Reading is Fundamental

Hello everyone. I hope you are enjoying Pride! We have gone to two Pride events, one in Boston and one in our little suburban town, which was nice. The small suburban Prides are great with kids because they are smaller and have some great booths and activities for kids. I also hosted a brunch for LGBTQIA+ families with kids, which was a fun way celebrate Pride month.

This week, I want to encourage you to read books about Queer history. Below is some books I recommend (note that some of these books are 15% off from Bookshop.org for Pride Month). Let me know if you read/enjoy any of these and leave a comment with some of your favorites!

• And the Band Played On: This is a classic book about the first years of the HIV/AIDS crisis. Shilts’ provides exemplary details about the ways LGBTQIA+ activists fought to get politicians and people to care about the community that was dying while also providing supports to those impacted by AIDS. Though some of the information is incorrect, especially around the role of Gaetan Dugas had in spreading HIV, And the Band Played On is a good reminder of the work that LGBTQIA+ people have done to get services and create community and services in times of crisis.

• A Black Queer History of the United States: A lot of LGBTQIA+ books are focused on cisgendered and white people. This book, by Snorton & Bost, explores the rich Black Queer history and shows us the importance of intersectionality. Snorton & Bost are able to center Black voices and remind us of the ways intersectionality impacts how people interact with the queer communities.

• Boy Wives and Female Husbands: When we explore queerness, we often use a very Western perspective but different cultures explore queerness within their own contexts. Boy Wives and Female Husbands looks at the many types of relationships that have been traditional to the continent of Africa that would, in these days, be defined as queer. Though a little older, it brings a great perspective into the cultural aspect of queerness.

• Bad Gays: A Homosexual History: Who doesn’t love a demon twink? In their book, Lemmey & Miller explore queer people who aren’t about liberation but have have done some bad things, including fascist Yukio Mishima (he wrote Confessions of a Mask which is about being gay in pre-war Japan). It is a reminder that there are true LGBTQIA+ villans and their lives and biographies are rich.

• The Global Fight Against LGBTQI Rights: This is a fantastic book that shows that the fight around LGBTQI rights is not isolated in individual countries but its a global movement where countries learn from each other and influence each other, along with organizations that are also influencing these anti-LGBTQI politics. This books gives a good context into the ways politics is not isolated but how queer people’s futures are intertwined internationally.

• Queer Asia: Decolonizing and Reimagining Sexuality and Gender: As a queer theorist, I love when people explore the complexities of sexuality and gender across cultures. Queer Asia is an anthology that explores the diversity of queerness in Asian countries and cultures through case studies and stories.

• Sexuality and the Unnatural in Colonial Latin America: This book allows us to see how LGBTQIA+ actions were impacted by colonial laws in Latin America. This edited volume brings in several scholars (and their perspectives) to show how colonialism impacts the way we currently view LGBTQIA+ policy in Latin American countries.