The American LGBTQ+ Museum

EVENT DETAILS

Join us for a panel conversation featuring leading voices in LGBTQ+ archives and museums from across the United States. As we navigate the shifting political landscape post the 2024 presidential election, this event will delve into how institutions are adapting their collecting, archiving, and exhibition-making strategies in response to increasing challenges faced by LGBTQ+ communities.

In recent years, over 500 anti-LGBTQ+ bills have been introduced in state legislatures, with a significant focus on anti-transgender legislation. Additionally, more than 1,500 books with LGBTQ+ themes have been banned in schools across the country, reflecting a broader trend of systemic discrimination against queer identities.

Panelists from Invisible Histories, the American LGBTQ+ Museum, Arizona Queer Archives, and Vanguard Archives will share their insights and experiences on preserving LGBTQ+ history and culture amid heightened scrutiny and attacks. This timely conversation will explore innovative approaches to archiving, collection development, and exhibition-making that prioritize strength and inclusivity.

FEATURING

• Jamie A. Lee, PhD | Arizona Queer Archives
• Joshua Burford | Invisible Histories
• Maigen Sullivan | Invisible Histories
• Jessica C. Neal | Vanguard Archives
• Ben Garcia | American LGBTQ+ Museum

We invite you to engage with our panelists and fellow attendees as we discuss the importance of safeguarding LGBTQ+ narratives and fostering interdependence during these uncertain times.

Photo: Vanguard Collection at Digital Transgender Archives.

Attendees are welcome to join in person or virtually. Prepare your questions and insights for an interactive Q&A session following the discussion.

ACCESSIBILITY

We strive to host inclusive, accessible events that enable all individuals, including individuals with disabilities, to engage fully. Please reach out with any questions, requests or needs to info@americanlgbtqmuseum.org. For more information about accessibility at the Stonewall National Monument Visitor Center, please view their website here.

BIOS

Jamie A. Lee, PhD (they/she) is Associate Dean for Faculty Affairs and Associate Professor in the College of Information Science at the University of Arizona, where they direct the Critical Archives & Curation Collaborative (co/lab); the Arizona Queer Archives; and the Digital Storytelling & Oral History Lab, which communicates multimodal productions research to a broader public as engaged research and, importantly, as a vehicle for social justice. Their book Producing the Archival Body (Routledge, 2021) interrogates how power circulates in archival contexts and builds critical understandings of how archives influence and shape productions of embodied knowledge. www.thestorytellinglab.io / www.secretsoftheagave.com

Joshua Burford (he/him) is the Co-Founder and Co-Executive Director of Invisible Histories. Invisible Histories is a regional non-profit focused on the preservation, access, and research of the diverse Queer and Trans history of the American South. Josh is an award-winning historian, archivist, and educator with over 20 years of experience creating stronger communities for Queer and Transgender people across the U.S. He is perhaps best known for his work to preserve and make accessible the Queer history of the American South through the development of archival collections and oral histories. Josh is a nationally recognized educator and trainer who has worked with K-12 schools, colleges and universities, corporations, and non-profits to bring greater knowledge about the ways each can be more inclusive of diverse identities, engage in self-evaluation about best practices, and can create pathways for increased retention of minority individuals. Josh finished his Master’s degrees in 2006 with an MA in American Studies (with a concentration in LGBT history of the late 20th century) as well a Masters in Library and Information Studies. A historian and archivist by training, In 2019 Josh was selected by NBC as part of their Pride50 that honors 50 individuals who have shaped Queer history since Stonewall.

Maigen Sullivan (she/her) is the co-founder and Co-Executive Director of Invisible Histories, a nonprofit locating, researching, and creating educational content around LGBTQ history in the Deep South. Maigen has been in this role since 2018 and has previously worked or taught at several institutions including The University of Alabama, University of Alabama at Birmingham, and University at Buffalo. She has over 15 years of experience in education, social justice, diversity & inclusion, and research.Maigen earned her BA in History and her MA in Women’s Studies from The University of Alabama (UA). She earned her Doctorate in Educational Studies of Diverse Populations from the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB).Maigen was named a 2020 National Association of Multicultural Education (NAME) Emerging Scholar. She was recognized by the Society of American Archivists Innovator of the Year award in 2020 and the Marvin Yeoman Whiting Award given by the Society of Alabama Archivists in 2021.

Jessica C. Neal (Jes) (she/they) is a millennial creative, archivist, and Black memory worker based in Mobile, AL.  Informed by the frameworks of Black studies, Black feminist theory, decolonial theory, and critical archival studies, her work seeks to investigate, interrogate, imagine and document practices of liberation, heritage, and culture. As a person and professional, Jes is deeply invested in serving as an ally and collaborator within global marginalized communities to create more equity in who gets historicized and to implement post-custodial archival models. Recognizing storytelling and the resources to self-document are crucial to intergenerational communication, evidence of existence, and authentic legacy-making, her long-term focus is her work in community, personal, family, and organizational archives that document Black cultural production–-especially in the arts, literary, and social movements.

Ben Garcia (he/him) has worked for 20 years to help museums become places of welcome and belonging for all people. He started as a gallery guide and educator, moved on to exhibition development, and then served in middle- and upper-management administrative roles, before joining the American LGBTQ+ Museum as Executive Director. He has presented and published regularly on creating structural equity in museums through transparency, accountability, fair labor practices, and by adding missing voices and perspectives. Prior to joining the American LGBTQ+ Museum, Ben worked in various roles as an educator and administrator at the J. Paul Getty Museum, Skirball Cultural Center, and Hearst Museum of Anthropology. He then served as Deputy Director of the Museum of Us, and as Deputy Executive Director and Chief Learning Officer at the Ohio History Connection. He is versed in museum interpretation, operations, management, and fundraising. Ben led initiatives to return Indigenous ancestral human remains and belongings in San Diego and Ohio. He serves as a board member at Equality Ohio, working to get the Ohio Fairness Act passed.