Queer(y)ing Museums Episode 4: Special Episode on Ukraine with Andrew Kushnir

In this special episode of Queer(y)ing Museums, Tanya and Desirée chat with Andrew Kushnir (he/him) – a gay, Ukrainian Canadian playwright, actor, educator and activist living in Toronto/Tkaronto.

Throughout this conversation, we weave through a variety of topics including, what is the “war within a war” happening in Ukraine right now for LGBTQIA+ community and how is the LGBTQIA+ movement intertwined in Ukraine’s fight for sovereignty? Further, how can the museum, cultural and heritage sector support Ukraine and the LGBTQIA+ community at this critical time?

0:00- Intro/background to collective heritage loss in Ukraine
3:15- What is gay heritage, how can heritage be a verb and how does history live in our bodies? (The Gay Heritage Project, This is Something Else, Project Humanity)
9:00- 15:53 – The arts and crisis
16:02- 21:50 – Current war in Ukraine and how the LGBTQIA+ community is affected
21:53- We Support LGBTQ Ukraine Fund and the Chevron initiative
30:00- What is the role of the museum, cultural and heritage sector? 

43:44- What is your vision for queer or trans futures?

To donate to the We Support LGBTQ Ukraine Fund, visit: https://veritascharityservices.com/campaigns/we-support-lgbtq-ukraine-fund/