London’s Victoria & Albert Museum (V&A) is under fire for removing trans and queer affirmation materials from the gift shop and social justice exhibit at the Young V&A, a new children’s center linked to the institution. Specifically, the V&A leadership has decided to withdraw two books aimed at LGBTQ+ youth: 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 illustrator Iris Gottlieb. Museum officials have also removed a red and black poster about trans visibility created by UK-based LGBTQ+ charity Stonewall, which reads: “Some people are trans. Move on!”
The decision to remove these materials was made just before the Young V&A reopened on July 1 after a three-year, £13m (~$16.5m) redevelopment project.
Members of the V&A LGBTQ Working Group as well as representatives of the Public and commercial services (PCS) and the union Perspective The union, which represents workers at national museums, including the V&A, met with V&A director Tristram Hunt on June 26 to reverse the removal of the materials. However, PCS states that their request was denied.
“PCS is absolutely clear that we oppose the removal of these items and urges the V&A to reverse this decision. THE [Stonewall] The poster was simply a statement of fact that “some people are trans,” PCS Culture Group Secretary Steven Warwick said in a public statement.
The trans affirmation poster was originally chosen for inclusion in an exhibit on the use of design in social justice causes. A V&A spokesperson said Hyperallergic in an email that the museum has made a “complex decision” to remove these and other materials from display and storage after an “age-appropriate material review.” Both the Gottlieb and Ellis books recommended reading ages of 14 and older, which is apparently above the YVA’s target audience age of children 14 and under. The V&A rep said Hyperallergic that the institution explore “age-appropriate alternatives”. It is unclear why the Stonewall poster was removed.
“The V&A is fully committed to presenting an inclusive program and visitor experience across all of our museums, from South Kensington to Young V&A. This includes trans representation as well as the voices and perspectives of the entire queer community, collecting works from trans and non-binary artists, with our program of events, LGBTQ tours and exhibitions such as Shaping masculinities And DIVA that celebrate the diversity of our audiences and society,” the spokesperson said.
“This decision was not intended to be exclusive, and we recognize the concerns it has raised,” the museum spokesperson added.
Ellis and Gottlieb said Hyperallergic by e-mail that neither they nor their publishers were informed of the withdrawal of their publications from the store.
After learning that his book had been removed from the museum store via social media, Ellis ICT Tac to express his “livid anger,” commenting on the “devastating” impact transited “alarmism” can have on queer youth and families.
“To deny the very existence of a part of our community because it is considered not ‘appropriate’ for children has a long history in this country,” Ellis remarked in an email to Hyperallergic.
“Section 28 was still in effect when I was in school, and its legacy continues today; that same backlash against age-appropriate education and information sharing that we have seen around gay people is now in full force against the trans community,” Ellis continued.
Adopted on May 24, 1988 by the Conservative government of Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, Section 28 refers to a series of laws in the UK which prohibited the promotion of homosexuality by local authorities. After decades of protests, anti-LGBTQ+ legislation remained in effect until 2000 in Scotland and until 2003 in England and Wales.
Gottlieb, who is trans, said Hyperallergic that denying anyone access to health care, support and education is “denying their right to flourish”.
“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 continued. “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. .”
The illustrator added that statistically, trans youth “have a significantly higher rate of self-harm and suicide.” According to recent YouGov survey of over 5,000 LGBTQ+ people in the UK, 41% of trans people have been victims of a hate crime or incident based on their gender identity in the past 12 months.
“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 in line with their mission to encourage creativity and learning. It would be a shame to allow the person in power to make a decision that takes away a valuable resource from their visitors,” Gottlieb said.
