114: The Umbrella Hour with Dr. An Goldbauer & Zander Keig LCSW - Episode 114114: The Umbrella Hour with Dr. An Goldbauer & Zander Keig LCSW - Episode 114
UK Health Radio Podcast
Regan Swanson talks with Dr. An Goldbauer and Zander Keig about The ArQuives, a 2SLGBTQIA+ archive, and why preserving queer and trans histories is vital. The conversation covers language, funding challenges, and how representation in history can affect community wellbeing and identity.
45:07•13 Jul 2026
Archives with a Q: Preserving 2SLGBTQIA+ History and Community
Episode Overview
- The ArQuives focuses on 2SLGBTQIA+ history, placing two-spirit first to acknowledge Indigenous communities and colonial impacts.
- Archives work with primary sources such as diaries, letters and photos, which later underpin the books found in libraries.
- Community-run archives allow queer and trans people to tell their own stories rather than being documented only through criminal or surveillance records.
- Funding for heritage work is limited, forcing archives to rely on volunteers, creative partnerships and careful use of donations while trying to stay independent.
- Seeing yourself represented in museums, books and collections can support mental health, especially for youth who might otherwise feel they are the only ones.
“If you've never seen yourself in a museum, if you've never seen yourself in a book before, it could be easy, especially before the internet, to believe that you were the only one.”
Get ready to be moved by real-life accounts of how queerness, history, and community all intersect under one roof. This Umbrella Hour episode centres on Regan Swanson, Executive Director of The ArQuives, "archives with a q", one of the largest independent 2SLGBTQIA+ archives in the world. Hosted by Dr. An Goldbauer and social worker Zander Keig, the conversation has an easy, chatty feel, but it covers big questions about identity, belonging, and why preserving stories really matters.
You’ll hear Regan explain what 2SLGBTQIA+ stands for, with a strong focus on why "two-spirit" comes first in Canada as a recognition of Indigenous queer communities and the impacts of colonialism. Zander and An bring their own experience as trans men into the mix, adding context around changing language, generational differences, and the politics of labels like "queer".
Regan breaks down the difference between libraries and archives in simple terms: librarians work mostly with published books, while archivists work with diaries, letters, photos, scrapbooks and oral histories — the raw materials that history books are later built from. As one professor once joked, some people become archivists "so that they can read other people's mail", and Regan happily admits there’s truth in that. A major thread is the emotional impact of seeing yourself in history.
Regan notes that "if you've never seen yourself in a museum, if you've never seen yourself in a book before, it could be easy… to believe that you were the only one". For queer and trans people, especially youth, that visibility can support mental wellbeing and a sense of worth.
The episode also looks at practical challenges: chronic underfunding, reliance on volunteers, and the balancing act between financial security and staying independent enough to prioritise community needs — even if that means digitising long-hidden lesbian porn or organising zine-making workshops. If you care about identity, recovery of self, and how stories shape our health, this conversation might spark questions about what parts of your own story deserve to be kept safe for the future.
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