Modern collections, such as the Ron Simmons Photography Collection at the National Museum of African American History and Culture , preserve the visual history of Black LGBTQ+ activism from the 1970s onward. Notable Photographers and Their Impact

Collections like Trent Kelley’s "Hidden in the Open" showcase late 19th and early 20th-century photographs of Black gay couples. These rare, often subtle images—sometimes labeled only as "my special friend"—defied the era's stereotypes and racial violence.

Contemporary artists use photography as "visual activism" to challenge binary systems and explore the nuances of identity. Historic photos of African-American gay men unearthed