News release

Museum Marks a First With Hello Sailor! Exhibit

Communities, Culture and Heritage (Jan. 2011 - Aug. 2021)

The Maritime Museum of the Atlantic is making history with Hello Sailor! Gay Life on the Ocean Wave.

The exhibit, which looks at gay culture as part of seafaring life from the 1950s to present day, opens for the first time in North America on Thursday, May 19, at the museum.

Hello Sailor! is adapted from an exhibit created by National Museums Liverpool in England. It is based on Hello Sailor! The Hidden History of Gay Life at Sea, a book published by Jo Stanley and Paul Baker in 2003. The exhibit has been on display at the Merseyside Maritime Museum in Liverpool since 2006.

To include Nova Scotian and Canadian perspectives, the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic conducted research with local members of the lesbian, gay, bi-sexual, transgendered and intersex, or LGBTI community. Five gay mariners voluntarily participated, contributing personal anecdotes, photos and items for the exhibit.

"This is a first for the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic and an example of what our museums do best -- uncover unique aspects of our history," said David Wilson, Minister of Communities, Culture and Heritage. "The aim is to explore this topic in an insightful and respectful way, just as the museum does with its other exhibits about life at sea."

"Consultations with the Merseyside Maritime Museum and the local LGBTI community have helped staff present the exhibit in a way that is accessible to a diverse audience," said Calum Ewing, director of museum operations.

Ms. Stanley, guest curator for the exhibit, traveled from Halifax, England to attend the launch.

Hello Sailor! runs until Nov. 27.

For more information on the exhibit go to http://maritime.museum.gov.ns.ca or call 902-424-7490.