Special Exhibition Marks 10 Years Of The Museum Of Transology

By Laura Reynolds

Last Updated 25 February 2025

Laura Reynolds Special Exhibition Marks 10 Years Of The Museum Of Transology

A pair of children's ballet shoes accompanied by a brown handwritten tag — "My first pair of ballet shoes. I've been doing ballet since I was four years old. When I came out I was worried that people wouldn’t see me as male because of my love for ballet and pointe, but because I love it so much I refused to quit. Since coming out I've been more confident in my dancing, and while they were worn long before my transition, they hold a lot of meaning for me and ballet has made me the man I am." Image courtesy of the Museum of Transology Photo: Katie Davies

The Museum of Transology celebrates its 10th anniversary with a special exhibition showcasing more than 1,000 objects from its collections.

Located within Bishopsgate Institute's Special Collections and Archives, the Museum of Transology is a collection of objects representing trans, non-binary and intersex people's lives. Anyone is able to donate an object, accompanied by a brown luggage tag with its story. The idea behind it is to "halt the erasure of transcestry" — that is, to ensure that the stories of people who fall into these categories cannot be erased from history, and to allow them to share their stories in their own words, rather than how the media chooses to portray them.

A toy made of colourful wooden blocks, accompanied by a brown handwritten tag — "A fiddle toy to take my mind off negative feelings". Image courtesy of the Museum of Transology. Photo: Katie Davies

Now, Central Saint Martins is telling some of these stories in new exhibition, Transcestry: 10 Years of the Museum of Transology, celebrating resilience, identity and creativity, and amplifying underrepresented voices from within the community.

A battered tube of lipstick accompanied by a brown handwritten tag — "This lipstick was from my wonderful sister who was the first family member to accept and support my transition. ❤️" Image courtesy of the Museum of Transology Photo: Katie Davies

It's split into themes, including fashion, healthcare and beauty; transology, pride and protest; and memory and milestones, sharing experiences of trans, non-binary and intersex people in the UK and Ireland. On display are items which commemorate private gender milestones, alongside medical ephemera, and protest placards from mass public rallies.