LGBTQIA+ inclusion in European museums: An incomplete guideline

In this guideline, the Network of European Museum Organisations (NEMO) addresses the critical issue of ensuring that all communities feel welcome in the museum by implementing LGBTQIA+ inclusive policies in museums. Building on insights gathered from museum professionals across Europe, NEMO aims to support institutions in becoming more inclusive spaces for everyone.

As cultural institutions committed to continuous learning, critical reflection, and cooperation with and for communities, museums have a profound responsibility to ensure that their spaces are welcoming and representative of all people. Museums can play a unique role in fostering social cohesion, challenging stereotypes, and celebrating diversity. By advancing inclusion and ensuring welcoming spaces for one community, museums take a step towards enhancing inclusivity for all communities. This report serves as a guide for museum professionals looking to integrate LGBTQIA+ inclusivity into their operations and programming. It also presents potential scenarios that highlight common challenges museums may encounter when implementing such policies. These scenarios provide valuable insights into potential obstacles, such as revising exhibition content to be more inclusive, navigating sensitive language issues, and considering infrastructure to ensure that all visitors feel safe and welcome. The guidelines and each scenario underscore the importance of adopting a thoughtful, comprehensive approach that goes beyond surface-level changes.

NEMO’s objectives include:

• Awareness: we want to achieve that every museum in the NEMO network is aware of the needs of LGBTQIA+ persons, both from an organisational perspective (staff) and that of audiences.
• Instruments: we want to provide museums in Europe with good examples and guidelines on how to work with LGBTQIA+ persons.
• Advocacy: we want to position museums as safe spaces and places for the LGBTQIA+ community to meet and discuss their challenges, especially in countries that are currently in a political environment where LGBTQIA+ groups are threatened.

NEMO’s ‘LGBTQIA+ inclusion in European museums: An incomplete guideline’ is a work in progress. They invite contributions by sharing policies from your country and scenarios of developing more inclusive museums. Insights will be added to their webpage, enriching this resource for the museum community.

Download the guidelines here.