A Letter to the Museum Council Community

To Museum Council of Greater Philadelphia members and our regional museum community:

Pride Month is celebrated by LGBTQIA+ people and their allies during the month of June as a commemoration of the historic struggle for human rights for Queer communities. It is also a celebration of the freedom to express one’s sexual and gender identities. 

The Museum Council of Greater Philadelphia unequivocally believes that LGBTQIA+ individuals should feel safe and secure in their place of employment. Currently, there are some assurances to help protect people in their workplace. We encourage everyone to take the time to familiarize themselves with the workplace rights and legal protections afforded to them by the Federal Government and the resources available for LGBTQIA+ people in Philadelphia. 


Although some government protections may exist, recent events have shown that those serving in senior leadership positions have a unique responsibility to ensure a safe and inclusive environment for all staff, especially those from historically oppressed backgrounds. Leadership has an ethical obligation to protect workers instead of prioritizing short term financial gains which may come through partnering with groups or renting out space to organizations known to limit the rights of or cause harm to others. Failing to do so will not only take away museums as a safe space for all marginalized communities, but will also put front of house staff, many of whom are LGBTQIA+, at risk from targeted hatred or vitriol. 

The Museum Council of Greater Philadelphia strongly discourages institutions in our community from working with groups that are actively working to undermine the rights of LGBTQIA+ folks and other marginalized groups, no matter what the circumstances might be. 


This Pride month, we urge our member institutions to celebrate and affirm the dignity of LGBTQIA+ people by supporting staff and visitors with good, equitable policy and with programming that honors the lived experience of the LGBTQIA+ community.


There is amazing work being done to highlight LGBTQIA+ history and culture in Philadelphia. Explore these links for a few examples of some of these great exhibits, tours, and resources: 


https://www.waygay.org/galleries

https://press.philamuseum.org/the-philadelphia-museum-of-art-celebrates-pride/

https://www.pafa.org/events/pride-pafas-collection-062422

https://constitutioncenter.org/calendar/pride-month 

https://www.nps.gov/articles/philadelphia-s-heritage-of-lgbtq-activism.htm

https://guides.library.upenn.edu/c.php?g=640870&p=7265745

https://www.fi.edu/en/events/20230617/lgbtq-pride-month


We hope everyone has a safe and inspiring Pride Month. 


Sincerely, 

The President and Vice President of the Museum Council of Greater Philadelphia