Intersectional Identities: Exploring the Overlap of LGBTQ+ and Racial Justice
The LGBTQ+ rights movement is inextricably linked to other social justice struggles, including racial justice. By exploring the intersections of these movements, we can gain a deeper understanding of the complexities of social change.
Black LGBTQ+ Experiences
The Flyover Country exhibit highlights the experiences of Donna Burkett and Manonia Evans, a Black lesbian couple who challenged societal norms by attempting to obtain a marriage license in Milwaukee in the 1970s. Their story underscores the unique challenges faced by Black LGBTQ+ individuals in the United States, who often experience discrimination based on both race and sexual orientation.
Additionally, the Decolonizing Queerness exhibit sheds light on the rich and diverse expressions of queerness in North Africa and Sub-Saharan Africa. By examining the historical and cultural context of Black queer experiences, we can challenge Western-centric notions of gender and sexuality.
Jewish LGBTQ+ Experiences
Kurt Hiller and Claude Cahun, featured in Blossom & Wilt, were Jewish writers, artists, and activists who resisted Nazi oppression. Paul Erdős, a renowned mathematician featured in Through Science to Justice, was also Jewish and drummed out of universities in Europe due to the rise of antisemitism. Their stories highlight the intersection of Jewish identity, LGBTQ+ identity, and anti-fascist activism.
Indigenous LGBTQ+ Experiences
The Decolonizing Queerness exhibit is all about the diverse expressions of queerness within Indigenous cultures. By examining the experiences of Indigenous LGBTQ+ individuals, we can challenge Western-centric notions of gender and sexuality. The exhibit highlights the muxes of Oaxaca, the hijras of India, and the five gender system of the Bugis culture in Indonesia, among others.
Asian LGBTQ+ Experiences
Through Science to Justice profiles Hiraga Gennai, a same-sex-loving Japanese polymath living in the Edo period. His story demonstrates the long history of LGBTQ+ experiences in Asia and challenges Western-centric narratives about sexuality and gender.
Jim Toy, a biracial Asian man featured in Flyover Country, was a pioneer in LGBTQ+ activism in Michigan. His father was Chinese-American and his mother was Scottish-Irish-American but born in Japan. Toy was the first person to publicly come out in the state of Michigan and was a longtime fixture of the University of Michigan.
Decolonizing Queerness features the “third gender” roles among the Bugis people of South Sulawesi in Southeast Asia as well the non-nuclear family structures, same-sex love, and third gender role of Hawaiian and Tahitian peoples.
Latinx LGBTQ+ Experiences
The Decolonizing Queerness exhibit explores the indigenous roots of LGBTQ+ identities within Latin American cultures. By examining the Inca and Zapotec cultures, we can gain a deeper understanding of the historical and cultural significance of gender diversity in Latin America.
