There is no hiding it: I am a museum nerd.
Growing up in Sturbridge, Massachusetts, Old Sturbridge Village was my playground. My parents’ love of history, the promise of a chocolate cookie, and free admission for town residents made it an obvious place to bring my sister and I as energetic children. Our imagination could run wild, pretending we were Laura Ingalls or Kirsten Larson, talking to oxen and sheep, or kicking up dust on the dirt paths of the 19th Century living history museum.
In the 1990s, “Girl Power” culture and the convergence of second and third wave feminism meant that there was an abundance of stories about women throughout history for me to admire through books and museums. Most of them looked like me: white and middle class with no mention of queerness.
Stories of equality and civil rights always resonated most with me, and museums were a way for me to add to my knowledge and understanding of these topics.
Everyone deserves to see themselves at museums, in the exhibit content, on staff, among other visitors, the way that I was as a girl in the 1990s. Now, museums are capturing a more comprehensive picture of history, art, culture, and science, as well as understanding their role as community conveners and champions of social justice.
However, issues of LGBTQIA+ inclusion remain an area of contention, spanning work and visitor experience for queer folx, the ethics of outing historical figures, relating with a public with varied understanding and beliefs, and simply finding the time and resources to do the work.
Museum Monday will spotlight museums who are championing LGBTQIA+ inclusion in interesting ways. By elevating this work, I hope to bring attention to the important work museums are doing and inspire others to take on initiatives in their own lives in an effort to make LGBTQIA+ inclusion a celebrated norm.
Looking for more museum inclusion goodness? Be sure to check out my “Valued & Visible” case studies or book a discovery call to put theory into action!
