Is She a Friend of Dorothy's?: Archived Queer Photos and Ethical Usage

Let's quickly talk about ethical usage of unidentified subjects in archived queer media, primarily photographs.

The primary question is, when an institution is presented with a collection of historical photos that depict seemingly queer individuals performing queerness in times/places where presenting as queer is illegal or could result in harm, such as the 1970s civil rights era, & the subjects of the photos are not identified, is it ethical to use those materials to promote a collection or the institution?

Reasonings as to not: At first glance people may not consider the impact of the materials' usage. The subject isn't identified, so what could the ramifications be? Well that's part of why this is an ethical grey area. In America the 1970s and 80s was an age of civil rights movements, including such organizations as the Gay Liberation Front and ACT UP!. These activists fought for equality but where faced with many obstacle such as homophobia, racism, and transphobia. Outing someone could result in prison, physical harm, death, and/or the loss of their jobs and families. With that in mind, while photos of this era are miracles that deserve to be celebrated as they are acts of queerness as rebellion for freedom, not all subjects of these photos where consenting or wanted to be photographed. Many where not rebels who wanted their lives or actions to be radicalized, they merely wanted to exist. To celebrate themselves through expressing their natural identity. Thus presenting these photos can be seen as an act to disrupt the wishes of these people, another action to violate their rights to exist although retroactive. Which is why this question is not a legal question but an ethical one.

This ideology does not bar the photos from being held in the collection or being available via request or searches. It is still part of the collection and queer history, but with the ethical issue presented I believe it would be unethical to use these photos as promotional material. The exception to this would be that: a) the institution has exhausted research methods to identify the subject and b) a reasonable amount of time has passed in which the likelihood of the subject being identified is mute.

Let me know your thoughts and ideas below or in my asks!

Post #2 Definitions

As with most fields, there is a whole dictionary of terms & phrases that have become common place within their spheres but can seem alien from the outside.

To help myself & everyone here, I've briefly defined some obvious & some not so obvious terms that'll come up from time to time! I've created a Definitions page located in the side bar underneath the Research Guides link, so you won't have to go hunting for this post & I can update terms & add new entrees as I learn myself.

You'll see that each definition has a resource link, I encourage you too look into them more when you have the chance & explore! You'll also notice that most of these definitions come from the Society of American Archivists, I'm using this resource due to my area of study being in realm of American archives & museums. This is to make sure that I am using & presenting the correct vocabulary.

Definitions Page

Post #1: Diving In!

Hi, I'm Clovis! This is my blog about entering the museum & archiving field alongside the various topics I'm researching in the moment.

A little background one me: I've been working in academic libraries since graduating from undergrad in 2018. While I love libraries, I'm shifting focus to archival & museum work since what I love most about my past work is the preservation & dissemination of information/artifacts.

My prime focus is on American LGBTQ+ history in terms of social movements, preservation/education, & reconciliation.

Currently I am entering my master's program in Museum Studies to further my education & experience, so here's hoping I can do it! What will this blog be about?

Well, all kinds of things! From how I'm making my way into the field to how you yourself can use these kinds of institutions for research or just a fun day out. Some post will be more personal while others will be more informative, so stay tuned :)

Question? Feel free to ask! https://clovisarchives.tumblr.com/ask