LGBTQIA+ HISTORY IN MIDTOWN, SACRAMENTO

Presented By Midtown Association

1978

Just nine years after the Stonewall Riots, The Lambda Community Fund, now known as the Sacramento LGBT Community Center, was originally incorporated as a special assistance program.

1984

Gay activist Rev. Jerry Sloan of Metropolitan Community Church (MCC) successfully sued Rev. Jerry Falwell in 1984 for televised comments Falwell made against MCC. Sloan used a portion of the money awarded to him to later open the first physical iteration of the SAC Center, Lambda Community Center.

1985

Faces Nightclub was the first gay club in Sacramento when it opened its doors at 20th and K Street. The establishment of Faces paved the way for other LGBTQIA+ businesses to open in the immediate area. As more and more queerfriendly businesses opened, the nickname Lavender Heights emerged.

2015

The name Lavender Heights became official in 2015, an achievement memorialized by the unveiling of the rainbow crosswalk at the intersection of 20th and K Street.

2001

The Rainbow Chamber of Commerce was founded to unify and support LGBTQ businesses, as well as to foster a more equitable business climate.

1998

The Lavender Library was founded by eight community members as a research and information institution for queer people in Sacramento and continues operation today on 21st Street.