Digitization of archival materials has made it easier not only to analyze queer history during the Gilded Age and Progressive Era, but also to include these sources in the classroom. For instructors interested in incorporating queer history into their classrooms, this piece highlights specific examples of these queer primary sources and what they reveal about the queer past. Focusing specifically on criminal statutes, legal records, newspaper articles, medical discourse, and firsthand accounts, this introduction to queer archival sources emphasizes how these sources can be incorporated into class lectures and discussions, as well as directing attention to where similar examples can be found online in digital archives and databases.

Young women growing up in the Gilded Age and Progressive Era increasingly found their relationships subject to scrutiny as doctors, parents, teachers, and school administrators began to worry about the so-called abnormal girl. Attempts to suppress the culture of crushes and romantic friendships between young women reflected these larger cultural anxieties about their relationships. But, as notions of normative girlhood began to form, this intense scrutiny of their relationships had a significant impact on their everyday lives. The young women who were navigating this scientific and cultural shift developed a range of innovative strategies from subversively concealing their relationships to boldly pursuing their queer desires.