The Young V&A is facing criticism, including from former staffers, after the museum made the decision, before its recent reopeningto remove from display certain materials and materials that express support for trans rights and explore queer identities.
Two books and a poster were removed from the museum’s gift shop and an exhibition the week before the museum opens on July 1 after a three-year redevelopment project costing around £13million sterling.
The decision to remove the materials was taken by the director of the Victoria and Albert Museum, Tristram Hunt, according to an email sent to V&A staff members who belong to the Public and Commercial Services (PCS) union. The email was shared with the art professional publication, which broke the story.
The materials in question are illustrated books Here and Queer: A Queer Girl’s Guide to Life (2022) by author Rowan Ellis and Seeing Gender: An Illustrated Guide to Identity and Expression (2022) by illustrator Iris Gottlieb.
Both books are aimed at young people and explore issues around understanding and expressing gender identity, as well as educating readers about things like coming out, confinement, communities queer and activist events like Pride.
On her TikTok feeds, Ellis described herself as “highly angry” at the decision. She said she felt the book was taken down because “it had trans-affirming content”. She claims she was not told the book was being taken down, but found out about it through a social media post.
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!”
Members of the V&A’s LGBTQ task force, along with representatives of the PCS union, met with Hunt on June 26 to oppose the removal of the materials, but their request to have the books and poster reinstated was denied.
In response to a request for comment from The Journal of the Arts, a Young V&A spokesperson said: “We have made the complex decision to remove several objects, covering a range of contemporary topics, from an exhibit on how design is used as a creative tool to campaign for different causes. .
Addressing the removal of the Gottlieb and Ellis books, the spokesperson said the books were not appropriate for the museum’s target audience: “The two books that were removed prior to the opening of the Young V&A range of stores have a recommended reading age of 14+, which is above the Young V&A audience age (which is 0-14). We are exploring alternatives for our target age group.
The Young V&A design gallery © Luke Hayes, courtesy of the Victoria and Albert Museum, London
Hunt’s decision proved controversial, drawing criticism from the museum sector’s voice, including former Young V&A employees.
In a LinkedIn positionStephanie Stevens, a trans rights advocate who worked as a floor manager at the Young V&A between January and June this year, wrote: “I have given six months of my time and energy to this space, believing wholeheartedly that their intentions were to provide a space that is inclusive, nurturing, learning and encouraging the curiosity of all young people.
Stevens claims that V&A staff attempted to hide the trans-affirming literature from Hunt before the museum opened.
“I was contacted by one of my former colleagues to say that the team was hiding books from Tristram Hunt,” she wrote. “I was appalled, I put it down to some kind of joke. Unfortunately, here we are.”
Rowan Moore, architecture critic for The Observer newspaper, was also outspoken in its criticism of Hunt. Moore wrote on Twitter: “Last week I heard Tristam Hunt and others talk about diversity and inclusion at the launch of Young V&A. Now it turns out that some slightly pro-trans material has been removed from display This is hypocrisy. One of the articles was a poster that read “Some people are trans, forget about yourself! What’s there to disagree with here? Does deleting it mean Does the young V&A think that in fact no one is trans? That’s also weak. One can only guess that this ban is based on some kind of fear of a backlash from activists. Cultivate a backbone .
Margaret Middleton, a Belfast-based consultant for inclusive museum practices, says Hunt’s decision to remove the literature demonstrated a lack of foresight on the part of the museum to adequately deal with such sensitive cultural issues. “It’s really disappointing and it’s also totally predictable,” she says.
Middleton thinks the V&A should have anticipated visitors’ questions and prepared answers, rather than removing the material from display.
“Haters are going to hate it, but there are things you can do to prevent this from happening in your show,” she said. part of a Twitter thread. “When planning content for an LGBTQ museum, whether in an exhibit or program, remember that homophobia and transphobia are real. That doesn’t mean self-censorship, it means building your case and preparing for a backlash.
The decision to remove these documents “was not intended to be exclusive”, the V&A spokesman said. “We recognize the concern this has caused. We know these are important topics, and our decision was made as part of a larger program we are developing about how we present gallery content in a more thoughtful and inclusive way.
The V&A spokesperson continued: “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 and the voices and perspectives of the entire queer community, collecting works from trans and non-binary artists, with our events program, LGBTQ tours and exhibitions such as Fashioning Masculinities and DIVA that celebrate the diversity of our audiences and society. In the coming weeks, we will partner with young people, educators and scholars, as well as V&A colleagues, including our LGBTQIA+ network, to help shape this work. »
