Wikipedia

Florence Schechter

Florence Schechter is a British activist and politician, who is also the founder of the Vagina Museum and was director from 2017 to 2024.[1] She has served as a Green Party councillor for Brownswood ward in Hackney Council since May 2026.[2] She is also cabinet member for Finance, Resident Services and Digital.[3]

Florence Schechter
Schechter in 2018
Hackney London Borough Councillor for Brownswood
Incumbent
Assumed office
8 May 2026
Preceded byClare Potter
Majority218
Personal details
PartyGreen
EducationBiochemistry BSc, 2014
Alma materUniversity of Birmingham
OccupationMuseum Director, Author, Public Speaker
Websitewww.floschechter.com

She is also a consultant, science communicator, and public speaker.[4] Her debut book, V: An Empowering Celebration of the Vulva and Vagina, was published by Penguin Random House in March 2023.[5]

Early life and education

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Schechter's father is Klezmer musician Grigori Schechter.[6] She graduated from the University of Birmingham in 2014 with a BSc in Biochemistry.[7][8]

Prior to the Vagina Museum, she interned at the BBC show QI.[9]

Vagina Museum

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Visitors at the Vagina Museum exhibition Muff Busters - Vagina Myths and How to Fight Them

In 2017, Schechter founded the Vagina Museum[10] after discovering that there was a penis museum in Iceland, but no vagina equivalent anywhere in the world.[11] She was the Vagina Museum's Director from 2017 to 2024.[1] The first ever fundraising event was held at Unit 5 Gallery, London in May 2017.[12] The first pop up exhibition was held in August 2017 at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. The following year, it toured an exhibition around the UK called Is Your Vagina Normal?.[13]

The Vagina Museum opened its first semi-permanent location in Camden Market with the inaugural exhibition Muff Busters: Vagina Myths and How to Fight Them,[14] opening on 16 November 2019.[15][16] To open the museum, a fundraising campaign was held which raised almost £50,000.[17] In 2021, the Vagina Museum closed its doors in Camden Market after the landlords refused to renew the lease in their unit.[18][19][20] The Vagina Museum reopened in its second location in March 2022[21][22] in ENTER, a venue located in Bethnal Green.[23] The museum then opened in its long-term location in two railway arches in Bethnal Green after a crowdfunding campaign that raised over £85,000.

The museum is dedicated to being trans-inclusive.[24]

Schechter has lectured around the world about her work with the Vagina Museum, including the Royal Institution,[25] British Science Festival,[26] Conway Hall,[27] Freud Museum,[28] and National Student Pride.[29]

Politics

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In the 2026 Hackney London Borough Council election, Schechter was elected as councillor for Brownswood ward with 1,370 votes.[30] Turnout was 45.01%, and the two Green party candidates, Schechter and Councillor Soraya Adejare, received 51.56% of the votes.[31] The following Monday, it was announced that newly elected Mayor Zoë Garbett had selected Schechter to serve as cabinet member for finance, resident services and digital.[32]

Writing

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On 11 October 2022, it was announced that Penguin would be publishing Schechter's debut book V: An Empowering Celebration of the Vulva and Vagina.[33] The book was published in March 2023 and is illustrated by Nadia Akingbule.[34] The book is suitable for ages 14+. As part of the marketing campaign, she went on tour to Cheltenham Science Festival, Surgeons' Hall Museum,[35] Burgh House,[36] and Conway Hall.[37]

Schechter is currently signed with United Agents.[38]

She has also written articles for a number of publications including DIVA magazine,[39] Metro,[40] and The Huffington Post.[41]

In 2024, she published a guide for the museums sector called "So You Want to Build a Museum".[42]

Public speaking

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Schechter has been working in the science communication sector since 2016, mostly based around biology.[43] She has written and presented a number of podcasts for Chemistry World, podcast of the Royal Society of Chemistry,[44] and for the BBC's Boring Talks.[45]

In 2019, Schechter performed her debut show "Queer by Nature" at Vaults Festival,[46] all about same sex sexual behaviour in animals.[47][48]

She has spoken at and contributed to a number of different conferences and festivals including Green Man Festival,[49] Imperial College London,[50] and Bradford Literature Festival.[51] She gave the keynote speech at SCI:COM 2022 at Dublin's Aviva Stadium[9] and British Science Festival 2024.[52]

Schechter has appeared in a number of podcasts including The Guilty Feminist,[53] Doing It with Hannah Witton,[54] Drunk Women Solving Crime,[55] and Arts & Culture.[56]

She was a contributor to the Peacock documentary Queer Planet, which premiered in 2024.[57]

Honours and awards

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Schechter came highly commended in the Women of the Future Awards in 2017.[58]

In 2019, she won Pioneer of the Year in the Sexual Freedom Awards.[59]

In 2020, she was nominated for the Rising Star of the Year Award with DIVA magazine.[60]

In 2023, she came highly commended in the Young Entrepreneur Category at the DIVA awards.[61]

Personal life

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Schechter is bisexual.[62]

References

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  1. 1 2 "People". Vagina Museum. Retrieved 2022-10-11.
  2. ↑ "Local election results | Hackney Council". www.hackney.gov.uk. Retrieved 2026-05-17.
  3. ↑ "REVEALED: Hackney Mayor Zoë Garbett's new Cabinet team". Hackney Council News. 2026-05-11. Retrieved 2026-05-17.
  4. ↑ "Inside the World's First Museum Dedicated to the Vagina". Time. 15 November 2019. Retrieved 2022-10-25.
  5. ↑ "Florence Schechter". Penguin Random House. Retrieved 2022-10-11.
  6. ↑ "This Jewish Woman Is Creating The World's First Vagina Museum". The Forward. 2017-12-31. Retrieved 2024-12-04.
  7. ↑ "Schechter, Florence". Johnson & Alcock. Archived from the original on 2022-10-11. Retrieved 2022-10-11.
  8. ↑ Lawford, Emily. "The biologist behind the Vagina Museum". Prospect Magazine. Retrieved 2024-12-04.
  9. 1 2 O’Dea, Blathnaid (2022-11-30). "'Vaginas have always been a passion of mine,' says this museum founder". Silicon Republic. Retrieved 2024-12-04.
  10. ↑ "Vaginas deserve their own museum according to this woman". The Independent. 2017-03-29. Retrieved 2022-10-11.
  11. ↑ "Meet Florence Schechter, founder of Vagina Museum". Tatty Devine. Retrieved 2022-10-11.
  12. ↑ Spencer, Hayley (2017-04-25). "This woman is crowd-funding to create the world's first vagina museum". Stylist. Retrieved 2022-10-11.
  13. ↑ Amsen, Eva. "The World's First Vagina Museum Encourages Conversation Around Gynecological Health". Forbes. Retrieved 2022-10-11.
  14. ↑ Luckhurst, Phoebe (2019-11-12). "Why the world needs its first bricks-and-mortar Vagina Museum". Evening Standard. Retrieved 2022-10-11.
  15. ↑ Paskett, Zoe; Wadia, Helena (2019-11-16). "Everything you need to know about the Vagina Museum". Evening Standard. Retrieved 2022-10-11.
  16. ↑ "World's First Vagina Museum Tackles FGM, Sexual Health, and More". Global Citizen (in Spanish). Retrieved 2022-10-11.
  17. ↑ "Vagina museum in London aims to 'banish shame'". BBC News. 2019-09-19. Retrieved 2022-10-25.
  18. ↑ Patterson, Sally (2022-02-23). "Opening: Vagina Museum moves to Bethnal Green". Hampstead Highgate Express. Retrieved 2022-10-11.
  19. ↑ "The World's Only Vagina Museum Is Closing Its Doors". Vice. 22 September 2021. Retrieved 2022-10-11.
  20. ↑ "'Outpouring of support' as Vagina Museum seeks new home". Museums Association. 24 August 2021. Retrieved 2022-10-11.
  21. ↑ "Vagina Museum finds new home after six month search". civilsociety.co.uk. Retrieved 2022-10-11.
  22. ↑ "London's Vagina Museum set to reopen its doors after six months". Yahoo! News UK. 7 March 2022. Retrieved 2022-10-11.
  23. ↑ "Vagina Museum reveals new 'triple size' location and reopening date". Museums + Heritage Advisor. 2022-02-21. Retrieved 2022-10-11.
  24. ↑ Wakefield, Lily (2022-03-19). "Founder of world's first Vagina Museum explains why it's for everyone". PinkNews. Retrieved 2022-10-11.
  25. ↑ "Valentine's Day vaginas". Royal Institution. Archived from the original on 2022-10-11. Retrieved 2022-10-11.
  26. ↑ "Dispelling Five Myths About 'Normal' Vaginas". HuffPost UK. 2018-09-10. Retrieved 2022-10-25.
  27. ↑ "Thinking on Sunday: Why the World Needs A Vagina Museum". Conway Hall. Retrieved 2022-10-11.
  28. ↑ "Conference: Solitary Pleasures in art and psychoanalysis- Florence Schechter". Freud Museum London: Psychoanalysis Podcasts. Retrieved 2024-12-04.
  29. ↑ LBTQ+ Women's Panel | National Student Pride 2021, 20 April 2021, retrieved 2022-10-11 – via YouTube
  30. ↑ "London Borough of Hackney: The 8 candidates in Brownswood". whocanivotefor.co.uk. Retrieved 2026-05-17.
  31. ↑ "Local elections 2026: Green party wins majority of seats on Hackney Council – Hackney Citizen". Retrieved 2026-05-17.
  32. ↑ Steen, Josef (2026-05-11). "Hackney's Green Mayor unveils her top team to 'lead new era'". My London. Retrieved 2026-05-17.
  33. ↑ "Penguin to publish 'ground-breaking' book by Vagina Museum creator Schechter". The Bookseller. Retrieved 2022-10-11.
  34. ↑ Pavel (2023-09-22). "Battling the stigma: The world's first Vagina Museum". Research Features. Retrieved 2024-12-04.
  35. ↑ "V with Florence Schechter". Surgeons' Hall Museums, Edinburgh. Retrieved 2024-12-04.
  36. ↑ "Burgh House Book Lab: Florence Schechter - V: An empowering celebration of the vulva and vagina". Pramstead. Retrieved 2024-12-04.
  37. ↑ "V: A Celebration of the Vulva and Vagina". Conway Hall. Retrieved 2024-12-04.
  38. ↑ "Florence Schechter". United Agents. Retrieved 2023-05-16.
  39. ↑ EDITOR (2023-03-01). "This week's podDIVA is a March issue debrief". Diva. Retrieved 2023-05-16.
  40. ↑ Schechter, Florence (2020-01-30). "I'm not surprised women turn to The Goop Lab for advice - it could be dangerous". Metro. Retrieved 2023-05-16.
  41. ↑ "Dispelling Five Myths About 'Normal' Vaginas". HuffPost UK. 2018-09-10. Retrieved 2023-05-16.
  42. ↑ Hardaker, Alistair (2024-07-24). "Former Vagina Museum founder launches guide for creating museums". Museums + Heritage. Retrieved 2024-12-04.
  43. ↑ Steve_X (2016-06-14). "SCIENCE SHOWOFF Croydon Comedy Festival, June 23rd". Science Showoff. Retrieved 2022-10-25.
  44. ↑ "Florence Schechter | Author". Chemistry World. Retrieved 2024-12-04.
  45. ↑ "BBC Sounds - The Boring Talks, #29 - Animal Vaginas". BBC. 2018-12-17. Retrieved 2024-12-04.
  46. ↑ "REVIEW: Queer By Nature at VAULT Festival". Diva. 2019-02-25. Retrieved 2022-10-25.
  47. ↑ "Book Queer By Nature Tickets Online - Comedy Tickets - Seating plan, Show times, Reviews, Cast & Info - London Theatre". Stagedoor. Retrieved 2022-10-25.
  48. ↑ Queer By Nature, Vaults, 20 Feb 2019, 22 October 2020, retrieved 2022-10-25 – via YouTube
  49. ↑ "The Breakup Monologues with Rosie Wilby: Live from Green Man Festival - with Florence Schechter and Harriet Gibsone". podfollow. Retrieved 2024-12-04.
  50. ↑ "Appetite for Change: Stories of women in health, research and innovation". Imperial College London. Retrieved 2024-12-04.
  51. ↑ "The Vagina Dialogues". Bradford Literature Festival. Retrieved 2024-12-04.
  52. ↑ "16 of the UK's best scientific minds announced as Scientific Section Presidents". British Science Festival. Retrieved 2024-12-04.
  53. ↑ 353. Vagina Museum with Jessica Fostekew and special guest Florence Schechter | The Guilty Feminist. 2023-04-10. Retrieved 2024-12-04 – via shows.acast.com.
  54. ↑ "The Vagina Museum with Florence Schechter". Doing It Podcast. 2019-11-13. Retrieved 2024-12-04.
  55. ↑ "139 Florence Schechter and the Honesty Box by Drunk Women Solving Crime". Podchaser. Retrieved 2024-12-04.
  56. ↑ "Innovating & Disrupting (with Florence Schechter at The Vagina Museum)". Apple Podcasts. Retrieved 2024-12-04.
  57. ↑ "Queer Planet Trailer: New Peacock Series Will Explore Sexual Diversity in the Animal Kingdom". SYFY Official Site. 2024-05-16. Retrieved 2024-12-04.
  58. ↑ "Florence Schechter | Author". Chemistry World. Retrieved 2022-10-11.
  59. ↑ "2019 Finalists". Sexual Freedom Awards. Retrieved 2022-10-11.
  60. ↑ @DIVAmagazine (February 22, 2020). "Founder of the world's first vagina museum @floschechter is on the shortlist for the #DIVAAwards20 Rising Star of the Year Award!" (Tweet). Retrieved 2022-10-11 – via Twitter.
  61. ↑ "SHORTLIST 2023". Diva Awards 2023. Retrieved 2023-05-16.
  62. ↑ EDITOR (2019-11-18). "What's it like to be… Director of the world's first vagina museum?". diva-magazine.com. Retrieved 2022-10-11.
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