Evening Telegraph (First Edition)
Collecting history of LGBT
ITEMS from Perthshire Pride have been added to Perth Museum and Art Gallery’s permanent collection in celebration of LGBT History Month.
Arts trust Culture Perth and Kinross announced earlier this week that the original Perthshire Pride flag – created in 2018 – would be among items to go on show in the Fair City.
Also included in the museum’s collection is the Pride Western Australia flag, donated by local drag queen Scarlet Skylar Rae.
The flag was signed by the entire Pride Western Australia board and gifted as part of the Perth to Perth Partnership set up between Perthshire Pride and Pride Western Australia in November 2019.
Other items include a guest book from Perthshire Pride, a selection of Perthshire Pride merchandise and a sticker from the rainbow stickers campaign.
Scarlet Skylar Rae said: “I am so excited that objects from Perthshire Pride will be getting added to the permanent collection at the museum.
“This will allow future members of the LGBTQIA+ community to learn about their history in Perth and Kinross.
“It will also show future generations the progress that has been made for the community over the years.”
The donation is part of an effort to document local LGBT+ history in the region, an area that Culture Perth and Kinross says is currently underrepresented in museum collections.
And the organisation has been working alongside Perthshire Pride to create a collection that represents the local LGBT+ community.
Kirsty Brown of Culture Perth and Kinross said: “We have been collaborating with Perthshire Pride since 2018, and we’re pleased to cement this relationship even further with the addition of key items to the permanent collection held at Perth Museum and Art Gallery.
“It is important that our collections reflect the contemporary lives of those who live and work in the region and the addition of these items will help us share the stories and experiences of the LGBTQIA+ community within our work.”
Perthshire Pride founder Claire Mackenzie added: “I am so excited that objects from Perthshire Pride will be getting added to the permanent collection at the museum.
“This will allow future members of the LGBTQIA+ community to learn about their history in Perth and Kinross.
“It will also show future generations the progress that has been made for the community over the years.”
LGBT History Month is commemorated every February in a number of countries including the UK, Australia, Canada and Ireland.
The first Perthshire Pride parade was held in 2019, with celebrated actor Sir Ian McKellen making an appearance.
More than a thousand people took to Perth city centre to celebrate the event.
The parade made its way along Tay Street to Horsecross Plaza where the Lord of the Rings actor took to the stage to speak.