'Out West' at the Autry examines the history of homosexuals and transgender people in the Old West

The series is the first of its kind hosted by a Western-heritage museum, say people associated with the Autry. It consists of a gallery tour, panel discussions, lectures and performances to be rolled out in four installments over the course of 12 months. Dates for future events are being finalized.

Gregory Hinton, an independent historian who conceived and organized "Out West" for the museum, said the Autry was getting into potentially risky territory with the program.

One aspect of "Out West" that the Autry handled with special care was the title. An early suggestion was "Gay and the West" but the team at the museum rejected it partly because it was too "hard-hitting," according to Hinton. Officials at the museum said they disliked that title because it didn't include bisexuals and transgender people.

Another title, "Equality and the West," was rejected because it sounded too political.

So far, the Autry hasn't received any complaints about the series either from the public or internally, according to museum leaders. One trustee they wouldn't name voiced concern that the program might portray conservatives as bigots in the vein of the character played by Randy Quaid in "Brokeback Mountain."

The first installment, which took place Sunday at the Autry, was a discussion titled "What Ever Happened to Ennis Del Mar?" The title refers to the Ledger character from "Brokeback" who lived a closeted life in rural Wyoming.