Margaret Middleton
@magmidd
Followers
13,562
Following
4,133
Media
2,574
Statuses
25,461
Freelance designer of playful learning experiences. Museums - Exhibit design - Social justice - Queer possibility - Children's Museums
Belfast, Northern Ireland
Joined August 2013
Don't wanna be here?
Send us removal request.
Explore trending content on Musk Viewer
FELIX
• 204498 Tweets
アザラシ幼稚園
• 138731 Tweets
STRAY KIDS DOMINATE LOLLA
• 66781 Tweets
Arath
• 48006 Tweets
ロッキン
• 47829 Tweets
#LYKNConcert
• 41201 Tweets
#MoshiMoshixTENwithCANELE
• 40597 Tweets
Aerosmith
• 31224 Tweets
オアシス
• 25616 Tweets
LINGORM OTW EP4
• 24755 Tweets
#Shiorin3D
• 24401 Tweets
Mahomes
• 22687 Tweets
Kanye
• 22144 Tweets
Blake Snell
• 21289 Tweets
#キントレ
• 19244 Tweets
英霊博装
• 18710 Tweets
オベロン
• 16401 Tweets
淀川花火大会
• 13945 Tweets
Jacob Fatu
• 10023 Tweets
Last Seen Profiles
Pinned Tweet
I created this little handbook to help you make queer connections in museums.
#QueerPossibility
You can download it for free on my website:
20
265
903
The photojournalist's dilemma: save your girlfriend's pasta or get the shot of a lifetime?
2K
33K
136K
As a designer who consults with museums on gender inclusive practice, I am often asked about signage and icons. Here are some of my top recs for easy swaps you can make for a more gender inclusive visitor experience:
109
7K
29K
The best gender inclusive restroom signage puts focus on the facility not the user. The phrase "all-gender" implies more than two genders. It's also fewer letters than "gender inclusive restroom."
34
584
8K
The best gender inclusive baby care signage puts emphasis on the baby, not the carer. Baby care stations should be welcoming and available to people of all genders and abilities.
23
468
7K
The best gender inclusive signage about menstrual supplies puts emphasis on the product, not the user. "Pads and tampons" is straightforward and gender inclusive unlike "feminine hygiene." Dispensers and disposals should be available in all restrooms including men's toilets.
40
359
6K
The best gender inclusive nursing signage does not gender the carer. Nursing should be welcomed for people of all genders, throughout the facility and dedicated private space should also be available. "Nursing" is more gender inclusive than "breastfeeding."
39
283
6K
The best gender inclusive elevator signage puts emphasis on the function of the elevator, not its riders. Plus the icon on the left is too easily confused with a traditional restroom icon.
32
295
6K
I feel like there's a market for a trans-Atlantic ferry that is not a cruise ship. No frills: restaurant, bar, gym, cinema, library. There must be plenty of other people like me who would not mind spending 5-7 days working remotely or recharging while they travel.
224
274
6K
To address your burning questions:
1. It's my girlfriend's cat, The Banshee
2. My girlfriend ate the rest of the pasta
3. She endorses my decision
I endorse your decision. Let her eat the pasta. Get the shot.
11
111
1K
81
281
4K
Hi so apparently in Ireland "cider" is alcoholic and they WILL happily ladle it hot into your reusable coffee cup at 11am.
55
53
2K
Thrilled this has resonated with so many! For clarity: these are *not* new icons and I do not take credit for them- they are not as popular but many are available from sign suppliers. If you want to use these icons in custom graphics, most can be found
@nounproject
.
3
47
1K
The Banshee thanks you for all the love (and spaghetti!) She was diagnosed with cancer last winter and we are doing everything we can to keep her happy and comfy. If you'd like to help us out with her vet bills we'd be so grateful 💖
33
229
1K
I am looking forward to a future where all toilets are all-gender and fully accessible. In the meantime, while we work toward that future together, please remember to trust people that they are in the right bathroom for them and be kind.
31
47
1K
Museums blame their all-white hiring on a dearth of qualified applicants of color but they *loooove* putting white dudes with no museum experience in charge of the whole damn thing.
We're delighted to announce the appointment of a new Director, and we look forward to welcoming Dr Douglas Gurr to the Museum later this year.
47
35
83
21
206
993
Just talked with a group of young queer people about queer history in museums and they told me they want queer narratives not to be relegated to trauma.
They want to see 💖 QUEER JOY 💖
19
103
969
Thanks for including trans women in your exhibit about women!
#IWD22
Some tips:
♀️ Don't say "woman-identified", say "women"
♀️ Don't say "women and trans women", say "all women, cis and trans"
♀️ Want to include nonbinary people + trans men? Don't say it's an exhibit about women
3
180
856
Designer: OK looks like we have room for about 110 words on the text panel
Curator: here you go
31
67
704
Johnnetta Betsch Cole rewrites the metaphor:
Diversity: everyone is invited
Equity: everyone gets the same invitation
Accessibility: the invitation is understood by all and the party accommodates all
Inclusion: everyone at the party is asked to dance
💃💃💃
#AAM2018
5
257
670
@thesarahyork
Love this. I've got the scissoring sweatshirt from Autostraddle and my mom says she likes my "crafting sweater."
3
0
602
I think we are uniquely ready for this- the pandemic has influenced middle class people to reexamine their relationship with time, workplace, and environment.
9
9
608
Queer love language PSA for allies:
We are no longer accepting the sentiment Love is Love.
We will accept however:
> Black Lives Matter
> End Transphobia
> Refugees Are Welcome
> Abolish Police and Prisons
> Abortion is a Human Right
> Burritos
6
154
594
Just putting it out there: I will donate consultation to help your children's museum craft a statement in support of transgender children and their families.
7
145
596
🚨content warning thread ahead🚨
Today I'd like to share some guidelines I use for crafting and employing content warnings in museums.
8
166
589
Transphobes cite teen friend groups all coming into trans identity together as evidence of ROGD but they have it backwards. When I was a high schooler none of us were out but we were drawn to one another. It's almost like having something in common brings us closer together...
NEW EPISODE!
Who should we trust to determine the best care for trans kids? Trans people, researchers and medical professionals — or an anonymous web forum of deranged parents?
49
218
2K
9
48
591
@ling_sprenger
When in doubt, err on the side of compliments! I love when people appreciate my work, regardless of whether I know them or know of them. I'm not particularly effusive by nature personally so I try to remember this when I waver on expressing how much I appreciate someone's work.
0
1
567
Better for the climate, more accessible for people with disabilities, wheelchair users, people with phobias, the elderly, people who are very large, families with children (pay by the room, not the individual), pets...
12
5
539
The language of LGBTQ "firsts" is always so clunky. Even in the case of "first openly"- open to whom? Sally Ride's partner, family, and community all knew she was a lesbian. Would love to rethink this tendency to mark "firsts" this way.
6
83
518
Museums that rely on volunteers to deliver programming cater to the white and wealthy so running "diversity and inclusion" programs with unpaid labor is fatally flawed.
And you certainly don't deserve to benefit from workers' "lived experiences" if you don't compensate them.
2
77
481
One way transatlantic journey on the QE2 is 2 grand for a couple in a basic room- about the same as 2 first class direct flights. And from what I understand food is included. If you take out some amenities and entertainment, I bet the tickets could be competitive with airfare.
16
4
471
Delivery guy asked if I was Dr. Jamie Hagen. I said no that's my partner. He went on to explain that the name Jamie is gender neutral and so is Dr. so he thought it could have been me or my husband. So close, delivery guy. So close.
4
4
460
Anyone who has ever installed an exhibit or led a museum program knows that facilities staff are core staff. Like their work literally holds the museum together.
11
45
439
@1demerith
Right like when a CEO points to their personal assistant and says, *she's* really the brains of the operation
7
8
411
For anyone arguing about frills- I might remind you this is an imaginary ship. However, the frills I'm referring to on the QE2 are symphony concerts and fine dining. Remember, passengers will be on a boat for 5-7 days so they need to eat, amuse themselves, and move their bodies.
5
2
408
I was told by my director that our museum could not display queer content because "someone might be offended." So I asked why we were prioritizing the comfort of homophobes over marginalized people. She let me go ahead with the exhibit.
@museumhour
One thing I’ve grappled with in chats with colleagues is how we deal with racist audiences. So the museum has an anti-racist position, but we want to be ‘for everyone’? What’s the expectation of how we deal with audiences who might be racist? Advice/thoughts welcome.
#MuseumHour
4
2
53
6
55
394
Well, it's official! I will be spending the the next 12 months turning my article Queer Possibility into a BOOK.
23
5
375
@inelliegant
@FernRiddell
@Telegraph
Imagine thinking bisexuality is fake because a girl likes boys. That is *kind* of an important part of it.
2
2
354
I think it is wild there are people who are insisting museums take in all these newly homeless pro-slavery monuments as if the typical museum re-contextualizes anything properly.
7
55
355
So you want to plan a Pride event at your museum? Glad to hear it! Here are a few tips.
2
116
339
Car battery died so I called roadside assistance. Technician "quizzed" me on popping the hood. I passed and he gave a cloying "good job" and said I was in the small % of women who could do it. Before he was done spouting his fake stats I blurted, ENOUGH SEXISM I JUST NEED A JUMP.
16
11
330
Please behold the transformation our back yard has undergone since we moved in nearly two years ago.
20
4
331
At the airport, admiring a man's lovely black floor length gown, thinking he was cutting quite a figure in it, gave him a little gay nod.
Then I realized it was a cassock.
11
15
330
*yes Doc, I HAVE tried soaking in the bathtub, hot water bottles, and tea but I have endometriosis, not a rainy day*
8
40
320
This is really disappointing and it's also totally predictable. Haters gonna hate BUT there are a few things you can do to help prevent this from happening in your exhibit.
4
143
310
We need to stop normalising the reliance on volunteer labor to produce museum offerings that centre marginalised people. It's really not the "power sharing" or "democratising" move we like to sell it as.
3
45
302
Here's something super concrete to make museums better for women: don't have a bunch of panels in your exhibit about Topic and all of them are like "Topic in the early years" and "the legacy of Topic" and then one is the "Topic and women" panel. Just stop doing that.
#MuseumHour
2
23
309
The
@NAACP
has made it easy to urge your senators to reject dangerous Jeff Sessions for AG:
#StopSessions
9
262
282
Museum professionals at every level of the institution: you have more power to create positive change than you realize.
8
61
294
@DrHerukhuti
@lindzamer
Red ♥️ life
Orange 🧡healing
Yellow 💛 sunshine
Green 💚 nature
Blue 💙 serenity
Purple 💜 spirit
2
13
280
@cameronesposito
On a drive through Oklahoma I stopped in a Subway. I placed my order and the sandwich artist gave me a knowing look, "You drive a big rig don't you."
When she saw my confused smile she explained, "All them lady truckers order the veggie sub."
8
1
280
If this sounds cruel to you (+ it should) go buy some benches for your museum.
17
34
279
Haha omg I'm being credited as a "photojournalist" I'm adding this to my resume
#spaghetticat
14
18
270
No front-of-house, no security, no educators. How much whiter have museums become in the past few weeks?
9
48
278
Every time a museum worker asks what computer program they should use to lay out labels, I have to hold back from urging them to PLEASE HIRE A GRAPHIC DESIGNER. It's a skill set, not software.
10
15
271
Museum pros: omg visitors are so vapid and dull, look at them taking vain selfies and not even looking at the art, they don't know what they're doing lol
Also museum pros: why don't more people visit?
5
24
270
I have a joke about museums opening during covid, but I won't go there.
4
20
267
Do you want to make your museum a friendlier place for under-fives and their grown-ups? "Welcoming Young Children Into the Museum: a Practical Guide" might be just what you need.
9
51
264
When the online form has a drop down menu for the Title field and you choose "prefer not to say." 🙃
4
22
265
Today my barber asked if my partner and I go clubbing. I was like, we're more like biking and birdwatching dykes, you know? And bless him that versatile queen did a 180 and told me all about the new bird feeder he and his partner just got and how much their cats are enjoying it.
2
1
260
I can't believe it IS butter! This weekend we saw this 1000 year old block of butter found in a Fermanagh bog in 1980. It weighs 35 lbs and the label says it smells like cheese and tastes like soap.
12
48
256
Um so apparently Billy Eichner plays a *museum professional* in his new gay rom com and there is an entire gay history museum plot?!
11
7
256
The best content warnings I've seen in museums:
1. Give a detailed description of what to expect in the gallery
2. Avoid making assumptions about who the content is or is not for
3. Offer alternative routes should they wish to avoid it
5
28
245
Some nice examples of content warnings at
@Tate
Modern.
What's working: clear content description, no assumptions about visitors, prioritizes marginalized folks, not stigmatizing (nudity could be omitted)
Room to improve: alt route for those wanting to avoid the gallery
5
29
245
@bonkey_bong
Also if they cared about trans girls bones they'd let them play school sports- exercise can improve bone density
1
7
234
What would happen if we presented our queer heritage research as if talking to other queers? Where we didn't spend time defining terms or making the case for the existence of a queer past or importance of inclusion. Cisheteronormativity holds us back from deeper engagement.
9
26
231
Museum leaders, do you know that the three workers left at your org are online at 10pm begging for free professional development resources because they've been asked to magically turn into web designers and filmmakers?
3
29
231
It's the simplest magic trick, but put the thing that's in the picture next to the picture and I am instantly delighted. Every time.
7
14
234
@sacha_coward
Another thought for these folks is: imagine you meet a cute guy, after a few dates he explains he's been in an accident and no longer has a penis. Are you less gay or straight based on this new information?
4
3
222
@merodrama
@estreasays
I think the symbols are the best we've got for now unfortunately- I see a future where we do not gender bathrooms, that they are designed for privacy and convenience and not about sorting people into categories.
7
3
229
If you are recommending voting, pls compare maps showing voter suppression vs. maps showing abortion bans. (Sources: NYT, Guardian)
2
107
223
I recently did a popular tweet about non-transphobic signage. As you can imagine, my mentions were full of meanies. I had half a mind to do a bunch of quote tweet dunks but in the end I decided to block em and forget em. I love you and you're welcome.
9
3
224
When I advocate against sex-segregated bathrooms I want a bunch of single stalls with actual doors, floor to ceiling. I don't want to share a bathroom with men- I don't want to share a bathroom with anyone.
9
11
222
Hi museum friends, I have goodies! Mini Family Inclusive Language charts with a discount code on the back for this fab book I had the privilege of contributing to: Welcoming Young Children in Museums. If you see me, ask for some!
#Museums2021
8
25
220
My content warning thread was such a hit I decided to turn it into a blog post for easy reference:
2
54
221
Museums can support trans people.
🎨 Art museums: collect and show the work of trans artists
📜 History museums: interpret trans history
🔬 Science museums: explain the complexity of sex determination
👶 Children's museums: celebrate creative gender expression
#WeWontBeErased
2
80
214
We don't need to change the clocks seasonally, we can just change our hours. 8 hr days for the light months, 4 hr days for the dark ones. It can be our hibernation schedule. More time for eating big dinners and sleeping with your family in a big pile.
6
35
221
@AnabelleCas
In the US, cider is a brown, sweet drink made from only crushed apples. It's not like cloudy apple juice- it's much richer/thicker. It's lovely to have it mulled with spices- mulled cider is also nice spiked with rum. What the rest of the world calls cider we call hard cider.
7
1
216
@Museumptnrs
These are not new icons and I do not take credit for them- these are commonly used graphics that can be found in standard signage. If you want to incorporate them into custom graphics many of the icons can be found
@nounproject
.
2
8
213
Been to several queer heritage events lately and struck by the way a demand for material archive (in all history fields) favors privilege: the wealth to amass worthy items, the space and privacy to keep it, the sense of self importance to imagine your history worth preserving.
7
26
211
I've read so many of these guides about how to take kids to art museums- what I take away is that art museums are still failing families. If our visitors have to "hack" their visit to have an enjoyable experience, we're not doing our jobs.
8
26
208
What would happen if white women who take low-paying, no-benefits museum jobs because their husbands have high-paying, great-benefits jobs just stopped doing that.
25
17
202
Excited to share that my article "Queer Possibility" was recently published in the latest issue of the Journal of Museum Education:
9
30
201