WHERE'S THE T? TRANSGENDER INCLUSION IN THE MUSEUM

Not Your Average Cistory | Amelia Smith

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Last year, the Canadian Museums Association (CMA) released a draft document that attempted to address the issue of LGBTQ2+ inclusion within Canadian museums. Among the flaws of the document, one stands out from the rest, hitting at a deeper problem that runs throughout. In the section entitled “Self Identification,” the CMA seems to believe that simply including more diverse options in collecting data about employees will lead to more diverse results. Unfortunately though, there is a concept in the trans community called “being stealth.” Being stealth is when a trans person does not announce their identity, sometimes for safety reasons. If the work environment does not appear safe for the trans employee to come out, they will not announce their identity.

This gets to the root of the problem with the CMA’s inclusive policies; they deal with the top down, the hiring policies, the health benefits, data collection, but they ignore the culture that is already in place. There is very little that would let a museum know how they can help a trans employee directly.

A Transgender Pride flag flying on Transgender Day of Remembrance. Source.

In my conversations with trans museum professionals, one of the largest issues they faced was the emotional labour required to be open and out in the workplace. This is especially true for non-binary individuals, those whose identity goes beyond the traditional ‘male’ or ‘female’. For many trans people, it falls upon them to educate those around them about their identity and what it means to be trans. Being in an industry that is often contract based, a trans individual must begin the whole educating process anew with each new job. This on its own can feel like a whole other job on top of the one they were hired for. And that gets incredibly exhausting.

Another area that the CMA drops the ball on is with pronouns and how they discuss them. Everyone has a pronoun, but for most, it is just presumed based upon how they express themselves. In the CMA document, pronouns are only mentioned to say not to presume during the hiring process, when talking to the public, or when an employee needs to change their information. There are many more ways that pronouns can find their way into the workplace beyond these, and many can very easily be introduced to help a trans individual feel more welcome. One such suggestion is to normalize the idea of giving someone your pronouns. This should be done not only for trans employees, but for everyone so that it does not single out the trans employees. It can be as little as including your pronouns in your email signature, which is a practice that is becoming more and more common. This small act shows trans employees that you are thinking critically about the nature of pronouns. It can have a really big effect.

Buttons such as these can be very good to announce one’s pronouns to those around them. Source.

These are only a couple of the (many) issues with the CMA’s recent LGBTQ2+ inclusion document and ways that museums can try to be more inclusive of their employees. To find out the areas that an institution needs to improve upon, it would be best to talk to any trans employees the institution might have and listen to what they have to say. It is not enough to just assume what they need, adding their voice to the conversation is a must.

ALUMNI CHECK-IN ORIGINS: KATE SEALLY

ALUMNI CHECK-IN

BY: EMILY WELSH

Welcome to the 2018 edition of Alumni Check-In, everyone! I'm excited to be connecting with alumni far and wide and providing you all with a glimpse into the wonderfully diverse opportunities that await graduates of the Master of Museum Studies program.

To begin the year, our first check-in is with recent alumnus and creator of this column, Kate Seally!

Kate graduated from the MMSt program in 2017, and previously with a BA (Honours) in History from the University of Ottawa in 2014. She currently works at the Canadian Museums Association (CMA) as a Young Canada Works (YCW) Program Officer. On behalf of Canadian Heritage, the CMA distributes YCW funding to qualified Canadian institutions for hiring summer students and interns; in her role, Kate's duties include screening funding applications, receiving and approving (or rejecting) forms, sending funding decisions, contracts and payments, and acting as the main point of contact for employers with questions about the YCW program.

Kate Seally, '17 MMSt Graduate, currently works as a Young Canada Works Program Officer for the Canadian Museums Association. Here, Kate takes a selfie during a recent work trip to Montréal! Photo courtesy of Kate Seally.

In her past experience, Kate has had the opportunity to work at a variety of museums. She got her first taste in high school, working as a summer student at the Canadian Science and Technology Museum in Ottawa. Before starting the MMSt program, Kate worked at Billings Estate National Historic Site, Ottawa, where she worked on, and confirmed her love of, program planning and delivery. Recognizing her passion for front-of-house/programming activities, Kate made the conscious decision to branch out and take a behind-the-scenes internship at the Bytown Museum in Ottawa for the MMSt course. During her time there, Kate worked on the museum's 100th anniversary exhibition, Bytown Museum: A Century of Community, completing research, label writing and collections work.  


Kate kindly answered the following interview questions for us here at Musings:

Q: What is your favourite memory from your time in the MMSt program?

A: This might sound bad but I think my favourite memories from the program are the times I spent hanging out in the Inforum, or on the fifth floor getting to know my classmates and complaining about the workload! But seriously, I think the best part about the program was meeting and learning from museum professionals – whether through the lectures organized by the faculty, the classes taught by current museum professionals, or through all the networking opportunities and events.

Kate says, "Don’t forget to a) Occasionally do things that scare you and b) Always present at the iSchool student conference! For me that killed two birds with one stone." Here, she shows off her conference nametag. Photo courtesy of Kate Seally.

Q: What course or subject matter has been of most use to you in your current role?

A: I don’t think I can pin any one down exactly! I’d say the skills I use every day are ones I honed and practiced in all my classes; effective oral and written communication. A lot of my job consists of writing effective professional emails as well as lots of talking on the phone. I hope one day I can use some of the other things I learned (especially the program planning and interpretation knowledge!) in my job, but for now I’m quite happy.


Q: What advice would you give to museum professionals entering the sector today?

A: Experience, experience, experience! A lot of the job postings I’m seeing are asking for at least 3 years of experience, which for an entry-level person is impossible! If you can supplement your time in the program with applicable work experiences (summer jobs, internships) as well as volunteer opportunities (at the ROM while at school, etc.) I think you can go a long way towards making yourself more attractive to employers. 

I’d also say that you should have a hard think about what you need out of a job before you even consider applying for it. During my undergrad co-op work terms, I really got to try lots of different things (customer service, event planning, research, writing) and decide which I loved and which I didn’t. Now when I look at a job posting, I think about how good the fit will be for me. BUT I will add – sometimes you need to make it to the interview stage (when you can hear more about the job) before deciding about the fit.

Kate worked at the Billings Estate National Historic Site in Ottawa before starting the MMSt program, and she continued to work there occasionally during her time in the program. Now back in Ottawa, Kate picks up occasional shifts when she can! Photo courtesy of Kate Seally.

Q: What do you enjoy most about your work?

A: Honestly, I love all the interaction with my clients! I would be so bored if I had a job where I sat in a quiet corner with nobody to talk to. At CMA I get to work with a great bunch of 20-somethings as well as frequently interact with all my clients. Young Canada Works (like any grant) can be hard to navigate and I find it very satisfying to answer peoples’ questions and help them solve their problems. If I do end up working in a museum (and not “museum adjacent” as I like to say I am now!) I would definitely want to work somewhere I had a lot of opportunities to interact with others, whether co-workers or visitors.


Many thanks to Kate for taking the time to speak about her experiences and work. I wish her all the best in her future endeavours!