LGBT+ Exhibitions Around the World

NBC recently posted an article I got very excited about: “12 must-see LGBTQ art shows around the world”. Of course, one was in Berlin, and the other eleven in the U.S.A. Small world, huh NBC?

So here is our humble contribution. February was LGBT+ History month in the UK, so there were quite a few exhibitions on, but unfortunately have closed or will close soon. If you have any info on any other shows or exhibitions, let us know and we’ll add it to the list!

CANADA

Queering Family Photography

The Arquives, April-May 2019

“Queering Family Photography exhibition is the first to explore how family photographs reflect, shape, and expand queer forms of affective connection and kinship, “

GERMANY

A Change of Scenery

Schwules Museum, April-June 2019

“A Change of Scenery provides an overview of lesbian and gay movements in Germany starting with the persecution of “Sodomites” in the middle ages until the gay and lesbian liberation movements of the 1970’s and 80’s. The exhibition features an installation by Kurt Stark showcasing the history of §175, a law punishing homosexuality which existed in the German legal code in various forms for over 100 years. In relation to §175, the exhibition also highlights the life and work of German sexologist and human rights pioneer Dr. Magnus Hirschfeld as well as his Institute for Sexual Sciences in Berlin which was destroyed by Nazi’s in 1933. At the heart of the exhibition is a section memorializing the gay victims who were murdered at Sachsenhausen concentration camp just north of Berlin. This section shares the stories of gay and lesbians during the Third Reich, and of the lives of those men and women living in secrecy.”

Rainbow Arcade - A Queer History of Video Games 1985-2018

Schwules Museum, December 2018-May 2019

The “Rainbow Arcade” exhibition is the baby of the LGBTQ Game Archive, exploring the queer history of video games from as far back as 1985.

“For the first time worldwide, the queer history of video games will be explored in a major exhibition: Rainbow Arcade…features a wide variety of exhibits spanning over 30 years of media history, including playable titles, concept drawings, modifications written by fans themselves and documentations of online communities. The exhibition will be taking stock of contemporary pop cultural questions of representation, stereotypical and discriminatory narratives in entertainment media, and our cultural memory. For the first time, research by the LGBTQ Game Archive will be presented in a museum.

Thailand

Spectrosynthesis II

Bangkok Art and Culture Centre, November 2019

Spectrosynthesis II will include contemporary artwork from artists across Asia, including Ren Hang, Lionel Wendt, Sunil Gupta, Dinh Q. Le, Maria Taniguchi, Ming Wong, Danh Vo and Samson Young.

Mexico

Caleidoscopio

Centro Cultural Jauría Trans*, January-May 2019

“The mural intervention at the Jauría Trans * Cultural Center is a visual journey where Arlishan Marius looks back on their trans experience, their healing process from traumatic experiences and asserts themselves as a multiple being that combines feminine, masculine, neutral, wounded and resilient states in a same body.”

Callejeras y Revoltosas: 6 Años de Artivismo Feminista – Cuir en la Ciudad de México

Border Cultural Centre, February-April 2019

“In the last 6 years the feminist movement has flooded the streets of Mexico’s main cities, positioning in the public eye the demands of women, queers, trans people and other precarious movements. “Callejeras y Revoltosas: 6 Años de Artivismo Feminista – Cuir en la Ciudad de México” arises from the actions produced by people belonging to the network of artists and activists which have converged in the space of Hysteria! Magazine.”

UK

Queer Spaces: London, 1980s – Today

Whitechapel Gallery, April-August 2019

“How has the changing landscape of London affected the lives of queer people? This exhibition considers the loss of hundreds of community venues around London through market-led redevelopment and how this has changed the capital’s queer scene. It presents work by artists concerned with the disappearance of spaces where LGBTQ+ communities have gathered to socialise, explore their sexuality and try out new identities. “

Queer Looks

Brighton Museum, June-December 2019

“This fascinating display of outfits and oral histories from LGBTQ individuals from Sussex, from the 1960s to the present day, looks at how individuals construct identities, both personal and collective, through dress. Local LGBTQ communities have informed the content of this display, including the comedian Zoe Lyons, journalist Sophie Cook, and trans campaigner Fox Fisher.”

USA

Stonewall 50

Contemporary Arts Museum Houston, April-August 2019

“CAMH’s take on Stonewall will look both backward and forward, using the works of 16 queer artists to provide local, national, international and intergenerational snapshots of the continuing struggle for LGBTQ rights. Featured artists include filmmaker Barbara Hammer, painter Christina Quarles and South African photographer Zanele Muholi.”

You gotta go see anything with Barbara Hammer, folks.

Love and Resistance: Stonewall 50

New York Public Library, until July 2019.

“This exhibition illustrates this history through the photographs of Kay Tobin Lahusen and Diana Davies, two pioneering photojournalists, who captured the pivotal events of this era and changed the ways that LGBTQ people perceived themselves. Featured alongside these images are other items from the Library’s vast archival holdings in LGBTQ history, including ephemera, periodicals, and more”

Camp: Notes on Fashion

The Met, May-September 2019

“Camp is the consistently aesthetic experience of the world. It incarnates a victory of style over content, aesthetics over morality, of irony over tragedy,” suggests Susan Sontag in Notes on Camp (1964). Sontag is spiritual fairy godmother to The Met’s Camp costume extravaganza: a celebration of glorious artifice, irony and the tricky line fashion treads in order to be so bad it’s good. Se camper – to “posture boldly” – was a practice born in the French royal courts of Louis XIV and XV. The exhibition opens with a visit to Versailles – a “camp Eden” – before plunging into queer subcultures of the 1890s. All this is a prelude to the fashion displays: an unrestrained celebration of everything OTT, from Christian Lacroix to Viktor & Rolf, Vivienne Westwood to Walter Van Beirendonck.”

Cultural Non-Binary Identities

The construction of sex and gender as binaries does not reflect the lived realities of millions of people across the world. Thanks to intersex activists, we know that "male" and "female" are not the only ways people exist in the world. Thanks to activists from cultures across the globe, we are aware that gender is a construct, and there are way more than two. When I was studying anthropology, students were frequently introduced to cultures that had more flexible understandings of gender. A common term in academia for identities other than "man" and "woman" is "third gender"; as we'll demonstrate below, that is nowhere near an accurate term to describe the full, fantastic picture.

While we're on the topic of improper terminology: we must be careful about referring to someone as part of the LGBT+ community when they may not consider themselves so. The late Fa'afafine activist To’oto’oali’I Roger Stanley spoke to OutRight on this very issue:

““The advent of the global struggle for LGBTQUI rights has certainly impacted and influenced the work of the [Samoa Fa’afafine Association]. Although the SFA and I are very clear in terms of the positioning of fa’afafine as a cultural identity, which is thus largely outside of the LGBTQUI framework.””

Sometimes non-binary identities are cultural identities, and deserve to be respected as so.

We think it is important to learn how gender is experienced in different cultures because people who live outside of the gender binary face the same forces of oppression as the LGBT+ community, even if they don't identify under our umbrella. We must stand in solidarity with their unique struggles. Furthermore, we are often told that being trans, genderqueer, or non-binary is "unnatural"; people from cultures where their identities are traditionally respected have much to teach us. Below are some examples of cultural identities that challenge our notions of a gender binary.

Two-Spirit

Two-Spirit is considered somewhat of a pan-Indigenous term in North America. According to Tony Enos, "Two Spirit people have both a male and female spirit within them and are blessed by their Creator to see life through the eyes of both genders." This term does not replace a term used by a particular nation, he notes, such as 'nadleeh' by the Diné (see below), but is an umbrella term. Two-Spirit people have held honoured positions in their communities since time immemorial. Writes Enos,

“Two Spirit people held a meaningful place in the sacred hoop.  In many tribes Two Spirits were balance keepers. Thought to be the “dusk” between the male morning, and the female evening. As the role has evolved over time as necessary, the tradition is still alive. At Two Spirit gatherings and communal events, we can be found saying prayers that have needed to be said for decades, and fostering healing to all present. Restoring much needed balance to spirit.”

Femminielli

In the Neapolitan region of Italy, femminielli are traditionally those who were assigned male, but identify outside of the gender binary. They hold an important role in their communities; "people ask them to bless their babies and interpret their dreams." Thanks to their contributions to their communities, their participation in religious life, and Italian artists throughout history, we know that femminielli have lived in Italy for centuries.

Nádleeh

The Diné, also known as the Navajo, have long recognised multiple genders and sexualities. According to Sherrick Roanhorse, nádleeh are those who live outside of the gender binary. There has been a decline in recognition and support for nádleeh and LGBT2S+ people in their communities as a result of colonialism, but with the support of Elders, LGBT2S+ Diné are reconnecting with their heritage.

Hijra

In India, hijras  "held important positions in court and various facets of administration... [and] were also considered to hold religious authority and were sought out for blessings, particularly during religious ceremonies".  As is the case in many countries, colonialism is responsible for enacting severe laws against deviation from Western gender norms, but today the hijra community are reclaiming their power and rightful status in their communities. Below you can watch hijra activist Laxmi Narayan Tripathi tell her story:

Fa'afafine and Fa'afatama

The Samoan Fa'afafine have likewise held important roles in their communities. In an interview between OutRight and President of the Samoa Fa’afafine Association To’oto’oali’I Roger Stanley, who sadly passed away this year, Roger said that "being a fa’afafine is at times both a blessing and a challenge. A blessing in the sense that fa’afafine play fundamental roles of service within the family, church, [and] village unit. Fa’afafine play a significant role in the rearing and raising of children, caretaking responsibilities for the elderly and disabled. Many of our fa’afafine do well in education and employment and thus provide financial sustenance to families and the many obligations attributed to being a Samoan." Fa'afatama face similar discrimination, but the SFA are doing important work in building strong and resilient communities working towards acceptance. There is a documentary on youtube featuring the fa'afafine telling their stories, but we have yet to watch it - let us know if you'd recommend it!

Māhū

Hawaiian musician and dancer Kaumakaiwa Kanaka‘ole said that “māhū is the expression of the third self...It is not a gender, it’s not an orientation, it’s not a sect, it’s not a particular demographic and it’s definitely not a race. It is simply an expression of the third person as it involves the individual. When you find that place in yourself to acknowledge both male and female aspects within and accept the capacity to embrace both … that is where the māhū exists and true liberation happens.” Before colonialism, māhū were respected members of society with strengths that were valued. Below, you can watch a beautiful short documentary that follows one student's experience "in the middle", and their teacher's guidance: 

This list does not even begin to encompass the identities outside of "man" and "woman" that exist, but we hope that this inspires you to understanding and acceptance of people from other cultures and with gender identities that you might be unfamiliar with.

More Wedding Bells, First Posts, and Book Club!

Whew, what a start to the year!

The wedding bells, of course, refer to Ellen Page's marriage, well-celebrated here at lgbtculturalheritage.com! It was some lovely news to start the new year, especially considering that current events are, in general, not so positive.

In more good news: our first post is live! We had a discussion and concluded: rather than dive into those subjects that are of particular interested to us - marriage in cultures throughout history, for instance, or the important religious or political positions held by those we might deem non-binary or transgender in today's language - we should start with the basics. There are key parts of our cultural heritage that transcend boundaries, such as the rainbow flag as our emblem. You can read more about that here: www.lgbtculturalheritage.com/rainbows-and-flags . We'll likely expand on this later on, but at its core, this remains true: "Flags usually tell us where we come from and who we are. Stateless and unbound, Baker’s [rainbow] flag told us who we could be.”

Finally, we’re adding to our reading list! We’re reading "Pride Parades: How a Parade Changed the World" by Katherine McFarland Bruce. It documents how defiant riots turned to joyful, defiant parades - often one of the first public signs of an organised LGBT+ community in any place. We're excited to delve into this, and hope you are able to join us in some interesting discussion at the end of it!

Wedding Bells, Birthdays, and Books (Oh my!)

As November draws to a close, we're so happy to be celebrating our one-month birthday. We're planning on getting the first of our in-depth reviews into LGBT+ cultural heritage posted before the day comes, either on the subject of politics or marriage.

We're thinking that marriage might be the best topic to start with, given the happy news from Australia that same-sex marriage will now be legally recognised. While we're still disappointed that our rights are not respected but offered up for debate and voting, we still welcome this as a big step forward in the fight against discrimination. 

In other news, we've been seeking out LGBT+ books to start reading to explore all sorts of aspects of heritage. We've added The Cooking Gene by Michael W. Twitty and David Bowie Made Me Gay: 100 Years of LGBT Music by Darryl W. Bullock to the list. If you have a recommendation, let us know in the comments below!

In the meantime, you can follow us on twitter where we share photographs, articles, and events that we think you'd be interested in.