Hayley Recommends: LGBTQ+ Books I will be reading this month
LGBT+ History Month is an annual event in February that has been held in the UK since 2005. The aim of the event is to raise awareness and combat prejudice against the LGBT+ community, whilst also celebrating the communities’ achievements. I think it is important to read about LGBT history as it is often either ignored or deliberately left out. These are the titles I will be reading this February to learn more about LGBT+ history.
Queer: A Collection of LGBTQ Writing from Ancient Times to Yesterday by Frank Wynne (Editor):
Published just last month, this collection contains eighty extracts, stories, poems and writings reflecting on LGBTQ experiences through history. The anthology explores ‘queer’ experiences, from historical literary icons to emerging contemporary queer authors. From Verlaine’s sonnets, to letters written by Oscar Wilde during his imprisonment, the anthology spans a range of genres from around the world, highlighting voices that have often been silenced. I am personally interested to read the section taken from Alison Bechdel’s graphic novel ‘Fun Home’, which was originally published in 2006 and chronicles Bechdel’s experience coming out and highlights some of the issues individuals face when coming out. Bechdel’s comic strip ‘Dykes to Watch Out For’ was published from 1983 to 2008 and is the origin of the ‘Bechdel Test’, which is a measure of the representation of women, most often applied to films.
The Times I Knew I Was Gay by Eleanor Crewes
Crewes’ graphic memoir is a sweet and funny reflection on incidents in her life that helped her come to understand her sexuality. Through self-denial and awkward encounters, Crewes reminds us that realising your sexuality is not always straight-forward. Sometimes it is circling back, stopping and starting again. It does not always come from one revelatory moment, and that it is as much about having the courage to understand yourself as it is your relationship to other people. Her drawings are simple and gentle, and I enjoyed how distinctively British some of Crewe’s memoires are, from pottering around London to begging her dad to get Sky so she could watch Buffy.
The Stonewall Reader by New York Public Library, foreword by Edmund White (request here)
Published in 2019, The Stonewall Reader marks the fiftieth anniversary since the Stonewall Uprising, one of the most significant events in gay liberation movement. The book is a collection of first accounts and literature, from diaries and articles from LGBTQ magazines that documented the years leading up to and following the riots. The collection highlights the pivotal importance of transgender activists in the movement, such as Sylvia Rivera, co-founder of Street Transvestites Action Revolutionaries (STAR), looking as well at other forgotten figures such as Ernestine Eckstein, one of the few out lesbian African American activists in the 1960s. Even though the protest took place more than fifty years ago it is important to understand it’s significance, particularly in the context of contemporary LGBTQ+ issues.
Life as a Unicorn by Amrou Al-Kadhi
From growing up in a god-fearing Muslim house to strutting the stage as Glamrou, a confident and exuberant drag queen, Al-Kadhi’s memoir reflects on their search for belonging. They probe their experiences growing up, from their constant search for love and attention from their mother, to the bullying they endured at Eton. Al-Kadhi is candid throughout as they explore the intersections of mental health, gender, masculinity and Islamaphobia in shaping their identity. Al-Kadhi has made numerous contributions to queer anthologies and I have often seen Glamrou across social media so I am excited for the chance to get to know them more.
Fabulosa! By Paul Baker
Baker uncovers and explores the history of Polari, a coded language used chiefly by gay men in the early 1900’s when homosexuality was illegal, offering users a means of identification as well as a
degree of disguise in public. He traces the historial emergence of the language, how and where it has been spoken, and explores its recent re-emergence into the mainstream. This book is a fascinating account of a fun and ingenious language, and those who spoke it. I studied Language at university and have always been fascinated by dialects and vocabulary, especially as a means of creating and signifying an identity so I my interest was piqued when I heard about this book. I’m aware of a few terms that have recently entered the mainstream but I am excited to understand how much of Polari is still used today.
Request books here.