No matter the culture, no matter the century, one of the great obstacles facing LGBT people through time has been the virtual invisibility of those who have come before. If you don’t see anyone like you in a seemingly heterogeneous — and heteronormative — society, it’s hard to feel anything other than deviant, out of step and alone. When critics say, “Representation matters,” this is why: Art — but also artifacts, including diaries, portraiture and possessions that belonged to real people — creates a kind of fossil record of those who preceded you, offering evidence that others have faced the same questions.