Bosses at People’s History Museum (PHM) have issued a statement after the venue hosted a meeting by a group deemed by some to be ‘trans exclusionary’ and 'gender critical'.
The museum, located on Left Bank in Spinningfields, was the subject of a ‘hostile environment on social media’ after members of the Sex Matters group held a board meeting at the premises. PHM has since said it does not share the same values as the group.
Researcher and writer Maya Forstater tweeted on Sunday (June 25): “Fabulous weekend in Manchester - great @SexMattersOrg board meeting @PHMMcr and night out with @WRN_Manchester.”
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On its website, the Sex Matters group says one of its visions is that ‘sex means biological sex’ and says that ‘individuals should be free to hold and express diverse beliefs, and to express themselves about sex and gender identity, without sanctions or being labelled hateful’.
The news of the meeting being held upset some members of the LGBTQ+ community, who argued the group was ‘holding back equality’. Dylan Lewis-Creser tweeted: “Really disappointing to see the People's History Museum hosting the transphobic organisation Sex Matters. Fighting oppression is intersectional, so it is really disappointing to see a museum with that history hosting an organisation based on holding back equality.”
Dylan’s tweet, which has since been viewed more than 360,000 times, led to a debate over the group's intentions. "What’s transphobic about it? Be clear please," one said in defence.
PHM has now responded in a statement which stated that the museum is 'an inclusive space for trans and non-binary people, the wider LGBTQI+ community and all people who face marginalisation’.
The statement said: “People’s History Museum (PHM) is committed to creating a fairer world for everyone and we represent all those working to achieve this. The PHM team works tirelessly to create an inclusive and welcoming space. We stand in solidarity with trans and non-binary people.
“We never want these values, or the trust that exists between us, to be undermined.
“The past few days have been deeply troubling as our trans and non-binary allies, team members and collections have been at the centre of a hostile environment on social media.
“We are deeply upset by the situation, which arose from an external board meeting being held in a room hired at PHM by an organisation that we feel does not share our values. We did not do sufficient due diligence and we will learn from this. We are truly sorry for the impact this has had on the people and communities that we work with and our own staff team.
“We want to be clear that we are and always will be an inclusive space for trans and non-binary people, the wider LGBTQI+ community and all people who face marginalisation. We do not take relationships with our partners and communities for granted, we know it will take time to rebuild this trust and we are deeply committed to doing this.”
