CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — In conjunction with PRIDE Corpus Christi, the Corpus Christi Museum of Science and History will be debuting “50 years: The Stonewall Uprising” on Oct. 1. The traveling exhibit, based out of Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., is coming to the Coastal Bend to celebrate LGBTQ+ History Month.
“Some panels that examine, not only the Stonewall Uprising incident, but the individuals who participated, and since their participation how the LGBT human rights movement has progressed over the last 50 years,” said Tom Tagliabue, president and CEO of PRIDE Corpus Christi.
Tagliabue said this exhibit is important to tell the history of the Stonewall Uprising, and educating people who might not know of its significance to the history of the LGBTQ+ community.
“This gives you a chance to connect with those individuals, to understand the discrimination they faced, the challenges they faced, so they can connect one a human level with these individuals in your community,” he said. “It is a wonderful opportunity to get people in the door, to expose them to new information, to things they might not ordinarily get to see.”
Carol Rehtmeyer, the President and CEO of the museum, said the exhibit fits in perfectly with the museum’s goal of education.
“Telling stories of triumph, of strife, of challenge is very important to us and our mission. This exhibit really encompasses that persona that we want to share with the community,” she said. “It’s important to tell new stories, and old stories, and bring things forward so the public can engage, and be aware. Be aware of what’s around them and where we’re going, because if we don’t understand history, it will repeat itself”.
While the exhibit will be on display throughout the month of October, the museum will have a grand opening day for the exhibit on Oct. 9, where admission to the museum will be $2.
“During these COVID times, when we haven’t been able to have the parade and block party, to have something of this significance, of this informational value, here in the Coastal Bend, I think that speaks volumes of the community support that we’ve built up, the relationships we’ve built, and hopefully to the acceptance, value, and respect of the LGBTQ+ community in the Coastal Bend,” Tagliabue said. “No event that we’ve ever done can ever be done on our own if we didn’t have the support of our community.”
