This presentation looks into the emergence of public gender as a central theme through various trans-focused archival activities in Indonesia. Public gender is approached as a historically governed and contested reality, shaped by the shifting political and social landscapes of the colonial period, the New Order, and the post-New Order era. At the same time, queer and trans histories often depart from this dominant public gender discourse, developing alternative practices of citizenship, kinship, and community care; especially in a not-queer and trans friendly environment. Focusing on archival ethics, care, and safety, this presentation explores how these practices are deeply informed by the ways public gender is perceived, regulated, and embodied. Archival work thus not only documents trans and queer lives but also negotiates the affective, ethical and political implication and question of visibility, recognition, and protection: how do we tell trans-history and present trans-archive without putting them in a bigger risk? This study draws from three key historical sites: the ludruk performance tradition, the formation of Perwakas in Eastern Indonesia, and the post-1968 transgender movement. By analyzing how communities within these formations articulate and navigate public gender, this presentation investigates how archival materials both represent and challenge dominant gender norms. It also reflects on the embodied ethics and care practices that emerge within these archives, pointing to the challenges faced by trans communities in their efforts to preserve memory and sustain collective life. Through these interconnected histories, the paper reveals how archival practices become active spaces of resistance, intimacy, and community-building. In doing so, it offers a situated reading of trans and queer life in Indonesia.

Hersch Rosenberg was the only member of his family to escape the Holocaust. During late July - early August 1940 Chiune Sugihara, Japanese vice-consul to Lithuania, issued over 2000 Japanese transit visas, mostly to Polish Jews desperate to escape the threat of the Nazi regime. The visas allowed refugees to escape to Japan then seek a visa to another country. Rosenberg arrived in Japan on a Sugihara visa. He still had it with him when he stowed away on a ship bound for Sydney in 1941. This presentation shows how archival threads connect people and events and enable stories to be told, through discussion of Rosenberg's story and the project that brought it to light. In 2021, the National Archives' curatorial and reference teams undertook an extensive research project to find records containing Sugihara visas and identify Sugihara survivors who settled in Australia. The project combined historical and archival insights to undertake complex searches to cross reference names and collection records with an existing master list of Sugihara visa holders. As the project continued, patterns emerged and led us to passenger records of ships bringing other refugees to Australia. Prior to this research, it was estimated that approximately 80 people had come to Australia, via Japan and the Sugihara visa. To date, we have found 11 documents with Sugihara visas and have complied a list of 142 people who arrived in Australia. We have developed this research into a story for the digital wall in our 'Connections/Mura Gadi' exhibition. Visitors navigate through the story and can choose their own pathway. Our life-long learning team have developed a secondary school education program around this story due to its strong connection to the Australian curriculum. Our research has allowed us to share this little- known story with visitors, students, and the community.

Libraries, archives and cultural institutions have long played a central role in the preservation of cultural memory - but within that role lies a complexity, particularly when we consider the relationship between personal narratives and collective histories shaped by violence. Be it public or private, intimate or global, the effects of violence resonate deeply, shaping both individual lives and the broader cultural memory. While many archives hold substantial records of colonialism, war, and institutional violence, their role in recognising and responding to family, domestic, and sexualised violence (DFSV) has historically been less visible. Archives shape the stories we tell - and those we omit - about who we are, what we value, and whose experiences matter. This presentation examines the role of libraries and archives in documenting, remembering, or erasing the lived experiences of women impacted by domestic, family, and sexual violence. Drawing on research and practice as both a social historian and artist associate with a domestic violence organisation, I interrogate how personal memory and collective memory intersect in archival collections, and how acts of silence and silencing are inscribed in cultural memory. Through these case studies and creative responses, I explore questions of social responsibility: How do archives respond to stories that are difficult, traumatic, or silenced by stigma and shame? Who is present in our collections - and who remains missing? What are the ethical and cultural considerations when curating narratives of violence and resistance? I argue that archives are not neutral vessels but active participants in shaping collective memory. They have the capacity to either perpetuate silence or act as sites of dignity, repair, and social response. By holding space for complex, diverse lived realities, and by centring those whose experiences have historically been excluded, libraries and archives can foster a more representative collective memory-one that acknowledges both the lived experiences and complexities of domestic, family and sexualised violence.