When Dr. David Johnson arrived at the University of South Florida in 2003, he didnt expect to become the keeper of Tampas LGBTQ past. But over the past two decades, thats exactly whats happened.

A lot of this history would have been lost if we didn't preserve it," he said. "You know, families would have thrown it away. An important part of Tampa history, right? The LGBT community has been around for decades, right? If not, if not longer, been fighting oppression, been resisting oppression, been organizing, forming community for decades, and it's important part of the local story.

Back then, Tampas LGBTQ history was scattered. Some of it lived in personal photo albums. Some in fading memories. And much of it was at risk of being thrown away.

WATCH: Unearthing Tampa Bay's LGBTQ past: How

See Full Page