A “weapon of survival”: the importance of material culture in trans re/presentation

Abstract

The Museum of Transology contains the UK’s largest collection of objects re/presenting trans, non-binary and intersex people’s lives. It is a project that fosters and centres community for trans people at a time when transphobic attacks in the UK are on the rise (Pearce et al., Citation2020a). This paper utilizes empirical interview and documentary analysis data to discuss the Museum of Transology as a museum, archive, collective memory, and community building tool. I articulate the importance of a project like the Museum of Transology, one which allows trans people to “touch through time” (Dinshaw et al., Citation2007, p. 178) to create an affective connection with the past. I discuss how the project’s live archiving practice allowed the organization to rapidly respond to the Black Lives Matter movement, adapting their collection practices in real time. The Museum of Transology challenges how we understand and conceive of the purpose and practice of museums.

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