SACRAMENTO, Calif. — When it comes to Sacramento’s LGBTQ+ history, George Raya has been involved in a lot of it.

“There I am in charge of the Sacramento County Gay Lesbian Employees Association,” Raya said, pointing to a picture with colleagues among many other photos and accomplishments hung on a wall in his office. “Resolution from the Assembly in 2008.”

As an activist and part of the first group to ever meet on LGBTQ+ rights in the White House in 1977, Raya will play a big part in the city of Sacramento’s work to formally document the LGBTQ+ history.

He said it's an extremely important project.

“It’s very important because they’ve already done this with the Black community, and it’s been very successful,” Raya said. “We need to know our history. Gay people have been in the West since you know back in the day, and back in those days when they said partner, they meant partner. This is my partner.”

The project named the LGBTQ+ Experience Project will be run by the city of Sacramento’s Historic Preservation Department.

Henry Feuss is a planner with the department and said the public will play a big role in understanding the history.

“We’re absolutely encouraging people to submit documents, submit photographs, submit oral history interviews about LGBTQ+ history in Sacramento,” Feuss said.

By having an official document in the city’s archive’s, Feuss said it will help anyone wanting to preserve LGBTQ+ landmarks.

“So, if people are trying to come down and come and demolish a building or significantly alter a building, we’d like to know if there’s history associated with that building or site,” he said. “And we need to have a historic context statement to do the research prior to those things occurring.”

The area of Lavender Heights in the city where historically LGBTQ+ people have congregated and lived will be a focus of the project.

The area features a number of high-profile bars for a reason where their history was made, Raya said.

“Gay bars are our community center,” Raya said. “So, if you wanted the news of what was happening, you went to a gay bar. If you wanted to register voters, you went to a gay bar. If you wanted to see your friends, you go to a gay bar.”

As a city that ranks high in many ways for LGBTQ+ people, Raya said he’ll be happy when the project is complete, and the community recognized.