Description and History
Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer (LGBTQ) Pride Month is currently celebrated each year in the month of June to honor the 1969 Stonewall Uprising in Manhattan - the tipping point for the Gay Liberation Movement in the United States.The purpose of the commemorative month is to recognize the impact that lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender individuals have had on history locally, nationally, and internationally.
Professional Learning Resources
Prepared for Pride Month: A Conversation (Free ALA/AASLMember Exclusive Webinar)
June 6, 2023 | 4:30 pm CDT
Pride Month displays and programming, as well as materials with LGBTQ+ characters and themes, have been a primary target for censorship. Library workers have faced harassment, LGBTQ+ events have been canceled due to safety concerns, and many resources have been defaced, damaged, or destroyed by the individuals or groups targeting them. From public and school libraries to academic and special libraries, no part of the library ecosystem has been spared in the campaign against LGBTQ+ content. In this conversation, panelists will share their expertise and provide attendees with best practices and practical strategies to advocate for and support LGBTQ+ content and programming during Pride Month and beyond. Presented by the Freedom to Read Foundation, co-sponsored by OIF, the ALA Rainbow Round Table, AASL, and PLA.
Defending Intellectual Freedom: LGBTQ+ Materials in School Libraries
This guide from AASL supports school librarians in addressing challenges related to censorship and patron privacy issues, particularly with LGBTQ+ materials. Defending Intellectual Freedom: LGBTQ+ Materials in School Libraries uses the AASL Standards framework as scaffolding to help users explore LGBTQ+ materials and needs in their own communities.
- AASL Standards Framework Applied to LGBTQ+ Materials
Use this applied framework to take a look at your collection. - Defending Intellectual Freedom: LGBTQ+ Materials in School Libraries
During this webinar, the guide--including its exercises and frameworks and an introductory infographic--will be unpacked. Ideas for using the guide as part of a school or district-wide professional development will be explored, as well as ways a similar framework could be used to address other key issues for school librarians. - Using AASL’s New LGBTQ+ Resource Guide for Professional Development
In this Knowledge Quest blog post, Rachel Altobelli shares how used the resource guide as the basis for professional development for her district’s back-to-school in-service for librarians.
Inclusive LGBTQIA+ Education: Why It’s Important and How to Be an Advocate for Change
This AASL National Conference presentation from Amanda Melilli focuses on the importance of inclusion for all students and will provide examples of what various forms of inclusion looks like in both school libraries and the classroom. Common implicit biases when evaluating LGBTQIA+ literature is discussed, and advice for working with colleagues and administrators to promote change is also provided.
LGBTQ+ and Gender Inclusive Resources
HRC Foundation’s Welcoming Schools is a comprehensive bias-based bullying prevention program in the nation to provide LGBTQ+ and gender inclusive professional development training, lesson plans, booklists and resources specifically designed for educators and youth-serving professionals.
Affirming Library Practices for LGBTQIA+ Kids in School Libraries
The slides from 2023 LibLearnX provides legal knowledge supporting affirming practices and strengthening advocacy, skills to create a supportive LGBTQIA+ culture in and beyond your library, and the terminology that creates safety and a sense of belonging. Slides include articles, statistics, studies, and resources
Open To All: Serving the LGBTQIA+ Community in Your Library
This toolkit created by the ALA Rainbow Round Table is designed to help library staff better understand gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, questioning, intersex, asexual, aromantic, and other queer (LGBTQIA+) library users, how to best serve their needs, and how to manage challenges that often arise.
“They Kind of Rely on the Library”: School Librarians Serving LGBT Students
In this article from the The Journal of Research on Libraries and Young Adults, Shannon M. Oltmann examines school librarians’ perspectives on collecting LGBT materials. Oltmann sought to address the following research questions: What are school librarians’ views on collecting LGBT resources? For those who do collect LGBT resources, what are their reasons for doing so? What roles can school librarians play to counter bullying of LGBT students?
Equal Access Act
Prohibits federally-funded public secondary schools which allow non-school-sponsored groups of students to meet from discriminating against any meeting of students on the basis of religious content if: (1) the meeting is voluntary and student initiated; (2) there is no government sponsorship; and (3) no unlawful activity is permitted.
Gender & Sexualities Alliances (GSAs)
Genders & Sexualities Alliances are student-run organizations that unite LGBTQ+ and allied youth to build community and organize around issues impacting them in their schools and communities. The National Association of GSA Networks works with local partners to develop new curriculum, programs, and models and intentionally works with trans and queer youth of color, bringing an intersectional lens to existing programming with LGBTQ+ youth.
GSA Court Victories: A Guide for LGBTQ High School Students
This page from the ACLU shares details on the many federal court cases in which schools have unsuccessfully tried to block or limit GSAs.
Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972
Title IX protects people from discrimination based on sex in education programs or activities that receive federal financial assistance. Title IX states: No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance.
Learner Engagement Resources
Booklists
- Rainbow Book List
The Rainbow Book List is created by the ALA Rainbow Round Table and it presents an annual bibliography of quality books with significant and authentic LGBQTIA+ content, which are recommended for people from birth through eighteen years of age. - Stonewall Book Awards
The first and most enduring award for LGBTQIA+ books is the Stonewall Book Awards, sponsored by ALA’s Rainbow Round Table (formerly the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender Round Table).
Books Matter™ | Children's & Young Adult Literature
ADL provides an online bibliography of recommended children’s and young adult books about bias, bullying, diversity and social justice. This curated list provides age level recommended books on LGBTQ+ People & Heterosexism.
Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer Pride Month Resources
This in depth list of resources from the Library of Congress includes research guides, arts and sciences collections, civil rights and government papers and collections, and literature and poetry collections.