LGBTQIA+ Communities

Overview

LGBTQIA+ Communities

The first Pride march was held in New York City on June 28, 1970, one year after the Stonewall Uprising, a tipping point in the Gay Liberation Movement in the United States. In the years following Stonewall, many organizations and groups gathered together to protest for LGBTQIA+ rights, demanding equal rights. In 1999, the United States officially designated June as Pride month. (source: Library of Congress)

2024 Events

Queering Metadata
Thursday, July 11, 2024 from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. Pacific Time

See all Pride Month Symposia

Library and Information Science Best Practices

Best Practices from “Celebrating LGBTQIA+ Librarianship in Tough Times“:
  • While it is important to have all staff members respect patrons and educated on LGBTQIA+ matters, it’s even more important to have youth librarian staff members who are attentive, in-touch, and able to support LGBTQIA+ youth. “That is the time, I think, when all people come into the realization of gender and realization of sexuality.” -Deb Sica
  • Understand, and help your staff understand, the reasons for why it’s important to be educated on LGBTQIA+ issues. “If your team isn’t on board, you can fall into toxic allyship where you’re trying to do something and then folks are pushing back.” -Angela Ocaña
  • Everyone’s efforts are required in making the library a more welcoming space. “Do your part no matter where you are in the library or the section of the library that you work in.” -Michael Wallace-Davis, Jr.
  • Inclusivity is about teamwork. “You can’t have one person who is raising all these issues…People stop listening if it’s always the same person…maybe you need to get someone who is traditionally a little quieter to raise that one [issue] so it doesn’t seem like it’s just your issue because it’s not.” -Melinda Borie
  • Know where your patrons are coming from and value their need for privacy. “Some teens have trepidation about coming up to the desk and voicing what they’re looking for…what’s been really popular at some branches where I’ve worked at is doing a short Dewey Decimal Subject…in a bookmark form or some place in the teen section to just help them find the information they’re looking for.” -Ana Elisa de Campo Salles
  • Make sure to have policies in place that stand behind your libraries DEIA efforts. “In addition to having a reconsideration policy that’s up to date, I think that you should also have a collection strategy statement or some kind of collection statement that is public on your website…On our website, in very clear language, it tells people what our priorities are at the library and among those are we strive to have as diverse and inclusive a collection as we possibly can, given the constraints of the publishing world.” -Dontaná McPherson-Joseph
Best Practices from “How LGBTQIA+ Librarians Shape Libraries Today“:
  • Incorporate a more inclusive approach to LGBTQIA+ resources.
  • Be aware of potential pushback that may arise as a result of having queer-friendly resources in the library. 
  • Reach out to community members about how libraries can tailor their practices towards supporting their local communities. 
  • Create more space for LGBTQIA+ people in library programming efforts.

Community Profiles

Professional Associations

Bibliography

Videos