Powerful Self: LGBTQIA2S+ Lives Today

We all want to belong.
We all want to be seen as we truly are.The people in this exhibition, and the groups from which they come, have not always been allowed to belong. Stories connected to their personal objects tell us a little about why. Get to know them. Relate to their vulnerability, recognize their resilience, and appreciate their joy and power as they live to be their most authentic selves. Listen to these stories of change in a community over time, and stories of personal change. Ask yourself, can you see what they see? Can you see someone for who they truly are?What does LGBTQIA2S+ mean?
LGTBQIA2S+ is an acronym for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer and/or Questioning, Intersex, Asexual, Two-Spirit, and the countless affirmative ways in which people choose to self-identify.

Powerful Self is the culmination of a conversational workshop between newly acquainted intergenerational persons from within Pacific Northwest LGBTQIA2S+ communities. This exhibition is a collaboration between these storytellers and the Museum’s Education staff. Special thanks to SMYRC (Sexual & Gender Minority Youth Resource Center), Emily Squires, and Paul Iarrobino for making this possible.