The Berkshire Conference stands with the Committee on Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender History in its condemnation of the Museum of the American Revolution’s (MoAR) decision to rent event space to the Moms For Liberty (MFL), a known hate group. The MFL have been listed among the Southern Poverty Law Center’s growing class of “extremist” groups in this country and have repeatedly engaged in homophobic, transphobic, and racist speech and actions including against LGBTQ teachers in Florida. MFL have also joined those groups who oppose “Critical Race Theory” in public classrooms – including teaching any U.S. history in public schools that is even mildly critical of the U.S. American role in slavery.
We urge the MoAR to reconsider this decision. Given that many people “learn” the history of this country through public institutions like museums and given the continuing and increasing challenges of integrating LGBTQ+ people and those minimized in their representation in such institutions because of their race or ethnicity, we call on the MoAR to cancel their contract with the MFL. The decision to “host” this group and give them space to spread more hate and fear is not just misguided, but, at this cultural moment, profoundly damaging to a large number of people who have been and continue to be misrepresented and marginalized in this nation.
This combination of transphobia, homophobia, and racism distorts and occludes the contributions of generations of scholars who have fought to bring marginalized voices and perspectives into basic consideration in the retelling of U.S. American history. The inclusion of MFL serves to shut down conversation and de-legitimize the very existence and experiences of significant numbers of people.
Please reconsider your decision.
Berkshire Conference of Women Historians
The Berkshire Conference of Women Historians is a professional organization that was founded in 1930 to promote the interests of women historians within and outside academia. In recent decades, the organization has taken a leading role in promoting the histories of women, gender and sexuality. Our triennial conference (the Berkshire Conference on the History of Women, Genders and Sexualities) is the largest women’s history event in the world.
June 24, 2023
