Activating Queer History — A Philosophy Rooted in Care, Action, and Cultural Power

FROM MEMORY TO MOVEMENT

 

At Badge Of Pride, we believe LGBTQ+ history carries an inherent charge: it clarifies who we’ve been, shapes who we are, and pushes the cultural imagination toward who we can become. Our collection is not a static archive—it’s a living body of evidence, memory, and creativity that demands engagement.

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We use history as a tool for public impact, grounding our work in practices that amplify belonging, deepen understanding, and strengthen civic connection.

 

A LIVING COLLECTION

 

Queer history is not niche history. It is American history. Global history. And it demands to be celebrated, questioned, and understood as a driving force for cultural progress.

 

By bringing these stories into conversation with art, activism, and contemporary movements, we create rare opportunities for audiences to engage Queer heritage in profound and deeply personal ways.

 

OUR METHODOLOGY

 

Our approach is informed by the principles of Active Collections, edited By Elizabeth Wood, Rainey Tisdale, and Trevor Jones, and reimagined through a distinctly Queer lens. Instead of objects resting in storage, we place them in conversation with contemporary life, community narratives, artistic practice, and social change.

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For us, an active collection means:

• Objects circulate through exhibitions, performances, and community programming.

• History is contextualized through lived experience, not frozen behind glass.

• Stories are mobilized to confront erasure and expand cultural visibility.

• Engagement replaces distance—dialogue replaces silence.
   

This approach ensures our collection remains vital, responsive, and connected to the people it was shaped by and for.