The Maritime Museum of BC is preparing for a new exhibit that will showcase the queer, trans, and two-spirit communities’ maritime history and culture, coming in May 2022.
According to the museum, the exhibit — called “Queer at Sea: Tales from the 2SLGBTQ+ Community” — will officially open to the public on May 17, 2022, and will run for the duration of the summer.
The Maritime Museum of BC says that these communities have long been a part of B.C.’s maritime culture and the goal of the exhibit is to showcase that. The new exhibit will also celebrate the roles and contributions queer, trans, and two-spirit people have made to BC’s maritime sectors, while also acknowledging work that remains to eliminate discrimination against the 2SLGBTQ+ community in the marine sectors.
“It is important for queer, trans, and two-spirit communities to speak for themselves and share their own stories,” said Brittany Vis, Executive Director of the Maritime Museum of BC, “we are seeking input from queer, trans, and two-spirit individuals who are willing to voluntarily share their stories for use in the exhibit.”
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In anticipation of the new exhibit, the Maritime Museum of BC says it will be hosting a Postcard Art Contest. The museum will take submissions and choose three postcards to be printed that reflect the themes of the exhibit. The museum notes that these postcards will be part of an interactive display alongside stories from queer, trans, and two-spirit communities. There will be three $150 prizes will be awarded and the selected postcards will be available in the Museum gift shop.
According to the museum and its mandate, stories are being requested from 2SLGBTQ+ people who are connected to BC’s maritime history, culture, and industries. This can include anything from working in the B.C. maritime field as a queer, trans, or two-spirit person, to being a queer, trans, or two-spirit member of a BC maritime-based community, to partaking in maritime recreational activities as a queer, trans, or two-spirit person.
The Maritime Museum of BC is encouraging British Columbians to submit stories in a handful of ways including:
- A written story that will be presented as text
- Oral interview that will be presented as text
- Video interview that will be presented on digital screens with audio
- Photograph-based stories with added captions to contextualize them as needed
- Object-based stories with personal objects (tools, uniforms, etc.) loaned to the Museum for the exhibit
- Short quotes that speak to your experience
- Any combination of the above
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