Aging with Pride: Science and Diversity in Las Palmas

The Elder Museum of Science and Technology in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria has launched “Elder con Orgullo” (Elder with Pride). Its goal: to reclaim the LGTBIQ+ scientists that history tried to erase. Alan Turing, father of computing, was convicted for being gay. Sally Ride, the first American female astronaut, hid her sexual orientation all her life. Ben Barres, a Stanford neuroscientist, faced institutional rejection for being transgender. The initiative, framed within Pride Month 2026, seeks to make diversity visible through science, culture, and education. Its motto is direct: “Diversity also drives knowledge.”

Why now and why at a science museum

The Elder Museum is no ordinary space. Opened in 1999 on the site of the former Military Hospital in Parque de Santa Catalina, it stands as one of the most prominent science outreach centers in the Canary Islands. Its programming has traditionally revolved around technology, physics, and biology. But this July 2026, it has taken a step that many cultural centers avoid: linking science with sexual and gender diversity.

The decision is no coincidence. In a context where Pride initiatives in the Canary Islands are multiplying — from Mónica Naranjo’s music to Ary Martin’s designs for Miss Trans Spain — the Elder Museum opts for a different approach. It’s not just about celebrating. It’s about proving that scientific knowledge doesn’t advance in a sterile bubble. It advances through people with identities, histories, and often, persecution.

The campaign, conceived by Mauricio Severo, advertiser and director of Edan Creative, directly connects with our agency’s vision: creativity and knowledge are more powerful when they include everyone.

An exhibition that brings scientists back into focus

The heart of “Elder con Orgullo” is an exhibition that, as described by Prince Magazine, “pays tribute to LGTBIQ+ scientists and researchers whose contributions were fundamental to the advancement of humanity, recovering stories marked by discrimination, invisibility, and persecution, and reclaiming diversity as a driving force for scientific progress.”

The exhibition goes beyond simply hanging panels on a wall. It’s designed as an educational and interactive experience. It combines biographical panels with digital content accessible via QR codes. Visitors can scan the codes and expand on the information through the museum’s social media. The exhibition doesn’t end in the room; it extends to each visitor’s mobile phone.

Among the highlighted figures are three names every Canarian should know.

Sally Ride: The astronaut who couldn’t tell

Sally Ride was the first American woman in space, in 1983. A physicist with a Ph.D. from Stanford, she worked at NASA and later as a professor at UC San Diego. For years, she was an icon of the space race. But her personal life remained in the shadows. It wasn’t until her death in 2012 that her obituary revealed she had been in a 27-year relationship with Tam O’Shaughnessy. Ride thus became, posthumously, the first LGTBIQ+ astronaut recognized by NASA.

Alan Turing: The genius destroyed by his own intellect

Alan Turing is arguably the most famous case of homophobic persecution in science. A mathematician, pioneer of computing and artificial intelligence, he cracked the Enigma code during World War II, saving millions of lives. In 1952, he was convicted of “gross indecency” for his homosexuality. Forced into chemical castration, he died in 1954. Queen Elizabeth II granted him a posthumous pardon in 2013. His story is the brutal proof of how hatred can destroy those who have contributed most to human progress.

Ben Barres: The first trans person in the National Academy of Sciences

Ben Barres was a neuroscientist at Stanford University. His work on glial cells and the nervous system revolutionized the understanding of the brain. But his legacy goes further: he was the first transgender person recognized by the United States National Academy of Sciences. His story is less known than Turing’s or Ride’s, but equally significant. It proves that gender diversity has also been present at the highest levels of scientific research, even if it was made invisible.

Film, memory, and science: The full program

The exhibition isn’t the only activity. The Elder Museum has also scheduled the screening of the feature film “Mi cielo, tu infierno” (My Heaven, Your Hell), directed by Alberto Evangelio. The film tells the love story between two women in 1960s and 1970s Spain, marked by repression and discrimination.

Including this film in a science museum is no whim. It connects scientific outreach with the humanities and LGTBIQ+ historical memory. Science doesn’t exist in a vacuum; it advances in societies that often punish those who don’t fit in.

According to Prince Magazine, the museum “reinforces its role as a meeting space for knowledge, innovation, and the values of respect, equality, and coexistence.” The program will run over the coming weeks, though no specific dates have been announced.

What this means for the Canarian reader

“Elder con Orgullo” is not an isolated initiative. It demonstrates that science museums can and should be spaces of inclusion. For decades, science outreach has presented great geniuses as asexual figures, without identity or personal history. The reality is quite different: many of them were persecuted, silenced, or forced to live in the shadows.

For the Canarian visitor, this exhibition offers a unique opportunity: to learn about science from a perspective not taught in schools. It’s not about ideology; it’s about historical truth. Alan Turing wasn’t just an abstract mathematician; he was a gay man punished by his country for being who he was. Sally Ride wasn’t just an astronaut; she was a woman who had to hide her life for decades.

The campaign, conceived by Mauricio Severo from Edan Creative, also shows that Canarian brands and creative agencies can be agents of change. It’s not about jumping on a trend but generating content with substance. The motto “Diversity also drives knowledge” is not an empty slogan; it’s a declaration of intent that any cultural institution should consider.

The future of inclusive outreach

The Elder Museum has taken a step that other science centers in Spain have yet to take. The question is whether this initiative will have continuity beyond Pride Month. The exhibition on LGTBIQ+ scientists could become permanent. The programming could expand to other times of the year. But that will depend on public response and institutional support.

What is clear is that “Elder con Orgullo” marks a before and after in how science outreach is understood in the Canary Islands. Science is not neutral; it is made by people with diverse bodies, desires, and identities. Recognizing this is not politicizing knowledge but humanizing it. In a world where misinformation and hatred are advancing, remembering that diversity also drives knowledge is more necessary than ever.