After 17 months and 930,000 visitors the ground-breaking exhibition April Ashley; portrait of a lady, about the life of the Trans icon, model and actress will officially closed on Sunday March 1st at the Museum of Liverpool.

Commenting on the popularity of her exhibition and its closure April Ashley said;
“It has made me very proud to know I have been looking out on every visitor to the museum for a year and a half! There aren’t many people who can claim to have been a museum piece in their lifetime and I shall be sorry to see the exhibition close.”

LGBT arts and social justice organisation Homotopia raised the money from the Heritage Lottery Fund for this unique exploration of the Trans experience back in 2012. Working in partnership with the Museum of Liverpool, Homotopia then used April’s archive to illustrate the path of social and legislative change for Trans people since her birth in the city in 1935.

Former Deputy Prime Minister Lord Prescott who worked with April in his teens opened the exhibition in September 2013.

Homotopia Director Gary Everett explained;
“We have been absolutely delighted by the number of visitors and the positive response from the public. Our belief is that by learning about the appalling prejudice and difficulties Trans people experience people will become more tolerant and understanding which in turn will reduce transphobia.”

The Director of the Museum of Liverpool Janet Dugdale also commented;
“We are very proud to have hosted the biggest exhibition of Trans history in the country. We are committed to widening our audiences and representing the lives of all of Liverpool’s communities and we will continue to work with Homotopia and similar organisations to tackle any under-representation.”