Have you heard of the “Hug-a-Homosexual” booth at ALA’s 1971 Annual Conference? If not, take a listen to this delightful podcast interview with one of the women involved, Barabara Gittings, and her partner Kay Lahusen. While not a librarian, Gittings was involved in the early gay movement within ALA, which advocated for positive gay and lesbian literature in libraries, as well as visibility in the profession.
The podcast episode is part of a larger project called Making Gay History from author Eric Marcus. You can listen to all the episodes on the podcast website, including an additional episode about Gittings and Lahusen which covers their involvement with the Daughters of Bilitis.
-Emilia Marcyk
