Everything is Special : A one-of-a-kind exhibition shining light on Trans+ and queer histories
December 05, 2025
By: Daniela Garrido Fajardo, communications work study student
On the lower level of the Mearns - McPherson Library, the Legacy Maltwood Gallery showcases a selection of powerful stories reflecting queer and Trans+ people throughout the 20th and 21st century.
First developed for the Queer Island Festival of the Arts, the exhibit Everything is Special is co-curated by Caroline Riedel, interim director, Legacy Art Galleries and University Art Collections; Lara Wilson, director of special collections & university archivist; Heather Dean, associate director of special collections; Christine Walde, fine arts librarian; and Michael Radmacher, transgender archives metadata librarian.
Why the name Everything is Special? According to Radmacher, “It’s because so many different perspectives are brought into one exhibit—we're trying to queer traditional curatorial methodologies by bringing together a bunch of different materials that wouldn't typically be presented together so that they can interact in new and different ways: fine arts, archival material, and special collections.”
Housing the largest collection of Trans+ archives in the world
The University of Victoria houses the largest Trans+ archives in the world, a joint project with the UVic Chair in Transgender Studies, which is the only one of its kind. The archives began with a donation from trans advocate Rikki Swin, and has since expanded through multiple contributions after that founding donation.
The archives contain primary resources documenting the firsthand experiences of Trans+ individuals throughout history. It also contributes to the academic field of Trans+ histories, expanding community knowledge and bringing attention to stories that were overlooked or erased in the past.
A one-of-a-kind exhibit
The gallery features a wide range of materials dating back to the early 1900s. One of the oldest objects is the first issue of Transvestia magazine, the world’s first regularly published and widely-distributed Trans+ magazine. Beyond its content, the publication tracks a powerful evolution in Trans+ history. The earliest issues were printed in a small, discreet format—small enough to hide in a shirt pocket. After 111 issues, the final print from 1986 reached a standard A4 size. “Even though there are still challenges to this day, this change in physical size shows a trajectory of how people handled queer and Trans+ materials, going from the need to have it printed small for privacy reasons in the 1960s to, in time, becoming more acceptable to print the same magazines in larger formats” says Radmacher.
Other materials, such as works by Red Jordan Arobateau and scrapbook collections from the UK, depict gender and sexuality beyond the Canadian context, and offer an intersectional and intercultural lens on diverse Trans+ and queer experiences.
Displayed on one wall, the poster The Museum of Transgender Hirstory and Art (MOTHA), shows a where’s-Waldo-style collage of personalities, celebrities, and characters interpreted by artist Chris Vargas as part of the cultural landscape of Trans+ art and history.
Beyond the exhibit, Radmacher is also currently working on digitizing archives under the Trans(formation): Digitizing the Rikki Swin Institute Trans+ activism and outreach media collection project, supported by the Digitizing Hidden Special Collections & Archives: Amplifying Unheard Voices grant awarded to UVic Libraries in 2024.
Everything is Special is on display at the Legacy Maltwood Gallery until February 11, 2026.