Case Study: Washington State Historical Museum

When we think of the American West, we tend to think of strict gender binaries. The Washington State Historical Society Museum wanted to change that.

The 2021 exhibit, Crossing Boundaries, shared the stories of gender non-conforming people from 1860 to 1940 in the wild West.

Curator Gwen Whiting worked with author Peter Boag to bring his book to life for this exhibit, which now travels throughout the Pacific Northwest to bring queer stories to more communities.

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“Visible & Valued: Case Studies in Queer Museum Inclusion” spotlight innovative LGBTQIA+ initiatives in museums across the United States. The project, led by ALK Consulting, documents the operational considerations and organizational culture changes involved in positioning museums as authentically inclusive spaces for the LGBTQIA+ community.

To promote an inclusive narrative, case studies are developed through a series of interviews with museum leadership, staff, and community members whose collaboration contributed to accomplishing these LGBTQIA+ initiatives.

Downloadable case studies are available for free ($0 price) to increase access to this advice and expertise for other museum professionals seeking to improve LGBTQIA+ inclusion at their institutions.