Welcome to the 2025 Mildred Berryman Institute Lecture Series!  

This is a free community event (no tickets, no cost). We ask that, if you are able, you donate on this page so we can continue supporting Utah-based LGBTIQ+ history and arts.

This engaging monthly lecture series, hosted by the Mildred Berryman Institute for LGBTIQ+ Utah History, invites you to explore the rich and multifaceted stories of Utah’s LGBTIQ+ communities. Each month, prominent speakers—including historians, artists, activists, and community leaders—will dive into key moments, individuals, and cultural contributions that have shaped Utah’s LGBTIQ+ landscape. Thank you to Signature Books for the use of your event space and your help making sure this lecture series is accessible and profitable.

As part of the Institute’s mission to make history accessible and inclusive, these lectures provide unique insights into the intersections of identity, culture, and history, often highlighting underrepresented voices within Utah's LGBTIQ+ communities. We’re proud to offer special lectures aligned with cultural and heritage months, including Black History Month, Women’s History Month, and Native American History Month, each focusing on LGBTIQ+ stories from these communities.  

Join us for this inspiring series, where Utah’s LGBTIQ+ past and present come alive through storytelling, thought-provoking perspectives, and meaningful discussions. Secure your tickets today and be part of a community that celebrates history in all its diversity!

Goals

We will forward our mission by collecting, preserving, exhibiting and making accessible to the public materials and knowledge regarding Utah LGBTIQ+ communities. The Mildred Berryman Institute for LGBTIQ+ Utah History to support and promote understanding of Utah LGBTIQ+ history, culture and arts in all their diversity. 

Vision

• We envision a world in which LGBTIQ+ Utahns are appreciated and celebrated by one another in all their diversity and by all people for their contributions to the history and culture of Utah. 
• We envision a world in which everyone can learn about LGBTIQ+ Utah history as a vital means for promoting civic engagement, social justice, and political change.
• We envision a world in which LGBTIQ+ people find acceptance, strength, and pride in acknowledging their heritage and in sharing it with Utah society as a whole.

Values

• We believe that knowledge of our diverse LGBTIQ+ past is an invaluable resource for understanding the challenges of the present in Utah and inspiring dreams for a future of greater social justice. 
• We appreciate the importance of LGBTIQ+ history for building community and promoting connection.  
• We support debate, dialogue, and discussion about the LGBTIQ+ past as a way to educate, inspire, and empower LGBTIQ+ Utahns and our allies in building our future.
• We encourage a study of Utah that is inclusive of all of its iterations – as a state today, as a US territory, as the State of Deseret, and as sovereign Indigenous lands
• We acknowledge the intersectional challenges that come with the experience of being a queer Utahn. We welcome voices from disabled queer Utahns, trans Utahns, and BIPOC who helped shape Utah history in order to create a comprehensive picture of the past and present.