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LGBTQ+

We embrace LGBTQ+ culture and Warhol’s role as a gay icon.

From his 1950s Boy Book drawings that lovingly depicted the sensuous male form to his poignant self-portraits in drag in the 1980s, Warhol openly expressed his queer identity in life and art, even when homosexuality was criminalized and suppressed in the United States.

Learn more about Warhol's life

Image Gallery

A print of two, overlapping male torsos with their arms pressed together in front of them. A peach square is overlaid on each of the torsos, but some of the squares are hidden my red and lavender shapes.

Andy Warhol, Torso (Double), ca. 1982
The Andy Warhol Museum, Pittsburgh; Founding Collection, Contribution The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, Inc.
© The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, Inc.
1998.1.2644

A line drawing of a seated male nude. A small heart has been drawn on the head of his penis.

Andy Warhol, Seated Male Nude, 1955-56
The Andy Warhol Museum, Pittsburgh; Founding Collection, Contribution The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, Inc.
© The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, Inc.
1998.1.1685

A black and white film poster for Andy Warhol's My Hustler. It features the tagline from 42nd Street to Fire Island and a photograph of a man with blonde hair reclining with a man with black hair.

Film Poster ("My Hustler"), 1965
The Andy Warhol Museum, Pittsburgh; Founding Collection, Contribution The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, Inc.
1998.3.5596

A screen print of a drag queen with a large afro and prominent eyelashes set against a turquoise stripe that runs from the bottom left to the top right of the page and is flanked by smaller streaks of green and mustard yellow.

Andy Warhol, Ladies and Gentlemen, 1975
The Andy Warhol Museum, Pittsburgh; Founding Collection, Contribution The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, Inc.
© The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, Inc.
1998.1.171

A line drawing of a penis which has been decorated with small hearts and flowers and has a ribbon tied around it in a bow.

Andy Warhol, Male Genitals, 1950s
The Andy Warhol Museum, Pittsburgh; Founding Collection, Contribution The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, Inc.
© The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, Inc.
1998.1.1740

I wonder whether it’s harder for 1) a man to be a man, 2) a man to be a woman, 3) a woman to be a woman, or 4) a woman to be a man.

Andy Warhol, The Philosophy of Andy Warhol (From A to B & Back Again), 1975

Visiting the Museum

We celebrate free expression and strive to be an inclusive institution where diverse perspectives can coexist. The Warhol affirms people’s right to choose the restroom that best meets their needs at that moment.

A print of a short-haired drag queen with an arm raised behind her head. Her face is warm brown, highlighted by golden patches of eyeshadow and red lips. Blue, yellow, and red shapes surround her like confetti, and a red bar covers the finger nails of her hand.

Andy Warhol, Ladies and Gentlemen, 1975
The Andy Warhol Museum, Pittsburgh; Founding Collection, Contribution The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, Inc.
© The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, Inc.
1998.1.2411.8

LGBTQ+ Youth Prom

A large group of teenagers are in the lobby of The Andy Warhol Museum dancing. They are blurry due to their movement. There is pink lighting throughout the image. An image of Marilyn Monroe with Andy Warhol superimposed within it is in the background and to the left there is a photograph of Andy Warhol laying on a red couch on the wall. There are also two small video screens in the background hanging on the wall.

Photo by Sean Carroll

The Warhol hosts an annual LGBTQ+ Youth Prom, one of the only LGBTQ+ youth proms in Southwestern Pennsylvania. Prom is often considered a rite of passage and creates memories that last a lifetime. The Warhol’s Youth Prom offers a safe, gender-inclusive space where LGBTQ+ young people can celebrate with dinner, dancing, and artmaking. Prom is open to young people ages 13–20, and it is planned by a youth committee.

It’s a great event because I think you get to express who you are, and don’t have to be judged by other people who won’t understand.

LGBTQ+ Youth Prom attendee, 2017

Queer Performance

Three performers pose in a line, the performer in the front squats with his hands raised. Toward the bottom of the image we get a glimpse of audience members' heads

TQ Live in The Warhol theater, 2017

Photo by Sean Carroll

We are a destination for contemporary queer performance. The museum annually hosts TQ Live!, a locally-focused cabaret performance, in partnership with Carnegie Mellon University School of Art.

We also offer a free seven-week School of Drag workshop, where youth ages 13–19 can learn about the history, culture, and practice of drag and gender-bending performance. The workshop series culminates in a showcase with youth and adult performers. To learn more about School of Drag and how to apply, visit our Teens page. School of Drag is generously supported by American Eagle Outfitters Foundation.

The Warhol has also recently presented artists such as Perfume Genius, Mark Eitzel, Narcissister and DarkMatter.

Dandy Andy: Warhol’s Queer History

A photograph of Andy Warhol dressed in drag. He wears very pale face makeup, a bold lip, and a short, curly wig.

Andy Warhol, Small Acetate (Self-Portrait in Drag), 1980
The Andy Warhol Museum, Pittsburgh; Founding Collection, Contribution The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, Inc.
© The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, Inc.
1998.3.1135.1a

On the last Saturday of each month, artist educators lead a museum tour that explores how Warhol’s sexuality influenced his work and shaped his relationship to the art world. The tours trace Warhol’s romantic relationships and queer identity against the backdrop of the historical gay rights movement in the United States.

Of course, people said the Factory was degenerate just because “anything went” there, but I think that was really a very good thing. As one straight kid said to me, “It’s nice not to be trapped into something, even if that’s what you are.”

Andy Warhol, Popism, 1980

Upcoming LGBTQ+ events

LGBTQ+ Youth Prom Planning Committee Meeting

Two teens work on art projects in the Warhol’s studio space. There are colorful pieces of paper on the tables that the young people are using to create cat ears for headbands. A screen printed image of Andy Warhol as the Cheshire cat sits on the table in the foreground.

Photo by Sean Carroll

Dandy Andy: Warhol’s Queer History

A black and white photograph shows Andy Warhol from the chest up in drag, wearing a short coiffed brown wig, heavy face powder, black eyeliner, and dark red lipstick. He turns his head slightly and stares at the camera, with a loose white blouse unbuttoned at the neck.

Andy Warhol, Small Acetate (Self-Portrait in Drag), 1980
The Andy Warhol Museum, Pittsburgh; Founding Collection, Contribution The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, Inc.
© The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, Inc.
1998.3.1135
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