Queer Gear: Clothing from LGBTQ+ Kentuckians

From buttons and t-shirts to leather and lace, clothing acts as a way for the LGBTQ+ community to express themselves and their queerness. One’s fashion choices can affirm identity and critique the status quo. Clothing lives in a uniquely liminal space, expressing the inextricable link between the public and private, the individual and collective, and our intimate and civic lives. Clothing is a visual cue to subtly, or not so subtly, signal queerness to others. Differences in dress can be seen as deviant and call into question social norms. By publicly displaying garments from queer Kentuckians, Queer Gear celebrates the vibrant and eclectic histories that these objects tell.

 

Queer Gear features clothing from the Faulkner Morgan Archive (FMA), which collects materials related to Kentucky’s LGBTQ+ history to weave a profound sense of queer belonging into the fabric of history. FMA shares Kentucky’s LGBTQ+ history to unequivocally affirm our community’s place in the rich tapestry of our past, present and future. Through exhibitions such as this one, FMA celebrates LGBTQ+ Kentuckians’ long history and culture of free expression, creativity, and talent.