Out in the Archives: An Exploration of LGBTQ+ History at Union College is a student curated exhibit, set to open on October 11, 2023, in the Beuth Atrium of Schaffer Library.
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.
