Today, the Canadian Centre for Gender & Sexual Diversity, launched their plans to create to world's first LGBTQI2+ Museum. The new 15,000sq.ft. facility, scheduled to open in 2021, will be located in Lebreton Flats, and will curate the stories, histories, art, and culture of LGBTQI2+ people in Canada and the world. We are working on this new space through a partnership Claridge Homes.

"There is nothing more important than your story, and our history—And now we are going to give them a home", said Calla Barnett, Board President of the Canadian Centre for Gender & Sexual Diversity.

"We recognize that our work is changing", said CCGSD founder & executive director Jeremy Dias. "When we started doing workshops in schools 14 years ago, we were explaining basic LGBTQI2+ terms and experiences. Today, we have Canadians who are hungry to learn about LGBTQI2+ history, culture, and art—and as an educational institution we see this as a natural evolution of our work."

The new Centre will feature 3 exhibition galleries, a theatre & performance space, educational rooms, and new space for community organization.

"The Canadian Centre for Gender & Sexual Diversity has been leading the way in sharing Canada's LGBTQI2+ story, and they are uniquely positioned to do this important work," said Mark O'Neill, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Canadian Museum of History. "We are proud to have collaborated with the Centre in presenting the Gay Sweater in the Canadian History Hall, where it helps to tell an important part of Canada's history, and we look forward to furthering our collaboration through this endeavour."

"This will be a space of sharing our heritage with Canadians" Dias continued. The space will also be replicable, meaning that when an exhibition goes up in Ottawa, you can print it out at home, in your schools, or in your workplace, and recreate the exhibition with info cards, curriculum resources, and interpretation material.

The new space will be more than just learning, there will be a number of unique community use spaces.

"The space will also include the first Two-Spirit Healing Lodge, and community space," said Elena Abel, Two-Spirit Advisor at the CCGSD. "This unique space for Indigenous LGBTQI2+ and Two-Spirit persons will be a place of healing, cultural support and celebration."

Today also marked the launch of the CCGSD's year-long consultation to build the space with LGBTQI2+ communities across Canada, as well as the fundraising campaign. The Centre hopes to raise $10M toward the space.

"Today, we are sharing our ideas for the space, but we want to be challenged, engaged and open. This is not our spaces, this is yours. Today we invite all Canadians to share your stories, LGBTQI2+ artifacts, and support, so that together we can create a space that is truly everyone's," Barnett said.

http://ccgsd-ccdgs.org/NewSpace