Heritage Safe Spaces
Remembering safe spaces from the past
Introduction
The Safe Space Alliance expanded to include heritage safe spaces in 2021 in collaboration with Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga’s Rainbow List Project led by Senior Heritage Assessment Advisor Kerryn Pollock.
We acknowledge and thank Kerryn and Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga for the important work they do for LGBTQI+ communities in New Zealand and in working with us in this area.
What are heritage safe spaces?
Heritage safe spaces are safe spaces of historical significance for LGBTQI+ communities from the recent or distant past. They are spaces LGBTQI+ communities could freely express themselves without fear. They are spaces that did not tolerate violence, bullying, or hate speech towards LGBTQI+ communities. They are spaces that represent hard-won efforts to create places of safety for LGBTQI+ communities.
Heritage safe spaces can be places like a building, group of buildings, street, monument, site, or landscape.
For more information, please contact us.
Before you submit a heritage safe space
There are two things you should consider before submitting a heritage safe space to the Safe Space Alliance:
- Is the space open to the public? If so, the owner/manager of the space must agree to be a safe space for LGBTQI+ communities.
- There must be well documented/tangible evidence of the historical significance of the space to LGBTQI+ communities.