Background
“A History of LGBTIQ+ Victoria in 100 Places and Objects was commissioned by Heritage Victoria to highlight the rich, diverse and unique history of queer communities in Victoria and to demonstrate how these communities are reflected in the places, objects and landscapes that surround us.
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex, queer, asexual, sistergirl and brotherboy (LGBTIQ+) people are, and always have been, an integral part of Victorian social, political and cultural life. However, the experiences and voices of queer communities have not commonly been included in the historical record and, consequently, queer heritage has remained largely invisible.
This report identifies 100 places, objects and collections that have specific and unique meaning to Victoria’s contemporary queer communities.
Identifying and exploring the meaning of these places, objects and collections to members of the LGBTIQ+ communities who have suggested them adds depth and richness to Victoria’s history and heritage. It also makes visible the stories and experiences of communities that have, until recently, been ignored and at times actively persecuted.
The formal identification, assessment and management of individual places of queer heritage that will result from this project will be an involved and lengthy process. This report establishes a new framework for understanding queer heritage in Victoria, and indeed Australia, by providing examples of how Victoria’s built environment and material culture can be read in a way that reveals the histories of LGBTIQ+ people and communities.” -p.6
Contents
- Introduction
- Activism and Protest
- Commemoration
- Community Health and Wellbeing
- Intimate Relations and Personal Collections
- Precincts and Archival Collections
- Social Life, Recreation and Gathering Places
- Spiritual and Cultural Life
- Surveillance, Persecution and the Law
- Visibility
- Archeology
- Image Credits
