Polskie muzeum LGBTQIA
Polish LGBTQIA Museum

Summary/Abstract: The article is a presentation of the virtual museum, which was established on June 6, 2018. It deals with historical topics related to the minority group called LGBTQIA. The museum was established as a consequence of archival activities undertaken by a collecting group called the Historical Club (from 2019 in the structures of the Q Foundation) that from the very beginning was engaged in the rescue operations of archives of the 1990s. Establishing a museum in a virtual form was associated with difficulties in establishing a stationary one and therefore this form of publicity was considered the most appropriate. So far, three virtual exhibitions have been released. The museum and the archive are focused on the goal of incorporating the history of the LGBTQIA community as a tool supporting people who discover or search for their identity and struggle in a painful way with themselves and their surroundings. The purpose of the archive itself is to collect materials unavailable online and which are at risk of irreversible loss, while the role of the museum is to popularize and reach as many recipients as possible. When creating exhibitions, there are many challenges, for example, ensuring that the content is safe for minors. Parallel to archival and museum works, recordings of the oral history of LGBT activists are made. An important issue is how the exhibitions are perceived by the community, not only LGBT but also heteronormative. Although the museum was established as a kind of PR for the archive, now both are full-fledged and have a specific role in the activities of the Historical Club.

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