Placemaking Week 2024

LGBTQ people and communities are inherently placemakers. Despite being some of the most vulnerable in society, LGTBQ communities are some of the most resilient and ingenious. Their contributions to art, activism, social and civic service all deserve visibility and celebration. The LGBTQ Placemaker Storytelling Congress first convened in Mexico City in 2023 to develop methodologies for LGBTQ people to safely and sensitively tell their own stories of heroism and community leadership. The Congress aims to work with Placemakers around the world to adapt formats such as portraiture and oral history; seeking to elevate the presence and influence of LGTBQ people on global placemaking practice. Public spaces often lack representation and visibility of LGBTQ individuals, resulting in feelings of exclusion and limited opportunities for authentic self-expression. This session will explore the power of storytelling in highlighting and celebrating the presence and experiences of LGBTQ individuals in public spaces. This session will be highly interactive into co-creating tools, techniques, and collaborative processes used to capture and share LGBTQ stories. Introducing some of the previously used tools to capture the essence of the community like the LGBTQ stories from Mexico City. The objective of this session is to explore and co-create tools and approaches that can be used to highlight and celebrate the stories and experiences of LGBTQ individuals in public spaces. Through various storytelling techniques and co-creating various resources.