Material Type

Artifact

Date Range From

2024

Date Range To

2024

Materials

COTTON, POLYVINYL CHLORIDE

No. Pieces

1

Length

51

Width

53

Description

BLACK T-SHIRT WITH HEMMED SLEEVES AND CROPPED BOTTOM; MULTI-COLOURED SHIRT GRAPHIC READS ON FRONT, “HOT TO GO,” IN ALTERNATING PINK, BLUE, AND PURPLE LETTERING; ALL LETTER ‘O’S ARE BLUE. A RAINBOW-STRIPED COWBOY HAT WITH A STAR CUT-OUT SITS ANGLED TO THE LEFT OVER THE WORD “GO.” DESIGN ON BACK OF SHIRT READS, “PINK PONY CLUB” WITH A REFLECTIVE PINK COWBOY BOOT AT THE BOTTOM RIGHT. THE WORDS ARE ARRANGED IN TWO LEVELS OF TEXT, WITH “PINK PONY” ON THE TOP LEVEL, AND “CLUB” ON THE BOTTOM LEVEL. THE COWBOY BOOT IS TO THE RIGHT OF “CLUB.” “PINK” AND “PONY” ARE GLITTERED PINK. THE COWBOY BOOT HAS A CUT-OUT PATTERN OF FLOWERS AND LEAVES. THE WORD “PONY” IS STYLED IN A PASTEL RAINBOW GRADIENT. THE TAG ON THE INSIDE OF THE SHIRT READS “GILDAN HEAVY COTTON 100 PERCENT COTTON.” T-SHIRT SIZE IS LARGE. OVERALL EXCELLENT CONDITION.

Subjects

CLOTHING-OUTERWEAR

Historical Association

ASSOCIATIONS

PERSONAL CARE

History

ON 12 SEPTEMBER 2025, GALT MUSEUM COLLECTIONS TECHNICIAN, KEVIN MACLEAN INTERVIEWED SHEA GREGSON ON HIS DONATION OF A CUSTOM-MADE T-SHIRT TO THE MUSEUM. GREGSON MADE AND WORE THE T-SHIRT SPECIFICALLY FOR LETHBRIDGE’S ANNUAL PRIDE EVENT IN 2024. 2024 WAS THE SECOND TIME GREGSON HAD PARTICIPATED IN A LETHBRIDGE PRIDE EVENT, HAVING ATTENDED PREVIOUSLY IN 2023; INCLUDING HAVING MADE HIS OWN T-SHIRT WITH FRIENDS THAT SAME YEAR. ON HIS FAMILIARITY WITH HIS SHIRT, GREGSON TOLD MACLEAN: “IT’S MINE …MY FRIENDS AND I EVERY YEAR MAKE DIFFERENT SHIRTS … FOR PRIDE. …WE, MAKE THEM AS A GROUP. WE COLLECTIVELY DESIGN [THE SHIRTS] TOGETHER, AND IT IS KIND OF A FUN ACTIVITY TO SHOW THAT WE’RE NOT AFRAID. ACTUALLY, MY [OWN] SHIRT IS A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENT THAN THEIRS …I WAS STARTING TO TRANSITION …WHEN WE MADE THIS SHIRT [IN 2024] …AND SO THEIR [SHIRTS] STILL HAVE SLEEVES ON THEM ...[I] TOOK [THE SLEEVES] OFF TO HAVE A MORE MASCULINE FEEL TO [MY T-SHIRT] …[AND] SINCE [THE SHIRTS ARE] REALLY LONG, WE ALSO HEMMED THEM OURSELVES AT THE BOTTOM …THEN, WHEN WE WERE TALKING ABOUT THIS DESIGN, WE WERE TALKING ABOUT THE THINGS [IN 2024] THAT WERE QUEER THAT WE REALLY ENJOYED; BECAUSE, WE [TRY] TO REFERENCE QUEER THINGS THAT ARE RELEVANT TO THAT YEAR. AND SO ‘HOT TO GO’ ON THE FRONT, AND ‘PINK PONY CLUB’ ON THE BACK ARE REFERENCES TO A [MUSICAL] ARTIST WE REALLY, REALLY LIKED – CHAPPELL ROAN. AND SHE WAS NOT LIKE SUPER, SUPER BIG YET, BUT ALL THREE OF US HAD REALLY LIKED HER. [CHAPPELL] HAD THE THEME OF - SHE’S GOT LIKE PINK COWBOY BOOTS IN HER ‘PINK PONY CLUB’ SONG. THAT’S WHERE THE PINK SHINY [BOOT] COMES FROM, SO WE WERE, LIKE, WE REALLY LIKE THAT. WE [ALSO] WANTED ‘PONY’ TO BE IN RAINBOW COLOURS, BUT WE DIDN’T WANT IT TO BE THE SAME [AS] THE COWBOY HAT THAT’S ON THE FRONT. SO THIS [DESIGN] WE KIND OF DESIGNED TO BE SOFTER, MORE GIRLY. AND THEN WE HAVE IT MORE MASCULINE ON THE FRONT, FOR MYSELF. THEN WE HAVE [‘HOT TO GO’] IN THE BI-COLOURS, BECAUSE ALL THREE OF US ARE BI-SEXUAL, OR IDENTIFY THAT WAY. AND SO WE HAVE [THE COLOURS] ALTERNATING WITH THE PINK, BLUE, AND PURPLE THAT IS LIKE THE BI-FLAG. THEN WE HAVE THE COWBOY HAT, BECAUSE WE ALL GREW UP IN SOUTHERN ALBERTA.” ON GREGSON AND HIS FRIENDS’ DIALOGUE ON THEIR SHIRTS’ GENERAL DESIGNS, HOW THEIR ANNUAL GRAPHIC COMES TO BE, AND HOW THE GRAPHIC IS MADE: “WE USED THE ‘CRICUT’ MACHINE TO BE ABLE TO DO THE BASIC CUTTING OF THE THINGS [SUCH AS THE T-SHIRT’S GRAPHICS], BUT WE START WITH A ROUGH [GRAPHIC IDEA] DRAFT. LIKE, WE ALL KIND OF [ASKED OURSELVES], ‘WHAT DID WE FIND PROFOUND THIS YEAR?’, ‘WHAT DO WE WANT TO REPRESENT THIS YEAR?’ AND THEN WE KIND OF DO ROUGH SKETCHES, [AND] DISCUSS IDEAS; WE THROW THEM BACK-AND-FORTH, ‘TIL WE’RE LIKE, ‘WE LIKE THAT A LOT.’ THEN WE JUST KIND OF PILE ON TO IT. NOT EVERY SHIRT IS EXACTLY THE SAME. IT’S USUALLY GOT ALL THE SAME ELEMENTS, BUT IN DIFFERENT PLACEMENTS FOR HOW THE PERSON WANTS TO DESIGN THE SHIRT. SPEAKING FURTHER TO HIS 2024 SHIRT, ITS SPECIFIC GRAPHICS, AND ITS CREATION ON HIS FRIEND’S ‘CRICUT’ MACHINE, GREGSON SAID: “YOU CAN DRAW THEM YOURSELF—THE DESIGNS…[BUT] WE USUALLY JUST PICK THE ‘FREE TO USE’ [GRAPHIC TEMPLATES] THAT WE HAVE ACCESS TO …WE TAKE [THOSE] IMAGES, AND PRINT THEM ON A THIN KIND OF [COLOURED] SHEET; IT’S KIND OF GLUED DOWN ON A MAT, AND A KIND OF ELECTRONIC KNIFE THAT RUNS OVER THE MACHINE [CUTS THE DESIGN ON THE SHEET]. THEN, YOU’D HAVE A TOOL, AND YOU WOULD PICK OFF ALL THE EXCESS PARTS, AND [FINALLY] LAY DOWN WHAT’S LEFT ON THAT [SHEET], ONTO YOUR SHIRT, AND YOU IRON IT ONTO YOUR SHIRT…WE HAD TO DO EACH LETTER [OF ‘HOT TO GO’] INDIVIDUALLY BECAUSE THEY WERE ALL ON A DIFFERENT SHEET, BECAUSE THEY ARE DIFFERENT COLOURS…THAT’S THE ONLY [GRAPHIC] WE DID INDIVIDUALLY BECAUSE THESE [OTHER GRAPHICS] WERE ALL ON THE SAME SHEET; THE [LETTERS IN] ‘PINK,’ ‘PONY,’ AND ‘CLUB’ WERE ALL TOGETHER ON THE [SAME COLOURED] SHEET. SO, [FOR ‘PONY’] WE HAD LIKE A RAINBOW SHEET [WHICH MEANS] THAT EVERYONE’S ‘PONY’ [WORD] LOOKS DIFFERENT.” ON THE GENERAL PRODUCTION TIMELINE FOR HIS AND HIS FRIENDS’ ANNUAL PRIDE SHIRTS, GREGSON MENTIONED: “USUALLY WE START DISCUSSING [OUR ANNUAL PRIDE EVENT’S SHIRT] AROUND APRIL, LIKE LIGHTLY, ‘OH, ARE WE GOING TO DO PRIDE THIS YEAR? ARE WE ABLE TO DO PRIDE THIS YEAR?’ (BECAUSE THERE ARE SOME YEARS THAT WE HAVEN’T BEEN ABLE TO DO IT TOGETHER) …BUT, WHEN WE ARE, ‘ARE WE GOING TO DO SHIRTS AGAIN?’ ‘YEAH, WELL WHAT KIND OF THINGS ARE WE THINKING?’ IT’S JUST A LIGHT CONVERSATION THROUGHOUT THE MONTH [OF APRIL]. THEN USUALLY IT’S THE WEEKEND BEFORE THE BIG PRIDE MONTH STARTS, WE GET TOGETHER, AND WE MAKE OUR SHIRTS FOR PRIDE (BECAUSE IT USUALLY ISN’T ALWAYS ON THE SAME WEEKEND THROUGHOUT THE MONTH) …THE LAST WEEK OF MAY IS USUALLY WHEN WE GET TOGETHER AND MAKE THE SHIRTS TOGETHER …WE’VE DONE IT, [CREATING SHIRTS FOR] THREE YEARS.” ON SOURCING HIS T-SHIRT’S MATERIALS AND ON THE LOCATION OF ITS PRODUCTION, GREGSON ADDED: “WE USUALLY PICK UP THE SHIRTS AT [THE CRAFT STORE] ‘MICHAEL’S,’ JUST BECAUSE, THEY’RE FAIRLY INEXPENSIVE WHEN THEY’RE ON SALE. SO, WE USUALLY LOOK FOR WHEN THEY’RE ON SALE THROUGHOUT THAT YEAR. WE ALWAYS GO WITH THE SAME COLOURS SO THAT WE’RE AT LEAST MATCHING, SO EVEN IF OUR DESIGN IS SLIGHTLY DIFFERENT FROM EVERYBODY ELSE’S, YOU CAN TELL THAT…WE’RE TOGETHER [AS A GROUP]. [AFTER THAT] WE USUALLY GO TO MY ONE FRIEND’S HOUSE [TO ADD THE SHIRTS’ GRAPHIC AS] SHE HAS A ‘CRICUT.’ (WELL, BOTH OF MY FRIENDS DO) ...AND THEN WE’LL PRINT [THE GRAPHICS] OFF TOGETHER, …DESIGN THEM, AND IRON THEM TOGETHER …AND MY ONE FRIEND, SHE SEWS, SO SHE’LL TAKE [THE SHIRTS] HOME, AND SHE’LL, HEM THEM FOR US, AFTER WE’VE CUT THEM OURSELVES…” ON THE EVOLUTION OF THE FRIENDS’ SHIRTS OVER THE YEARS OF THEIR PARTICIPATING IN LETHBRIDGE’S PRIDE EVENT, GREGSON SAID: “THE FIRST [YEAR’S SHIRT] WAS PRETTY PLAIN. MOSTLY WE DIDN’T REALLY KNOW WHAT WE WERE GOING TO DO. IT’S JUST GOT A SIMPLE ‘TRANS LIVES ARE HUMAN LIVES’ ON IT. IT DIDN’T HAVE ANYTHING ELSE. I RE-PURPOSED THAT ONE FOR THE TRANS MARCH THIS YEAR (2025). [ITS GRAPHIC] WAS ACTUALLY PRETTY SIMPLE; WE MADE A PATCH THAT HAD A CIGARETTE WITH A PRIDE FLAG COMING OFF IT, AND THEN WE HAD ‘FAG’ WRITTEN UNDERNEATH OF IT, IN AN EMBROIDERED BORDER. [THE SHIRTS] ARE TIME-CONSUMING, BUT THIS (2024) [SHIRT] IS THE BIGGEST DESIGN WE’VE HAD.” ON WHY HIS 2024 T-SHIRT IS THE MOST MEANINGFUL OF THOSE HE HAS MADE BEFORE, GREGSON SHARED: “THIS IS THE FIRST TIME …THAT I WAS …TRYING TO BE MORE COMFORTABLE IN TRANSITIONING INTO MYSELF …IT WAS THE FIRST TIME ALL THREE OF US HAD DONE THIS TOGETHER. AND IT WAS KIND OF JUST A REALLY SPECIAL TIME. MY ONE FRIEND WAS JUST COMING-OUT; I WAS TRANSITIONING; AND THEN MY ONE FRIEND, SHE WAS JUST COOL WITH IT ALL …LIKE, [MY FRIEND 1 SAID] ‘OH, HEY, I AM THINKING I WOULD LIKE TO GO IN A DIFFERENT DIRECTION, BUT A SIMILAR DIRECTION, WITH MY IDENTITY.’ ‘OH, YEAH, THAT’S COOL.’ [AND THEN MY FRIEND 2,] ‘I KNOW I’M MARRIED BUT I REALIZE THAT I’M BI. EVEN THOUGH I’M MARRIED TO A MAN, I STILL WANT TO FEEL REPRESENTED.’ AND SO IT WAS JUST KIND OF LIKE THE FIRST TIME A LOT OF US WERE …VERBALLY … EXPERIMENTING WITH OURSELVES, AND BEING OPEN ABOUT IT. IT WAS JUST A REALLY GOOD MOMENT FOR ALL OF US TO JUST SHARE WITH EACH OTHER IN A SPACE THAT WAS SAFE.” ON NAVIGATING HIS 2SLGBTQIA+ IDENTITY WHILE A RESIDENT OF SOUTHERN ALBERTA, GREGSON REFLECTED: “I GREW UP HERE IN LETHBRIDGE; ACTUALLY …I LIVED IN ‘THE HAT’ FOR ABOUT A YEAR, MEDICINE HAT, BUT IT DIDN’T SUIT ME VERY WELL, SO I MOVED BACK HERE …MY ONE FRIEND WHO HAD JUST COME OUT [AS] BI. SHE AND I BOTH GREW UP VERY RELIGIOUS IN THE CHURCH THAT IDENTIFIES ITSELF AS ‘THE CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST OF LATTER DAY SAINTS,’ BUT WE CALL THEM ‘MORMON.’ IT WAS REALLY HARD NOT HAVING A SPACE TO SAY HOW YOU WERE FEELING, AND ALWAYS FEELING WRONG. FINDING THOSE OTHER PEOPLE, IN THOSE KIND OF SPACES, WAS REALLY WEIRD, BECAUSE WE DID ACTUALLY MEET WHEN WE WERE MORMON, AND WE WERE BOTH ATTENDING MORMON CHURCH QUITE REGULARLY. THEN I HAD MOVED, SHE GOT MARRIED, AND THEN I HAD COME OUT AS NOT REALLY STRAIGHT, AND THEN MOVED BACK TO LETHBRIDGE. SHE WAS STILL ATTENDING MORMON CHURCH AT THAT TIME, BUT DIDN’T EVER QUESTION MY DECISIONS. THEN THE PANDEMIC HAPPENED, AND SHE WAS LIKE, ‘WELL, MAYBE EVERYTHING IS WRONG’ …SHE STARTED QUESTIONING HER OWN IDENTITY. AND I HAD MET THIS OTHER PERSON PRIOR TO MOVING TO ‘THE HAT’ - MY THIRD FRIEND – AND SHE GREW UP IN A …ANOTHER RELIGIOUS GROUP, (I DON’T KNOW WHAT SHE GREW UP AS), BUT I KNEW IT WAS ALSO …A VERY CONSERVATIVE KIND OF ENVIRONMENT. SO, TO BE ABLE TO EXPRESS OURSELVES, AND FEEL FREE WITH EACH OTHER WHO HAVE SIMILAR BACKGROUND EXPERIENCES OF …NOT BEING ALLOWED TO SAY OUR THOUGHTS AND OUR FEELINGS OPENLY, IT ACTUALLY - IT WAS REALLY NICE. ALBERTA ITSELF ISN’T VERY WELCOMING, ESPECIALLY FOR TRANS INDIVIDUALS LIKE MYSELF. (I’M NOT SAYING ‘THE HAT’ WAS EITHER), BUT I DIDN’T EXPERIENCE AS MUCH OF IT [IN MEDICINE HAT] AS GROWING UP HERE [IN LETHBRIDGE], RIGHT? …I FIND IF YOU CAN FIND THE GROUPS IN LETHBRIDGE, THEY ARE AWESOME, SUPPORTIVE, AND AMAZING, BUT IT’S BEING ABLE TO FIND THOSE INDIVIDUALS THAT I THINK IS THE RARITY.” ON WEARING HIS RECENTLY MADE T-SHIRT TO ATTEND THE 2024 PRIDE EVENT IN LETHBRIDGE: “IT WAS VERY OVER-WHELMING. I KIND OF MIXED MY OUTFIT A LITTLE BIT. I STILL HAD MY MASCULINE TOP. I EITHER WAS JUST ABOUT TO, OR JUST CUT MY HAIR REALLY SHORT, (I MADE THE DECISION THAT I DIDN’T LIKE THE LONG HAIR ANYMORE). AND I HAD THROWN ON A SKIRT THAT HAD SHORTS ON UNDERNEATH, ...IN ANY [PUBLIC] EVENT IT WAS NICE [TO SEE] WHAT EVERYONE ELSE’S EXPRESSIONS WERE. IT’S SUCH A DIFFERENT ENVIRONMENT FOR HOW PEOPLE DRESS AND EXPRESS THEMSELVES, AND IT WAS JUST LIKE EVERYBODY GETS TO BE LOUD FOR A MOMENT, AND DIRECT ON HOW THEY WANT TO DRESS WITHOUT FEAR OF BEING JUDGED BY OTHERS. ONE OF THE THINGS I REALLY LIKE ABOUT THE QUEER COMMUNITY ESPECIALLY, IS BEING TACKY IS VERY ENCOURAGED, AND I LIKE THAT A LOT, BECAUSE YOU’RE NOT AFRAID OF DOING SOMETHING WRONG BECAUSE THERE IS NOTHING WRONG. YOU’RE JUST QUESTIONING ‘WHY IS THAT FASHION?’ ‘WHY IS THIS NOT FASHION?’ WELL, THERE ISN’T A LOT OF FASHION FOR WHAT I LIKE, SO WE MAKE OUR OWN FASHION. AND IT’S KIND OF FUN TO SEE WHAT EVERYONE ELSE BRINGS.” ON THE 2024 PRIDE EVENT ATTENDEES’ RESPONSE TO HIS AND HIS FRIEND’S ‘HOT TO GO’ T-SHIRT’S, GREGSON RECALLED: “WE GOT STOPPED QUITE A BIT, AND PEOPLE WOULD BE, LIKE, ‘OH, MY GOD, I REALLY LOVE YOUR SHIRT. I LOVE ‘PINK PONY CLUB’.’ [THERE WERE ONLY], LIKE, A SMALL GROUP OF PEOPLE WHO REALLY LIKED IT AT THIS MOMENT IN TIME, AND SO IT WAS ALWAYS EXCITING TO [HEAR,] ‘OH, YEAH, WE LOVE CHAPPELL ROAN!’ AND IT WAS JUST REALLY EXCITING TO SHARE THAT KIND OF EXPERIENCE WITH OTHER PEOPLE …I WORE [THE T-SHIRT] OUT MAYBE ONCE OR TWICE [AFTER PRIDE], BUT THEN I WOULD ALWAYS FEEL REALLY SELF-CONSCIOUS ABOUT WEARING IT OUTSIDE OF PRIDE EVENTS, …I STILL LOVE THIS SHIRT BUT IT’S NOT THE THING THAT I FEEL COMFORTABLE WEARING ON A DAILY BASIS ANYMORE. I PUT IT IN THE BOTTOM OF MY BOX AND KIND OF FORGOT ABOUT IT UNTIL I WAS GOING THROUGH AND CLEANING MY ROOM, …I COULD THROW THIS AWAY, OR MAYBE I COULD SEE IF IT WOULD BE OF VALUE TO ANYONE ELSE.” ON HOW GREGSON FELT UPON DONATING HIS PRIDE T-SHIRT TO THE MUSEUM: “I THINK IT COULD ADD TO THE GALT’S COLLECTION, BECAUSE YOU DON’T HAVE A VERY LARGE COLLECTION OF QUEER ITEMS, IN GENERAL, …I LIKE THINKING THAT, IF IT’S HERE, PEOPLE CAN THINK ABOUT THE KIND OF IMPACT THAT QUEER SPACES MIGHT HAVE WITHIN INSTITUTIONS, AND THERE COULD BE MORE DISCUSSION ABOUT WHY IS THERE NOT MORE [QUEER] THINGS. HERE’S SOMETHING: MAYBE SOMEBODY CAN LOOK AT IT AND BE LIKE, ‘WE LOVE THAT RAINBOW COWBOY HAT, I IDENTIFY GROWING UP ON A FARM, AND LOVING COWBOY THINGS, AND BEING GAY.’ I HOPE THAT THAT COULD BE THE POTENTIAL.” FINALLY, ON LETHBRIDGE AND ITS TREATMENT OF THE 2SLGBTQIA+ COMMUNITY, GREGSON COMMENTED: “PERSONALLY, I’M NOT THE EXPERT ON THIS AREA. FOR MYSELF, I’VE SEEN IT GET BETTER, AND SLOWLY NOW GETTING NOT GOOD…IT’S GETTING WORSE, AND IT’S SCARY, ESPECIALLY SINCE I STARTED TO TRANSITION RIGHT AT THE PEAK OF EVERYTHING GETTING BAD. I REFUSE TO MAKE OTHER PEOPLE COMFORTABLE WITH HOW I FEEL ABOUT MYSELF. AND I’M SORRY. I DON’T WANT TO BE SOMEONE WHO MAKES YOU FEEL COMFORTABLE. [BUT] IT'S NOT ABOUT YOU. IT’S ABOUT LETTING MYSELF BE FREE TO EXPRESS MYSELF HOW I WANT. IF YOU CHOOSE TO WEAR BIG GOLD JEWELRY AND HIGH HEELS, (WHICH IS A VALID THING), IT’S NOT HOW I LIKE TO BE PERCEIVED IN THE WORLD. I DO WISH I LOOKED MORE MASCULINE… IF PEOPLE LOOKED AT ME THEY’D BE A LITTLE BIT CONFUSED AT FIRST, …THEY’RE, LIKE, ‘THAT MAN THERE IS DOING CROCHET. THAT’S STRANGE.’ THAT’S THE KIND OF VIBES I WOULD LIKE TO PUT OUT MORE. … [IT CAN BE] A LITTLE BIT SCARY SOMETIMES BECAUSE, IN SOME PLACES…I’VE HAD PEOPLE FOLLOW ME TO MY CAR, JUST BECAUSE THEY WEREN’T SURE WHAT GENDER, WHAT SEX WAS IN MY PANTS, WHICH IS SILLY. SO, I’M HOPEFUL [AS] PEOPLE INTERACT WITH [THESE] THINGS MORE, THERE’S A FORM OF UNDERSTANDING. I THINK PEOPLE ARE ANGRY BECAUSE THEY DON’T UNDERSTAND.” FOR FURTHER INFORMATION ON SHEA GREGSON’S 2024 LETHBRIDGE PRIDE EVENT T-SHIRT, RELATED EMAIL CORROSPONDANCE, DONOR-SUBMITTED PHOTOS, AND TO SEE HIS FULL INTERVIEW TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE SEE THE DONATION’S PERMANENT FILE.

Catalogue Number

P20250009000

Acquisition Date

2025-09

Collection

Museum

Less detail