Controversy at the new Young V&A museum in Bethnal Green, where staff were told to remove a poster that read “Some people are trans. Get over it!” and two books with LGBT themes just before the opening this weekend, apparently on the orders of boss Tristram Hunt.
Some workers were unhappy. The PCS union said it “is of a disservice to the visitors we serve, and a direct affront to trans visitors and staff”, reported Arts Professional.
Rowan Ellis, whose book Here and Queer was removed, has said she is “beyond angry” at the move. She added: “Right now, in the UK, we are having conversations around the demonising, the sexualising, the adultifying – for lack of a better word – of transness in the same way we had for queerness, for being gay some decades ago.”
The V&A told us: “This decision was not intended to be exclusionary, and we do recognise the concerns that this has caused. We know that these are important topics, and our decision was taken as part of a wider programme that we are developing on how we present gallery content in a more considered and inclusive way for 0–14-year-olds at Young V&A.
“In the weeks ahead, we will be partnering with young people, educators and academics, as well as V&A colleagues including our LGBTQIA+ network to help shape this work.”
