Sexual Diversity Museum
The Museum of Sexual Diversity is a museum created in 2012 by the Secretariat of Culture and Creative Economy of the State of São Paulo, with the aim of promoting the culture of the LGBT population in Brazil. The museum offers temporary and traveling exhibitions that visit other cities in the state of São Paulo. The exhibitions are composed of images, photographs, objects, and videos, created by artists who discuss LGBT themes, and who find it difficult to exhibit their art in other venues.
History
The museum was created on May 25, 2012, in accordance with Decree 58.075 of the Secretariat of Culture of the State of São Paulo as a Center for Culture, Memory, and Studies of Sexual Diversity in the State of São Paulo, located at the República of the metro. It is the first museum in Latin America and the entire southern hemisphere with this theme. The museum's purpose is to preserve the history and culture of the LGBT community, as well as to highlight the importance of sexual diversity in the social and cultural construction of Brazil. The museum focuses on creating space for artists who discuss this topic, along with political activism and sociocultural legacy, and to preserve and disseminate the memory of LGBT culture. Through traveling exhibitions, the museum also promotes and disseminates exhibitions in other cities of the State of São Paulo and works in partnership with organizations that promote discussion against homophobia, such as the exhibition "Homophobia out of fashion", held in partnership with the House of Creators and the exhibition "OT da Questão", in commemoration of the International Transgender Day of Visibility, in partnership with the Department of Defense and Citizen Justice.Museum plans
In 2014, the Secretariat of Culture of the State of São Paulo created a competition in ProAC to transfer the museum to the Residência Joaquim Franco de Melo, located on Paulista Avenue, as part of the Support Contest for Restoration Projects of Listed Buildings by Council for the Defense of Historical, Archaeological, Artistic and Tourist Heritage. The new project includes areas for collections, administration, cafeteria, theater, and an event space. The property is in a state of decay, lacking necessary maintenance funding, which is why the project requires restoration work by Hereñu + Ferroni Arquitetos, the winning company of the competition. However, the property is in litigation in court, making the implementation of the museum at this location impossible. Currently, the property remains a private residence and the São Paulo LGBT Pride Parade Association promotes a petition for the City Hall of São Paulo to continue this project.Closure and reopening
Due to a complaint from state deputy Gil Diniz about alleged irregularities in the contract between the Secretariat of Culture of the State of São Paulo and the Odeon Institute to manage the venue housing the museum, the State Court of Justice announced the suspension of said contract. As a result, the museum announced its closure on April 29, 2022.On August 31, 2022, the São Paulo court ordered the reopening of the museum after overturning the April decision as a result of the appeal filed by the state government. The Museum of Sexual Diversity officially reopened on September 2 with the exhibition "Duo Drag". On December 28 of the same year, the start of the museum's expansion works was announced, which will increase its area from 100 m² to 540 m² with a total investment of 5 million reais.