Rainbow History Class presents a night of queer history and storytelling in celebration of Mardi Gras and International Women's Day. From how vampires became queer symbols, to how the Australian outback became a lesbian hotspot, you'll leave feeling connected to queer history, community and culture. The Rainbow History Class faculty, including 'teacher' Rudy Rigg, will bring the history of the LGBTQ+ community to life in this live classroom event.
This event is presented alongside the MCA’s summer exhibition Primavera 2021: Young Australian Artists curated by Hannah Presley.
What's covered
How Alice Springs Became a Lesbian Hotspot
This story is a little known piece of Australian queer history and it's got everything - the Cold War, spies, lesbians!
The Story Behind Your Favourite Tarot Deck
The Rider-Waite Tarot deck is the world's most popular tarot deck – it's been printed over 100 million times. Yet, the queer artist behind the cards rarely gets a mention. This is her story.
The History of the Queer-Coded Villain
Why do so many villains in popular films seem queer? This story journeys back through the film industry and explores how the Hays Code lead to the 'blueprint' of a queer villain.
About Rainbow History Class
Rainbow History Class is a home for the LGBTQ+ history that’s too often not taught in school. Since they started sharing from queer and trans history bites on TikTok Rainbow History Class found themselves with an online community of nearly 500k followers in less than a year. Rainbow History Class is run out of Naarm (Melbourne), Australia and fronted by ‘regular teacher’ Rudy, with help from a network of ‘substitute teachers’ from all over the world. Their lessons are here to inspire, validate, entertain, bring gratitude and maybe even help you win an argument.
COVID-19 update
The health and safety of visitors and staff is our main priority at the MCA. We are following government guidelines with regard to COVID-19 to ensure our visitors and staff are safe at all times and follow social distancing guidelines. Please read our visitor safety information here.
