An Exploration of LGBTQ+ History exhibit panel

Exhibit Website

Visit Out in the Archives Physical Exhibit

Title

An Exploration of LGBTQ+ History exhibit panel

Transcript

This exhibition seeks to highlight the stories and experiences of LGBTQ+ people at Union College, using the archival material available at Special Collections and Archives. Featuring materials identified in the 2023 Ruth Anne Evans Research Fellowship, the goal is to uncover and bring to light queer history at Union that has either been buried or has yet to be recognized as queer.

On display are glimpses into the wide variety of experiences that queer people have had at Union, from separatist to assimilationist, from closeted to openly out, from stories of triumph to stories of struggle. This exhibition does not masquerade as an exhaustive composite of the wide variety of
experiences that LGBTQ+ people have had across the centuries.
Rather, it is a singular look at some of the individuals, both students and
faculty, whose work increased queer solidarity, activism, or visibility on
campus. We are excited to make the existing information in our archives accessible to the campus community with this exhibition, and we look forward to expanding the scope of our work.

As you move through the eclectic exhibition materials that have been
pulled from dozens of disparate collections spanning several
decades, I encourage you to take note of the fact that no two subjects
contained within this research expressed or experienced queerness
in quite the same way. I also encourage you to put yourself back
in the time and place of our subjects. To aid this process, I have provided
historical context where relevant. Thank you so much for visiting.

Sincerely,
Gabriella Baratier
CLASS OF 2025
STUDENT CURATOR AND INAUGURAL
RUTH ANNE EVANS RESEARCH FELLOW

Subject

LGBTQIA+

Union College (Schenectady, N.Y.)

History

Alumni and alumnae