SilkPride Founder Leo Andersen (L) and St. Petersburg LGBTQ+ Liaison Nathan Bruemmer March 21. (Photo by Ryan Williams-Jent)

ST. PETERSBURG | SilkPride opened its Queer Asian Museum in the EDGE District March 21.

QAM is billed as “St. Pete’s first — and the world’s first — museum dedicated to queer Asian identity, culture, and diaspora through art and history.” SilkPride Founder Leo Andersen welcomed a few dozen supporters to the opening ceremony, dubbed “3, 2, 1 Go! The Journey We Start Together.”

“We’re here for visibility, audibility and possibility,” he told Watermark Out News ahead of time. “This space allows us to build a micro-ecosystem where queer Asian stories aren’t just displayed — they’re activated, shared, and expanded in a city we already live in and love.”

Andersen outlined some of QAM’s opening exhibit, previewed its initiatives and detailed ways to support their efforts. Additional speakers included representatives from the EDGE District and City of St. Petersburg LGBTQ+ Liaison Nathan Bruemmer, who presented Andersen with the city’s Pride flag,

“This museum reminds us that queer Asian stories are not new, not temporary and not invisible,” he said. “They’re part of the fabric of our communities, our cities and our country — and preserving these stories ensures that future generations will know that progress did not happen by accident. It happened because people spoke up, organized, created and refused to disappear.”

Watermark Out News attended the opening celebration. View our photos below.

Photos by Ryan Williams-Jent.

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