NUNET CLITANDRE
Special to The Leader
On March 21, the 21 students in the honors class LGBTQ American History & Literature each researched an area of LBGTQ history in America. The event resonated with them personally, and they created posters that were put on display in the Williams Center Multipurpose Room under the name, “LGBTQ American History in 21 Objects.”
The exhibition itself was inspired by the exhibition “Trans History in 99 Objects,” from the Museum of Transgender History and Art, which was itself a response to an exhibition put on at the Smithsonian in Washington D.C., titled “The Smithsonian’s History of America in 101 Objects.”
Sophomore music composition major Matthew Kowalski created a piece on the jazz standard “Take the ‘A’ Train” by Billy Strayhorn, an openly gay African-American composer from the early 1940s.
“This song was composed 20 years before the civil rights [movement], during a time when prejudice was rampant and unapologetic,” said Kowalski. “It’s interesting to see the culture of music just take him and accept him with open arms regardless of sexuality. It didn’t matter who he wanted to love. All that mattered was the music.”
Dean Bavisotto, a senior dual women’s and gender studies and English major, created his piece on the iconic poster from the activism group AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power, or ACT UP. The poster utilizes the symbol of a pink triangle, which was taken from Nazi Germany and flipped as a way to reject stigma and reclaim it as a symbol of pride. “Silence=Death” was the name of a political collective.
“I’ve been a member of the Pride Alliance at Fredonia for all four years. The community here on campus is very inclusive, and I think this exhibition is a noteworthy example of the overwhelming acceptance,” said Bavisotto.
Displaying the valiant strides and efforts the LGBTQ community has made reach the level of acceptance is has in today, “LGBTQ American History in 21 Objects” helps to shed light on an identity of our country’s history that is often not given the attention and respect it deserves.