Official News Outlet for the Rainbow Round Table of the American Library Association
By Ashley R. Lierman In a recent segment on Late Night with Seth Meyers, the host explained the recent defeat of the broad-based Houston Equal Rights Ordinance, or HERO. The measure would have included legal protections from discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity as well as race, gender, and other characteristics. In his […]
Via press release The American Library Association (ALA) is accepting nominations for the inaugural Newlen-Symons Award for Excellence in Serving the GLBT Community. The award, to be given for the first time this year, will honor recent library initiatives that demonstrate excellence in library services to or for the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender (GLBT) community. The award […]
By Elizabeth Gartley Most educators are familiar with African American History Month in February and Women’s History Month in March, but LGBT History Month is often overlooked in October, and the experiences and contributions of LGBT people throughout the world are omitted from most history classes. But there are a wealth of opportunities to integrate […]
By Emilia R. Marcyk Scholarship and academic news that addresses LGBTQ identities and concerns, of interest to librarians and information professionals Special Issues This month’s issue of Educational Forum focuses on sexuality, gender, identity and education. Of particular interest to librarians working in the K-12 world: Helmer, Kirsten. “‘Everyone Needs a Class Like This’: High […]
By John Mack Freeman Out gay Jamaican author Marlon James has won the 2015 Man Booker Prize for A Brief History fo Seven Killings. Via PinkNews: Michael Wood, chair of the judges, declared James’ novel as the “most exciting” book on the literary shortlist. The 680-page epic is described as “full of surprises”, “very violent” and “full […]
By John Mack Freeman The twelfth book in the popular Captain Underpants series has been banned from one school’s book fair because of its GLBT content. Via WXYZ: “Captain Underpants and the Sensational Sag of Sir Stinks-A-Lot” is the 12th novel in author Dav Pilkey’s series. Pilkey recently announced that a main character in the book […]
By John Mack Freeman A new proposed law would make coming out by LGBT people a crime. Via Advocate.com: The new bill is being drafted as an amendment to Russia’s infamous ban on “propaganda of nontraditional sexual relations,” which currently imposes fines and censure for any person or agency making pro-LGBT statements in any venue […]
By Ashley R. Lierman The recently-released Star Wars-themed Campbell’s soup ad featuring same-sex parents has provoked a backlash from fundamentalist Christian group One Million Moms. A few nights ago, Stephen Colbert responded to the group’s complaints on the Late Show – including replaying the entire ad for context. As he notes, all this free publicity […]
Via press release On October 29, American Library Association (ALA) President Sari Feldman will officially launch Libraries Transform, a national public awareness campaign that will highlight the transformative nature of our nation’s libraries and elevate the critical role libraries play in the digital age. As part of the national launch, Feldman will tour a variety […]
By Ashley R. Lierman Sorry, friends, but I’m afraid real life is piling up once again. Much as I hate to miss a chance for a Halloween theme, there will be no new Queer Quest column for October. In the meantime, enjoy all the other great content on this blog, and maybe consider funding this […]