our region’s past, present, and future. This year, we are presenting the 2025 HistoryMaker Award to QHB’s Founders and giving the Lavender Rhino Award to Kimm Topping.

Tuesday, September 30, 2025

Reception begins at 6:00 PM ET | ️ Program at 7:30 PM

St. Botolph Club, 199 Commonwealth Ave, Boston, MA

Creative cocktail attire is encouraged; turn a look, honey!

♿️ There is a stairway to enter the St. Botolph Club. An accessible entrance is available with staff assistance, please call 617-536-7570 upon arrival.

Masking is welcomed and free masks will be available. We encourage testing for COVID-19 before arrival. A recording of the awards portion of the evening will be made available with captions on our YouTube channel for asynchronous viewing.

️ No need to print your ticket. We’ll have your name at check-in.

About Queer History Boston

Queer History Boston is a community archives dedicated to documenting, preserving, and sharing the LGBTQ+ history of New England. Since its founding in 1980, QHB has collected thousands of stories, photographs, and documents, and curated groundbreaking public history exhibits and programs. Today, it remains one of the largest independent LGBTQ+ archives in the United States.

Queer History Boston is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization; all ticket purchases are considered charitable donations and may be tax-deductible. Please save your confirmation email for your records.

Want to support Queer History Boston and help us continue preserving LGBTQ+ history for the next 45 years? Become a Sponsor of the HistoryMaker Awards! Consider making a donation or follow us on Instagram to stay connected.

2025 HistoryMaker: QHB’s Founders, Represented by Pat Gozemba

This year is extra special: We’re honoring 45 years of Queer History Boston by paying tribute to our founders! At a time when the federal government is attempting to erase and rewrite queer and trans lives, it is all the more vital to recognize the historians, archivists, and activists who have documented, preserved, and shared Boston’s LGBTQ+ history.

Marla Allisan, Kathy Asthon, Liana Borghi*, Libby Bouvier, Chris Czernik, Pat Gozemba, Steve Harrington*, Marilyn Humphries, Joe Interrante, Jam Lambertz, Mark MacKay, Linda Moody, Bob Skiba, Abby Solomon*, and Chris Waters

Representing the early members of QHB is Pat Gozemba; a Massachusetts-based academic, activist, and historian whose work bridges feminism, LGBTQ rights, and environmental justice. A pioneer in women’s studies at Salem State University, she helped establish its first program and later co-authored Courting Equality, a landmark history of Massachusetts’ struggle for marriage equality. A longtime organizer in Boston’s lesbian and gay history movement, she has also been a leader in the Salem Alliance for the Environment, continuing her lifelong commitment to social change.

* Rest in Power Liana, Steve, and Abby.

As with much of queer history, our own records from those early years are incomplete. If we’ve unintentionally left anyone out, we offer our deepest apologies and gratitude. This work has always been a collective community effort.

2025 Lavender Rhino: Kimm Topping

Kimm Topping is a trans/queer artist-educator, writer, and historian dedicated to preserving LGBTQIA+ history. They are the author of Generation Queer, a nonfiction YA book highlighting LGBTQIA+ youth activists, and the founder of Lavender Education, a national program celebrating queer history through arts and education.

Join The Host Committee

Preserving Our Stories, Supporting Our Future

This fall, The History Project honors 45 years of preserving, documenting, and sharing Boston’s LGBTQ+ history at the 2025 HistoryMaker Awards. Joining the Host Committee is a unique opportunity to demonstrate your leadership and commitment to uplifting marginalized voices while helping to ensure the success of this signature event.

Host Committee Levels

$5,000 Activist Archivist

Six tickets to the HistoryMaker Awards; underwritten tickets for community members; a private tour of the archives for up to ten people; invitations to History Project events throughout the year; and a thank you from the podium.

$2,500 Community Curator

Six tickets to the HistoryMaker Awards; underwritten tickets for community members; invitations to History Project events throughout the year; and a thank you from the podium.

$1,000 Proud Preservationist

Four tickets to the HistoryMaker Awards; underwritten tickets for community members; invitations to History Project events throughout the year; and a thank you from the podium.

$500 Underground Historian

Two tickets to the HistoryMaker Awards; invitations to History Project events throughout the year; and a thank you from the podium