The Heinz History Center will celebrate Pride Month with a look back at an organization that championed the rights of Pittsburgh’s LGBTQ+ community as part of the “Live From the History Center—It's Thursday Night Live!” program on Thursday, June 13.

The Senator John Heinz History Center, the Smithsonian’s home in Pittsburgh, will celebrate Pride Month with a look back at an organization which championed the rights of Pittsburgh’s LGBTQ+ community as part of the “Live From the History Center—It's Thursday Night Live!” program on Thursday, June 13, from 6-7:30 p.m.

Visitors will learn how the trailblazing organization Thursday Night Live (TNL) helped to redefine what it meant to be “out” in Pittsburgh in the early 1990s.

Tim Ziaukas, founding member and professor emeritus at the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford, will share how TNL provided a platform for gay men and lesbians to meet once a month, to make connections in public (outside of gay bars, for social and networking activities) amid the ongoing AIDS crisis.

After the city’s gay-rights ordinance was threatened in 1990, TNL members came out publicly to raise funds and awareness about LGBTQ+ rights in Pittsburgh, and not without controversy. Visitors will discover how TNL responded and spurred change in the region during this evening program. 

Ahead of Ziaukas’ presentation, Matt Strauss, director of the History Center’s Detre Library & Archives, will provide an introduction and overview on the LGTBQ+ collections preserved at the History Center, including the recently donated materials from Thursday Night Live.

Following the talk, Ziaukas will lead a question-and-answer session for attendees. Archival materials related to Thursday Night Live will also be on view.

The event is free. Advance registration is strongly encouraged, but not required.