Oh [Queer] Pioneers! Narrating Queer Lives in Virtual Museums

Abstract

This study examines the current approach of virtual museums in presenting the lives of queer subjects, especially when a subject’s queerness is either almost completely obscured or seriously misrepresented in favor of a less controversial, more readily marketable version. Examining the Willa Cather Foundation virtual museum, this study critiques the selective erasure of various facets of historic figures’ lives and explores alternative approaches to reconcile similar situations.

Key Words: queer theory, virtual house museums, Willa Cather