Who We Are

Oregon Queer History Collective is the longest running grassroots historical society by and for queer Oregonians!

Two people sitting behind a table with LGBTQ+ Pride items, in front of a colorful mural featuring geometric shapes, a green tree, and a pink silhouette of a woman's face with star-shaped earrings, and a sign that reads 'Oregon Queer Story Collective' with a rainbow drawing.

Our History

Oregon Queer History Collective, formerly known as the Gay and Lesbian Archives of the Pacific Northwest (GLAPN), is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization founded in 1994.

Learn more about our history here.

OQHC Committees 

OQHC maintains standing committees that guide specific areas of the Collective’s work. These committees offer members a way to focus on what interests them the most.

The Archives Committee

The Archives Committee develops and expands the Collective's archival collections related to Oregon's queer histories.


Our Archive is temporarily closed for further donations as we process our current holdings. For questions on future archive donations, please contact archives@oregonqueerhistory.org.

The Events Committee

The Events Committee develops and expands the Collective's presence in the community by hosting and attending various events.

Reach out to events@oregonqueerhistory.org to learn more.

At an LGBTQ+ pride event, two women are sitting at a table covered with rainbow-colored tablecloths displaying various items including stickers, buttons, flyers, and artwork related to LGBTQ+ pride. Behind them, a vibrant mural featuring geometric shapes, a green tree, and a pink silhouette of a person with stars around their head, is visible. The woman on the left is wearing a black top and a black face mask, while the woman on the right is wearing a tie-dye shirt with pink, red, and purple shades and is smiling with two thumbs up.

The Exhibits Committee develops and expands the Collective’s interpretive display materials for public exhibition.

A person stands in front of an informational display on a wall, with posters, framed photographs, and written materials relating to community, history, or social issues, in an indoor setting with art and informational displays.

The Arts Committee supports the Events and Exhibits committees by preparing graphics, promotional material, and exhibition structures. 

Cait Olds / Creative Director  is a carpenter, graphic artist, and 20 year resident of Portland. Since childhood they have enjoyed all manner of craft and construction and have contributed this skill set to their community through nonprofit and volunteer work. When she’s not making things, she is improvising songs with her wife about their pets.

The Exhibits Committee

The Arts Committee

OQHC Board 2025-2027

  • Cayla McGrail (they/them)

    Board President | Executive Board

    Longtime member of the OQHC board, serving as Secretary prior to being elected President. Cayla is an architectural historian specializing in Portland queer places and spaces with an extensive background in history, museums, and historic preservation. Their professional and personal (research) passions also include pop culture, fat studies, and digital humanities. When they’re not in the archives, you can find Cayla on the dance floor or watching ducks. 

    Contact Cayla

  • Alex Maresca (she/they)

    Board Secretary | Executive Board

    Sociologist with a background in researching LGBTQ and anti-LGBTQ activism. She currently works at Friendly House Elder Pride Services as a Training, Advocacy, and Outreach Specialist. When she's not working, she's baking, singing, or scaring herself by reading spooky stories. An East Coast transplant, she still gets excited by all the sea lions on the Oregon coast. 

    Contact Alex

  • Leo Mellor (they/them)

    Treasurer | Executive Board

    Recent addition to the OQHC board as Treasurer and chair of the Website Committee. Leo is an architectural historian working in the transportation sector, and they have an educational background in historic preservation, ecology and evolutionary biology, and geographic information systems. Their areas of expertise include digital cartography and storytelling, transportation history, post-1960s architecture, data analysis, and the interfaces between natural and built environments. 

    Contact Leo

  • Megan Andricos (they/them)

    Advisory Board Committee

    A very proud member of PDX’s Queer Community. They have been actively involved for many years as both an event producer and disc jockey at various queer joy focused gatherings. They love LGBTQIA+ history and look forward to working on a deeper level in our community to preserve and share our past achievements, struggles and all the in between.

  • Rebecca Blair (she/they)

    Advisory Board Committee

    Works as an Engagement Specialist with Friendly House Elder Pride Services. I am a nonbinary, bi/pan domestic longhair living in NW Portland. I have various skills acquired in this life, but I am known for the following: creating and building community, bringing folks together, planning fun events, writing, coordinating newsletters, and following through whenever possible. When I'm not working to dismantle the patriarchy, ageism, racism, and all the queer-related phobias, I am cooking good food, traveling, using my retired pastry chef skills to make tasty baked goods, kayaking, hiking, or singing my heart out in a bar somewhere.

  • Jason G. Damron (he/him)

    Advisory Board Committee

    A Portland and Forest Grove, OR based educator and professor of anthropology and sociology and retains faculty appointments at Pacific University and Portland State University. His teaching focuses on intellectual histories of anthropology and gender studies, political economies, queer theories, and "queering" historiography, and instructional design, among other intellectual interests. He eats in local restaurants every week, listens to music every day, and plays tennis as much as possible.

General Members and Volunteers

OQHC members and volunteers are the driving force of the Collective.

Everyone is welcome to join the Collective. Find out more about becoming a member and get involved today!

Community Partners

Over the years, we’ve partnered with nonprofits, city and county agencies, universities, and the media to bring Oregon’s queer history to a wider audience.