
Ben Garcia
Executive Director of the American LGBTQ+ Museum in New York City, appointed in 2022.
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Sep 22, 2026
Bold, activist, non-neutral: leading the national LGBTQ+ museum
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Carol ScottHOST
Now, how do you plan to or propose to balance these opposing forces? And how can you be a national museum and maintain an activist, non-neutral agenda?

Ben GarciaGUEST
I'm just going to turn that completely around because I think in our situation, we can't be a national museum without being activist and non-neutral because our very existence, just a neutral statement of our right to exist is seen as activists by so many parts of this country, right? So I think, you know, for me, I would start by saying I don't believe there are neutral museum agendas, right? The whole movement of museums are not neutral, that Latanya Autry and Mike Morawski sort of championed and others have championed.

Ben GarciaGUEST
I feel convincingly argue that unconscious or implicit bias exists in all museums and that museums are best served by examining it, naming it when they can see it.

Ben GarciaGUEST
So you can strive to be poly vocal and to bring nuance into your interpretation, which we absolutely are doing.

Ben GarciaGUEST
You know, we have more than 70 advisors who are looking at our interpretation, who come from different perspectives within the community and outside of the community.

Carol ScottHOST
First of all, is the fiscal position of the LGBTQ plus museum diversified enough to be able to take necessary risks to be an activist institution as you've outlined? And secondly, can you envisage instances where self-censoring might occur?