On Thursday, November 3rd, 2016 I was able to present at the OMA Annual Conference on including Queer Content in Museum along with two fellow Co-presenters.  This was my first foray in conducting a conversation with my peers on a very difficult topic and was incredibly successful.

I was a little nervous not knowing how many people would show up and how they would respond, but the person who introduced our panel instantly made me feel comfortable by saying “I’m gay and I’ve been in the museum sector for 25 years and I can’t believe this is the first time we are having this conversation”

As soon as I got into the presentation, things seemed to flow naturally as I eased through explaining what equity is and how we might try and achieve it.  I also gave examples of how I tried to remove barriers from my museum and gave examples of subtle ways that I could include queer content in my museum.

After the presentation, I was overwhelmed with the positive feedback from attendees.  I was told by members of the local arrangements committee that my proposal was the only one that was ranked in everyone’s top 3.

Another colleague told me at conference last year, she had been dealing with coming out and had felt very unsupported in the sector.  She was the driving force for the theme of the conference and everyone was hoping that this proposal would come forward.  Sometimes you never know the full impact of your actions and how they affect people’s lives.

It was very rewarding to hear a keynote speaker, Frank Vagnone quote my personal definition of equity in responding to a question from the audience the following day.

I hope that this isn’t my last opportunity to be able to share my passion about museums and heritage with my peers.