eSpotlight: LGBTQ History

Happy Pride! Pride is celebrated every June in commemoration of the Stonewall Uprising. This month honors the history of LGBTQIA+ community members and activists, while acknowledging work that still needs to be done as we move towards greater equality for all communities.

With the recent increase of anti-gay and anti-trans legislation, it’s all the more important to understand the full scope of LGBTQIA+ history — allowing us to place the current rash of legislation into a broader historical context. SJPL offers many digital resources to explore.

Databases

Gale History in Context

Not sure where to start? Check this Topic Overview of the LGBTQ+ Rights Movement. Topic Overviews provide a short summary of the subject, further reading suggestions, and related articles.

eBooks

As always, eBooks are available for you to check out anywhere, anytime:

Queer Brown Voices, book cover
Pride: An Inspirational History of the LGBTQ+ Movement, book cover
Real Queer America Lgbt Stories From Red States, book cover
David Bowie Made Me Gay 100 Years of LGBT Music, book cover
Queer a Graphic History, book cover


Online Encyclopedias

Global Encyclopedia of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer (LGBTQ) History

This encyclopedia covers LGBTQ topics worldwide. Entries include media, sports, politics, activism, and more.

LGBTQ+ (1923-2017)

This encyclopedia offers primary source documents alongside historical analysis. Examples include a Stonewall Riot Leaflet and Harvey Milk's "The Hope Speech".

Explore Further

For a visual history of activist's fight to create LGBTQ Pride, visit the Library of Congress' "The History of Pride". This resource offers a multimedia experience, detailing the event's history from "Reminder Day Pickets" through the first Pride marches.

The Library of Congress also offers digital resources that cover the experience of groups with in LGBTQ community, for example these personal narratives from LGBTQ+ service members.

Celebrate with SJPL!

Want to celebrate in person? Come visit us and participate in our free events!