My recent visit was disappointing, and I’m sharing this solely based on that experience. I’ve visited this museum several times before and genuinely enjoyed it, which is why this was so upsetting.

Yesterday, I went with my girlfriend and her family. As soon as we entered the Kinder building and told a staff member we were going to purchase tickets at the kiosk, we were immediately watched. The staff member hovered near us while we bought our tickets and continued to stand nearby even after we put on the ticket stickers. She stood extremely close to my girlfriend’s father and didn’t back off even when she noticed I saw her.

As we moved through the galleries, we began to notice a pattern: gallery attendants were following us very closely. At each section, someone kept a constant eye on us—often just feet away—even though plenty of other visitors were in the same areas. The attention felt very targeted.

A staff member named Julian stood just a few feet from my girlfriend and me while we were viewing an exhibit. Even after we moved to another part of the section, he followed us, while seemingly ignoring other visitors nearby. At one point, he stood about three feet away from us, pretending to watch the gallery but clearly focusing on us. He didn’t leave us alone until we left that zone, and even then as I was leaving he didn’t care I knew he was watching us because he followed for a little bit as we left the area and kept making eye contact with me.

Another staff member followed us into an elevator and continued to track us through the next exhibit. We saw her talking to another attendant and then quickly parting ways when we got close, which made things feel even more uncomfortable.

When we returned to the bottom floor to wait for my girlfriend’s brother, we sat near the area where we had purchased our tickets. The same staff member from earlier saw us sitting and began hovering again. My girlfriend’s 2-year-old sister was running around a bit, as toddlers do, and started playing with some of the pamphlets on a nearby stand. We immediately put them back ourselves, but the staff member rushed over anyway and began adjusting the display as if we hadn’t already handled it. She stayed close by after that, watching us, which made us feel even more scrutinized despite doing nothing wrong.

Eventually, my girlfriend’s family and I felt so uncomfortable and singled out that we decided to leave early. We didn’t even get to experience the other two buildings. This was especially upsetting because it was my girlfriend’s family’s first visit, and it left a very negative first impression of the museum. I hesitate to assume the worst, but it was hard not to feel that we were being profiled—especially since my girlfriend’s family is Mexican, and none of the other (white) visitors appeared to be receiving the same level of scrutiny.

I truly hope this wasn’t racially motivated, but the experience left us feeling watched, unwelcome, and disrespected. I’m sharing this in the hopes that the museum will reflect on its training and ensure that all guests, regardless of background, feel equally welcome.