It’s been 50 years since the Stonewall demonstrations in New York City sparked the gay rights movement. The anniversary inspired a local organization to show how a parallel movement started in Western New York during that time as well.

“I think the popular narrative about LGBTQ history is that it’s something that happened in New York City and San Francisco, and everywhere else maybe started a movement but did it later and not as well," said Adrienne Hill, the co-founder of the Buffalo-Niagara LGBTQ History Project. "I think what we wanted to show was that that’s not true."

The organization is putting together a poster exhibit about Buffalo’s gay rights movement. The seven posters will cover everything from the founding of the Mattachine Society of the Niagara Frontier to prominent figures in the local fight for equality.

“It’s really more about learning history so you can understand what came before you,” said Amanda Killian, a graphic designer who helped put together the exhibition.

Organizers want to show that those who fought were not trying to land in the history books, rather trying to make their voices heard.

“People who were involved in these movements didn’t think of themselves as radical activists who were going to go down in history, they were just fighting for their rights,” said Killian.

The traveling exhibit will be up at Buffalo’s Karpeles Manuscript Library Museum, located at the intersection of Elmwood Avenue and North Street. It will be there from November 10 through 20.

The History Project hopes their work shows people how the movement has impacted the area and its future.

“We as a community want to know how to move forward it’s best for us to know how previous generations moved because then we can really know what worked for them and move that forward and we can really know what their mistakes were and we can avoid those,” said Hill.

After the exhibition’s run at Karpeles, it will travel throughout the community. It’s geared towards middle schoolers up to adults.

 It can be displayed in a wide variety of locations including schools, colleges, galleries, museums, libraries, and alternative art spaces. If you’d like to have the exhibit at your organization, email the Buffalo-Niagara LGBTQ History Project at bflolgbtqhistory@gmail.com.

The organization is having a fundraiser at Community Beer Works in Buffalo Sunday, October 20 from 1-5 p.m.