Rainbows in Unexpected Places: Bringing LGBTQ+ History Into All Museums

Jul 16, 2025
Three women variously waring business casual attire and California State Parks uniforms are seated behind an outreach event table; both the table cloth and an adjacent stand-up banner are emblazoned with the California State Parks logo and the words, "NOW HIRING LiveTheParksLife.com"

As part of a Recruitment event at the California Association of Museums Conference in February, Emma Silverman, Capital District Curator III, and myself, Kim Whitfield, State Park Interpreter III, facilitated a well-attended roundtable entitled “Rainbows in Unexpected Places—Bringing LGBTQ+ History Into All Museums.” The roundtable drew conference attendees for a discussion of LGBTQ+ history exhibits, events, and programming at institutions that do not typically address the topic.

Emma and I kicked off the roundtable by sharing our experience designing the California State Railroad Museum’s first exhibit dedicated to LGBTQ+ history: “Out and About with Lucius Beebe, Charles Clegg, and ‘The Gold Coast.’” (To view the digital version of that exhibit, click here.) Participants, who work at a range of institutions including children’s museums, science museums, Tribal museums, and libraries, then discussed their own experiences, challenges, and advice. The wide-ranging conversation touched on topics such as how to incorporate inclusion of LGBTQ+ communities into museums’ strategic plans, how to create LGBTQ+ content when museum leadership is not supportive, how to address the topic at museums in rural areas where there is no visible local LGBTQ+ community, and how to respond to targeting and protest by hate groups.

Photograph of a group of roughly 20 people primarily dressed in business casual attire looking toward the camera while variously seated and standing around 3 adjacent tables in a conference room setting.

Emma Silverman and Kim Whitfield host successful roundtable session.

Our key-takeaway from this roundtable discussion is that the work of representation, be it as a community member, an advocate or an ally, can feel lonely and isolating. When we come together at conferences, workshops, and trainings, like CAM, we realize that we are not alone, that we are stronger together, and we can do great work that creates positive lasting change. For me, this is really heartening. In a world where division is becoming the norm, building community is more important than ever. There is more that connects us than divides us. And we can be that connecting place for each other. This roundtable session provided an opportunity for participants to create community and build support networks that extend beyond the conference. Emma and I are proud that our roundtable communicated California State Parks’ leadership in the field of LGBTQ+ inclusion, in alignment with our agency’s foundational values of equity and relevancy for all people in California.

—Kim Whitfield, State Park Interpreter III, California State Railroad Museum; Emma Silverman, Curator III, Capital District