June is LGBTQ+ Pride Month, celebrating the history, achievements, and contributions of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and gender expansive, and queer identifying members of our community. Pride Month commemorates the Stonewall Riots in New York City in 1969, which were a response to policy brutality targeting the LGBTQ+ community - specifically transgender individuals. In 1970, the first Pride Parade was held in four US cities - New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, and San Francisco - bringing visibility to the LGBTQ+ community and awareness of the fight for equal rights. In 1999, President Bill Clinton officially declared in a Presidential proclamation that June would be recognized as Gay and Lesbian Pride Month. Then in 2011, President Barack Obama, declared June Pride Month to recognize the entirety of the LGBT community.
Pride Month is an opportunity to celebrate the LGBTQ+ community, but it isn't the only one. You can show your support for the LGBTQ+ community all year round in the books you read, movies and TV shows you watch, music you listen to, and the dollars you spend.
Thankfully, SJPL has a variety of curated book lists for all ages and interests, featuring thoughtful LGBTQ+ representation of the stories, the characters, and the authors. A few of those lists are linked below - happy reading!
Celebrate Pride all year long with SJPL! Featuring LGBTQ+ families and children, these picture books teach children about love and acceptance.
Celebrate Pride Month with SJPL! Check out these middle grade graphic novels featuring LGBTQIA+ characters and stories. Grades 3-7+.
Revel in these latest stories featuring characters as told by authors identifying as part of the LGBTQIA+ community. Selected and curated by SJPL librarians.
This list features reads with LGBTQIA+ characters or authors (often both); these books explore the many facets of individuals, intersecting identities, and ultimately the human experience. Some will make you laugh, others will make you cry, but each of these reads will help you celebrate Pride any time of year. Selected and curated by SJPL librarians
Descubra una variedad de historias en español sobre personajes adultas de la comunidad LGBTQ + sobre sus identidades personales, relaciones personales y luchas de aceptación por la sociedad.
Looking for more?
Head over to SJPL's Pride Month page for more ways to celebrate Pride this month. Also, LGBTQ+ Resource page has even more booklists, additional blogs on topics related to the LGBTQ+ community, and local community resources for those who identify and for allies!
At San Jose Public Library, you BELONG. Happy Pride!
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