Gay art from the Leslie-Lohman permanent collection (slide show)

Gay-art lovers Charles Leslie and Fritz Lohman began collecting and showing work in their Soho loft in 1969, the same year that the Stonewall riots launched the modern gay-rights movement. Nearly two decades later, the pair created the nonprofit Leslie/Lohman Gay Art Foundation, housed in a tiny Prince Street gallery, where the founders hoped to preserve gay art as the AIDS crisis was claiming many gay artists and collectors. In 2011, the New York State Board of Regents awarded the institution (now located on Wooster Street) museum status—making it the world's first museum devoted to LGBT art. Today, in addition to hosting exhibits devoted to various artists and themes, the Leslie-Lohman Museum of Gay and Lesbian Art contains more than 22,000 objects in its permanent collection; some highlights are included above, with many more available to view on the museum's website.