This question was posed this pride month by Norena Shopland, a Welsh historian who works extensively with LGBTQ+ history. As museums, archives and libraries face funding cuts and an expanding calendar of cultural events and awareness days to celebrate, it is crucial to ask: who should take responsibility for our own histories? And more specifically: who should take responsibility for queer history?
Norena Shopland leaves this question open, but today, I intend to address it. By examining the roles of both libraries, archives and museums and the communities they represent, we can better understand the collective responsibility in preserving history.
Since the 1840s, archives legally must preserve materials. What museums and archives collect and display creates narratives about identity, belonging, and defines what is ‘normal’. Essentially, they decide what and who counts history, making them very powerful in our culture. It is important, therefore, that they collect and display material about queer lives.
Museums and archives, therefore, bear some responsibility for queer history. Nevertheless, traditional institutions often fall short in capturing and showcasing diverse histories, including queer narratives. Historical biases and exclusions, such as those seen with Section 28 (1988-2003), have concealed many stories and prevented many more from being collected.
They also often lack specific cultural knowledge needed to understand past and contemporary queer material, meaning things can often be miscategorised, or important things overlooked.
Community groups, though often limited by limited funding and reliance on volunteers, play a critical role in preserving history. They have the personal connections and lived experiences that traditional institutions often lack. Projects like the Museum of Transology, initiated by EJ Scott, have successfully built trust within communities, allowing for authentic and inclusive history preservation. The Museum of Transology has donors record their stories on tags that are permanently attached to items, meaning their stories cannot be willfully misinterpreted and authentic trans voices can carry down the centuries.
They are vulnerable, however, to changing circumstances. Case in point: The Museum of Transology was made homeless and sought shelter in a more mainstream archive. They also lack the cultural authority that museums and archives have, making it more difficult to bring queer history into the mainstream.
To ensure comprehensive and inclusive historical records, collaboration between traditional institutions and community groups is essential. Each brings unique strengths to the table: community groups offer authenticity and trust, while institutions provide organisation, expertise and legitimacy. Together, they can balance one another, creating partnerships that build integrated community heritage.
The Queer Norfolk project exemplifies such collaboration. By engaging with the Norfolk Heritage Centre and other archives, we have collected and preserved queer histories, supported by community trust and institutional resources. Our initiatives, like the Photo Collection Day, demonstrate the benefits of collaboration perfectly:
Preserving LGBT+ histories is a shared responsibility. Community groups can document personal histories, using their insider knowledge to draw out stories. Community groups can work within mainstream, traditional institutions to act as custodians and advocates, controlling their narratives and co-producing exhibitions with the help of experts while enhancing their collections and fulfilling their mission to more fully represent their communities.
Institutions must also be inclusive and proactive. They should engage with communities without relying solely on volunteer labour, helping to facilitate access to collections and support community-led history projects with their resources and connections. The Norfolk Heritage Centre is a shining example of this approach, who have been championing the work of Queer Norfolk since before day one.
Looking to the future, we must embrace a collaborative approach. Encouraging active participation in museum and archive work from individuals and community groups will ensure the preservation of diverse histories. We need a collective approach, with institutions and communities working together to reflect the rich tapestry of our past.
Preserving history requires us to ask both what our museums can do for us, and what we can do for our museums. By working collaboratively, we can ensure that our histories are documented, preserved, and celebrated for future generations.
Queer Norfolk is a volunteer-led archiving project that hands ownership of queer collections back to communities, empowering people to access, discover, and contribute to local collections that reflect our shared histories.
