The Victoria & Albert Museum (V&A) in London has come under fire after removing trans affirmation material from the gift shop of its new Young V&A centre.
Under the mandate of V&A director Tristram Hunt, the books Here and Queer: A Queer Girl’s Guide to Life (2022) by Rowan Ellis and Seeing Gender: An Illustrated Guide to Identity and Expression (2022) by Iris Gottlieb were both removed from the museum’s new youth-focused outpost days before it officially opened last month.
A poster designed by UK-based charity, Stonewall, which reads: ‘Some people are trans. Move on!’ was also removed from display.
“Seeking to hide the existence of trans people contributes to the idea that being trans is somehow unacceptable and adds to the current climate of transphobia and trans erasure, putting trans people, especially young trans people, at risk “said Steven Warwick, secretary. for the union of public and commercial services (PCS), in a statement decrying the move of the museum. “It’s particularly infuriating that this decision was made during LGBTQ+ History Month.”
On June 26, representatives of the Warwick band, along with members of the V&A’s LGBTQ task force and the Prospect union, met with Hunt to demand that the material be returned to the Young V&A gift shop. “This request was denied,” according to PCS.
Young V&A, which is billed as “the UK’s premier art, design and performance museum created with and for young people”, is the product of a three-year, £13 million redevelopment project ( $16.6 million). It officially opened on June 28 with a ceremony attended by the Princess of Wales, Kate Middleton.
@heyrowanellis UPDATE: poster has been removed from display – both books have been removed from the store – pending a response from the Young V&A with more information #hereandqueer #youngvanda #vandamuseum #queermuseum #booktok #queerbooktok ♬ original sound – Rowan Ellis
In a TikTok message, Ellis said she found out her book had been taken down via social media and was “deeply angry” at the museum’s decision. She called her title a “queer girl’s guide to growing up” that is “explicitly trans-inclusive.”
A V&A spokesperson said art professionalwhich first reported the news, that the museum had “made the complex decision to remove several objects” because “the senior team felt it was necessary to consult more young people and teachers on how to present these subjects, to ensure that their perspectives were more fully represented.”
In his article, Ellis referred to this quote as “the central red flag”.
“What points of view? she says. “Which perspective implies that you remove trans affirmation artifacts from a screen? Transphobic, pure and simple.
When contacted for comment by Artnet News, a V&A rep pointed out that Ellis and Gottlieb’s books have a recommended reading age of 14+, which is above the “target age range ” from 0 to 14 years of the Young V&A public. The spokesperson said the decision to remove material “was not intended to be exclusive, and we acknowledge the concerns this has raised.”
“We know these are important topics, and our decision was made as part of a larger program we are developing on how we present gallery content in a more thoughtful and inclusive way for 0 at 14 at Young V&A,” the rep continued. “In the coming weeks, we will be partnering with young people, educators and scholars, as well as V&A colleagues, including our LGBTQIA+ network, to help shape this work.”
Yet others see the removal as a direct contradiction to the museum’s stated goals and a symptom of the larger cultural debate over trans rights and representation.
“As a public space designed to inspire children to learn and grow, the Young V&A has the opportunity to give children access to resources they might not otherwise see and which are created with the purpose of support that learning and growth,” Gottlieb, who is trans, said Hyperallergic in an interview. “I had years and years of pain and discomfort because I didn’t see people like me or didn’t have the linguistic tools to understand or express what was going on with my own gender identity. .”
“Regardless of the museum director’s personal belief in hosting trans-friendly books in his shop, there are trans children who visit the museum and parents or friends of trans people – providing these resources consistent with their mission to ‘encourage creativity and learning,’ the author continued. . “It would be a shame to allow the person in power to make a decision that takes away a valuable resource from their visitors.”
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