Heimat großer T*chter. Zeit für neue Denkmäler / Toppling Gender Norms. Time for New Monuments.

How did a telephone call help women* become equal partners in marriage? Why did the “Vienna Underwear War” change the way we look at advertising? How does a passport help put a stop to unnecessary medical procedures on intersex children? Whose offices had to be occupied to achieve rights for people with disabilities? And what role does chalk play in the fight against sexual harassment? 

Through these little-known examples, this exhibition in the House of Austrian History highlights the strategies that can change gendered power relations. The exhibition “Toppling Gender Norms” tells ten stories of people who did not accept seemingly fixed categories, who fought for progress, and who toppled clichés from their pedestals. Their dissent and their commitment have shaped our present day—and opened up discussion on what gender can mean tomorrow. 

The museum is also making space online for lots of other famous and lesser-known women* pioneers, rebels and role-models in a digital exhibition called “space for heroic women”. Discover them now! 

curated by Stefan Benedik and Marianna Nenning