Nothing may be removed
Shock-horror:
Young V&A removes trans poster and LGBTQ+ books
A poster supporting transgender rights and two books discussing LGBTQ+ identities have been removed from the Young V&A (YVA) ahead of the museum’s reopening on Saturday (1 July).
According to an email sent to Public and Commercial Services (PCS) union members at the V&A, shared anonymously with Arts Professional, the decision to remove the poster and books was made by V&A Director, Tristram Hunt, last week.
The poster was produced by charity Stonewall and read: ‘Some people are trans, get over it!’. The books removed from the YVA bookshop – Seeing Gender and Here and Queer – are illustrated books, the first on expressing and understanding the complexities of gender and the second a guide aimed at girls to educate on aspects of queer life, such as coming out and Pride.
Well, museums do change their exhibits regularly. I daresay they even alter exhibits sometimes. Why wouldn’t they? Curators aren’t there just to take up space.
I think a poster with that silly message merits removal, on grounds of silliness plus rudeness. It’s not actually true that “some people are trans” in the sense of “some people are the other sex.” Some people think of themselves as trans, yes, but that doesn’t mean we have to agree with them, much less that we have to “get over it.”
But then posters in museums aren’t necessarily there because they make truthful statements. (The Holocaust Museum is full of lies, because it’s there to document them.) The Stonewall poster is a piece of propaganda for the idea that people can and should change sex. Maybe the V&A, or at least its director, has decided it doesn’t want to display that particular brand of propaganda at this time. I think they’re allowed to do that.
The letter says PCS union has been working with the V&A Staff LGBTQ Working Group and fellow trade union Prospect to explore ways to have the objects returned to display before the museum reopens.
It adds the working group, Propsect representatives and several PCS representatives met with Hunt to discuss the issue on Monday afternoon.
In the meeting, the request to return the poster and books was rejected.
…
Asked for comment, Steven Warwick, PCS Culture Group Secretary, said: “PCS is absolutely clear that we oppose the removal of these objects and urges the V&A to reverse this decision. The poster was simply a statement of fact that ‘Some people are trans’. That the director of the V&A considers this to be a controversial statement is disappointing.”
Ah but it’s not simply a statement of fact. Some people say they are trans; that’s a statement of fact; but the claim that they are trans is hotly contested. Some of us don’t believe there’s any such thing as being trans.
And of course they fail to mention the “get over it” part when they say it’s a statement of fact. “Some people are racist. Get over it!” would similarly begin with a statement of fact, this time unambiguously. Or perhaps “Some people are homeless. Sucks to be you!” would make the point better.
Even if you accept that “some people are trans” it’s a very banal statement. It’s not the job of the V&A or any other museum to display posters making banal points on a level with “boron is the element with atomic number 5” or “Paris is the capital of France” or whatever. Nor is it the job of the unions to dictate what should be on display. Tristram Hunt deserves our respect for taking a stand on this. He is a former Labour MP so it would have been no surprise if he’d caved in.
I wonder if things being removed from the shop might have something to do with how well they sell (or do not sell, as the case may be).
Just a thought.