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New hours as of Thu, May 1:  10am-5pm

Upcoming Exhibition

LGBTJews in the Federal City

Participants on the National Mall at the National March on Washington for Lesbian, Gay, & Bi Equal Rights & Liberation, April 1993. Lillian and Albert Small Capital Jewish Museum Collection. Gift of Mitch Weissner.

Participants on the National Mall at the National March on Washington for Lesbian, Gay, & Bi Equal Rights & Liberation, April 1993. Lillian and Albert Small Capital Jewish Museum Collection. Gift of Mitch Weissner.

Location

  • Capital Jewish Museum
    575 3rd Street, NW, Washington, DC

Tickets

  • $12 Adults
  • $10 Ages 65+ & Students w/Valid ID
  • Free Ages 12 & Younger
  • Free for Members

Purchase Tickets

LGBTJews in the Federal City explores a turbulent century of celebration, activism, and change in the nation’s capital.

This landmark exhibition is the first of its kind to explore DC history, Jewish history, and LGBTQ+ history together, drawing from the Museum’s robust LGBTQ+ archive. Immerse yourself in historical and contemporary photography, artifacts, and oral histories. Learn about legal milestones, far-ranging protests, change in religious spaces, and vibrant cultural life.

Opening in time for Washington, DC’s observation of its 50th Capital Pride celebration and as the city hosts WorldPridefor the first time, LGBTJews in the Federal City offers an unprecedented opportunity to infuse Pride with local Jewish history. The Museum is honored to have the exhibition included as an official WorldPride event partner.


The exhibition is organized into the following sections:

• Introduction & Timeline

Travel from the 1800s through to the current day in five time periods highlighting significant events in LGBTQ+ history with an emphasis on Washington, DC, and the local Jewish experience.

• Lavender Scare & Military Service

In the 1950s and 60s, the so-called “Lavender Scare” kept thousands of LGBTQ+ Americans out of military service and the federal civil service. Discover the work of Washingtonian Frank Kameny in protesting this discrimination.

• Capital Moments

Washington, DC, the federal city, is where laws are made; Congress is lobbied; and protest marches travel between the White House, the Capitol building, and the Supreme Court. What happens in DC affects the entire nation.

• Welcoming Spaces

Discover welcoming spaces across the city over the past century, from guidebooks promoting LGBTQ+-safe businesses across different eras to the dress worn by DC’s turn-of-the-21st-century Jewish drag queen Ester Goldberg.

• Ritual Practice

Learn about changes in prayer language to include nonbinary worshipers, the establishment of LGBTQ+ congregations, and the development of a more expansive liturgy in Jewish religious services.

• Oral Histories

Listen to the stories of LGBTQ+ Jewish Washingtonians, presented in collaboration with the Rainbow History Project.

• Participation Moment

Post your photograph of Jewish LGBTQ+ life in the DC area to our wall.

Curatorial Team

LGBTJews in the Federal City is curated by Sarah Leavitt, Curator, and Jonathan Edelman, Collections Curator. The exhibition is designed by The Design Minds.

Exhibition Sponsors

This special exhibition is made possible by Premier Sponsor, Jeffrey Z. Slavin and Lead Sponsors, Stuart S. Kurlander and David L. Martin.

Additional support is provided by Major Sponsors: Susie and Michael Gelman; Alfred Munzer and Joel Wind; Christopher Wolf and James Beller; Contributing Sponsors: William H. Davis; Occasions Catering; Shards of Light Foundation; Partner Sponsors: Debbie and Jamie Heller; Craig Hoffman and Albert Lauber; Dr. Stuart Sotsky; and Friend Sponsors: Patrick DiBattista and Alfredo Gomez; Rochelle Granat and Rhoda Schulzinger; Ms. Karen Lehmann; Larry Neff; Craig Pascal; Dr. Robert and Patricia Silverman.

For information about sponsoring the exhibition, please contact Malki Karkowsky, Chief Advancement Officer, at 202-290-2593 or [email protected].

Highlights from the Exhibition

First edition of “Nice Jewish Girls: A Lesbian Anthology” signed by many of the contributors to the book, 1982. Gift of Evelyn Beck, Lillian and Albert Small Capital Jewish Museum Collection.

First edition of “Nice Jewish Girls: A Lesbian Anthology” signed by many of the contributors to the book, 1982. Gift of Evelyn Beck, Lillian and Albert Small Capital Jewish Museum Collection.

Button featuring the logo of Bet Mishpachah, the LGBTQ+ synagogue of Washington, DC, ca. 2010s. Lillian and Albert Small Capital Jewish Museum Collection. Gift of Michael Garbus

Button featuring the logo of Bet Mishpachah, the LGBTQ+ synagogue of Washington, DC, ca. 2010s. Lillian and Albert Small Capital Jewish Museum Collection. Gift of Michael Garbus

Exhibition Peers and Partners

Official Event Partner WorldPride 2025

Related Programs

Member Program

Members-Only Preview: LGBTJews in the Federal City

Public Program

CJM After Sunset: After Hours Pride Party

Thursday, May 29, 2025 6–9 pm

CHRIS FERENZI 2024

Family Program

Family Day: Full of Pride

Sunday, June 22, 2025 9:30am–1 pm

Black and white photo of the Gay Men's Chorus of Washington DC marching in a parade, date unknown. Courtesy of the Rainbow History Project

Public Program

Gay Men’s Chorus

Sunday, June 1, 2025 1–1:45 pm

Historian Dr. Jake Desai-Newsome presents on his book, Pink Triangle Legaicies, about the transformation of the pink triangle from a Nazi badge into a widespread emblem of LGBTQ+ liberation, community, and pride. Photo courtesy of Dr. Desai-Newsome

Public Program

Author Talk with Dr. Jake Desai-Newsome: Pink Triangle Legacies: Holocaust History and the Fight for LGBTQ+ Rights

Wednesday, July 9, 2025 6:30pm–8 pm