UMKC criticized for silence after removal of gay rights exhibition

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In this March 2016 file photo, gay rights activist Mathew Skippy Mauldin holds a flag during a rally outside the Capitol in Jefferson City. (AP Photo / Jeff Roberson on file) Jeff Roberson Associated Press photo on file

The removal from the Missouri State Capitol of an exhibit tracing Kansas City’s links to the gay rights movement drew condemnation from state lawmakers and the administration of Governor Mike Parsons.

Now, the University of Missouri-Kansas City is coming under fire for not publicly opposing the relocation.

Those involved in the creation of the Making History exhibit claim that the UMKC has been unacceptably silent as controversy has unfolded over the past week and a half despite universities playing a vital role in the project. A class of 2016 developed and curated the display, and an online version is hosted on the UMKC website and bears the university logo.

Chris Cantwell, who taught in the public history class that created the exhibit, said the UMKC got its head in the sand during the uproar.

Ultimately, it’s the governor who intimidates and silences the work of UMKC graduate and undergraduate students, Cantwell said. And it would appear to be a home run for the UMKC Chancellor to support his students and their work, as well as to signal UMKC’s broader support for the LGBT community.

To create the exhibit, the students used collections from the Gay and Lesbian Archives of Mid-America’s UMKC, according to an August 27 post on the Archives’ Facebook page celebrating its move to the State Capitol.

The exhibit was on display at the Missouri State Museum, a state park located in the halls on the first floor of the Capitol, just days before the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) removed it following complaints from a member legislative staff.

After a widespread backlash, Parson said the department withdrew it after receiving complaints, but only because it failed to follow a procedure to get approval from the Public Buildings Council which did not approve. a museum exhibit over the past nine years, according to meeting minutes. The council is due to meet on Monday afternoon, but the agenda was not available.

The MNR moved the exhibit the next day to the second floor of a state historic site down rue du Capitole.

UMKC did not respond to multiple requests for comment over the past week. He only said that the exhibit was recently invited to be a temporary exhibit at the Missouri State Museum on the first floor of the state capital.

To be frank, I was really disappointed that the UMKC administration did not support the work of its students, said Kate Carpenter, a former student who was co-curator of the exhibition.

The public silence of universities contrasts with vocal denunciations of history and museum groups, both in Missouri and nationally.

The National Council on Public History wrote to Parson asking him to reconsider the removal, as did the Missouri Association for Museum Archives. The Mid-Missouri Civil Liberties Association is considering filing a complaint, said Dan Viets, a lawyer on the organization’s board of directors.

The UMKC, headed by Chancellor C. Mauli Agrawal, is a member of the University of Missouri system, which is overseen by the board of conservatives, all of whom are appointed by the governor and confirmed by the Senate. Parson appointed five of the nine members of the board of directors; the others were appointed by Governor Eric Greitens or Governor Jay Nixon.

Universities are supposed to promote research and protect students, Cantwell said. The UMKCs really aren’t doing it at the moment either.

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Jonathan Shorman is the senior political reporter for the Kansas City Stars, covering politics and government in Kansas and Missouri. He previously covered the Kansas Statehouse for The Star and Wichita Eagle. He holds a journalism degree from the University of Kansas.

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