The scene set: “SomeboDY sedATE me!” screams a young adult after they drop their phone on the ground; one friend, deadpan, replies, “good soup,” and another looks at them, fully bites their bottom lips, scrunches their eyebrows, forms a V-shape with the thumb and index finger under their chin and groans. The peers around them either don’t react or give a confirmatory nod at the situation and go on with their life. You’re flabbergasted, naturally.

ms serve as a window into the past, an immersive experience that transports the observer into a moment in time. Immersion is achieved through the creation of elaborate displays, objects and artifacts from the targeted period. While it is overlooked, museums are commonly a product of the history they claim to preserve, whether knowingly or not, this is born from a complicated history of artifacts acquisition. Such acquisition includes blatant theft of artifacts to more grey areas that have legal precedent and implications. These unethical and morally grey instances have led to an increased controversy surrounding the topic of artifact repatriation and restoration to their original cultural homes.

In the wake of Pride month, the demand to “Stop making everything gay,” echos in my head. The complaint is not always quite that direct, but among brands temporarily incorporating the rainbow into their logos, statements of support for the LGBTQ+ being issued, and abundant Pride celebrations, there are a litany of ways the directive comes through: