Persistence and Existence: LGBTQ History at Mount Holyoke College

This exhibit exists to bring to light the numerous histories of queer culture on the Mount Holyoke campus and to show the necessary change over time that lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer/questioning student organizations underwent. This exhibit can make no broad claims about queer people or LGBTQ+ culture -- Mount Holyoke communities are located in a specific contextual time and place that fosters the creation of particular types of organizations. This exhibit cannot account for the experiences of all LGBTQ+ MHC students throughout time, nor is it reflective of each student’s individual experience; rather it showcases organizations, events, and dialogues that these students created. In short, Persistence and Existence was assembled to showcase how the struggles that LGBTQ+ students faced influenced the ways in which they combated their oppressions through the creation of numerous groups.  

 

Credits

This exhibition was curated by Jennie Ochterski, Class of 2015, Mount Holyoke College Archives Assistant.