Monthly Highlights – June 2023
As historians Leila Rupp and Susan Freeman argue in Understanding and Teaching U.S. Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender History, “instruction about queer history…will inspire young minds to imagine and work for a more open and accepting future society.” This instruction begins by integrating the voices of LGBTQ+ people in the past and helping students understand the setbacks, triumphs, and celebrations the LGBTQ+ community faced in creating a more inclusive and equitable society. The resources curated below help teachers to inform themselves and determine how to best approach these topics with their students.
Featured Teaching Resources
Coming Soon!
Blog Post
“Teach the History of LBGTQ+ Joy” - Guest Writer Dr. Wendy Rouse
Picture Books
A Song for the Unsung: Bayard Rustin, the Man Behind the 1963 March on Washington by Carole Boston Weatherford and Rob Sanders. Fascinating story of Bayard Rustin and the role he played in the 1963 March on Washington. One of the unsung heroes who was at the center of The March and events of the Civil Rights Movement.. He was Bayard Rustin - a gay, Black man.
Kind Like Marsha: Learning from LBGTQ+ Leaders by Sarah Prager. celebrates 14 amazing and inspirational LGBTQ+ people throughout history like Harvey Milk, Sylvia Rivera, and Audre Lorde who are joined by Leonardo da Vinci, Frida Kahlo, and more. With a focus on a positive personality attribute of each of the historical figures, readers will be encouraged to be brave like the Ugandan activist fighting for LGBTQ+ rights against all odds and to be kind like Marsha P. Johnson who took care of her trans community on the New York City streets. Great for younger students as each individual is introduced with minimal text and one quote.
Pride: The Story of Harvey Milk and the Rainbow Flag by Rob Sanders. Learn about the history of the Gay Pride Flag, from its beginnings in 1978 with social activist Harvey Milk and designer Gilbert Baker to its spanning of the globe and its role in today's world. A story of love, hope, equality, and pride. Includes biographical notes and both Harvey Milk and Rainbow Flag timelines.
Red: A Crayon's Story by Michael Hall. A blue crayon mistakenly labeled as "red" suffers an identity crisis in this picture book. Funny, insightful, and colorful, the book is about being true to your inner self and following your own path despite obstacles that may come your way. Told from the perspective of the other crayons and one pencil, "Red" would be an excellent starting point for discussion about everyone's own uniqueness.
Sewing the Rainbow: The Story of Gilbert Baker and the Rainbow Flag by Gayle E. Pitman. Gilbert's story unfolds just like the flag he created: in a riot of color, joy, and pride. Today the flag is everywhere, even in the small town where Gilbert grew up. Includes a Reader’s Note that provides more in-depth discussion of the beginnings of the gay rights movement and a more detailed look into Gilbert Baker's place in our shared history. Great example of gender identity and staying true to oneself. Or, as the book states, "...it's okay to be your colorful, sparkly, glittery self."
Recent Scholarship
Wesley G. Phelps, Before Lawrence v. Texas: The Making of a Queer Social Movement (2023)
Before Lawrence v. Texas tells the story of the long, troubled, and ultimately hopeful road to constitutional change. Wesley G. Phelps describes the achievements, setbacks, and unlikely alliances along the way. Over the course of decades, and at great risk to themselves, gay and lesbian Texans and their supporters launched political campaigns and legal challenges, laying the groundwork for Lawrence. Phelps shares the personal experiences of the people and couples who contributed to the legal strategy that ultimately overturned the state's discriminatory law. Even when their individual court cases were unsuccessful, justice seekers and activists collectively influenced public opinion by insisting that their voices be heard. Nine Supreme Court justices ruled, but it was grassroots politics that vindicated the ideal of equality under the law. [From publisher]
Wendy Rouse, Public Faces, Secret Lives: A Queer History of the Women's Suffrage Movement (2022)
In Public Faces, Secret Lives Wendy L. Rouse reveals that, contrary to popular belief, the suffrage movement included a variety of individuals who represented a range of genders and sexualities. However, owing to the constant pressure to present a “respectable” public image, suffrage leaders publicly conformed to gendered views of ideal womanhood in order to make women’s suffrage more palatable to the public. Rouse argues that queer suffragists did take meaningful action to assert their identities and legacies by challenging traditional concepts of domesticity, family, space, and death in both subtly subversive and radically transformative ways. [Adapted from publisher]
Edited By Don Romesburg, The Routledge History of Queer America (2018)
The Routledge History of Queer America presents the first comprehensive synthesis of the rapidly developing field of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer US history. Featuring nearly thirty chapters on essential subjects and themes from colonial times through the present, this collection covers topics including:
- Rural vs. urban queer histories
- Gender and sexual diversity in early American history
- Intersectionality, exploring queerness in association with issues of race and class
- Queerness and American capitalism
- The rise of queer histories, archives, and collective memory
- Transnationalism and queer history
[From publisher]
Edited by Leila J. Rupp and Susan K. Freeman, Understanding and Teaching U.S. Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender History (2017)
Though largely neglected in classrooms, LGBT history can provide both a fuller understanding of U.S. history and contextualization for the modern world. This is the first book designed for university and high school teachers who want to integrate queer history into the standard curriculum. With its inspiring stories, classroom-tested advice, and rich information, it is a valuable resource for anyone who thinks history should be an all-inclusive story. [From publisher]
Jim Downs, Stand By Me: The Forgotten History of Gay Liberation (2016)
With Stand by Me, Jim Downs rewrites the history of gay life in the 1970s, arguing that the decade was about much more than sex and marching in the streets. Drawing on a vast trove of untapped records at LGBT community centers in Los Angeles, New York, and Philadelphia, Downs tells moving, revelatory stories of gay people who stood together—as friends, fellow believers, and colleagues—to create a sense of community among people who felt alienated from mainstream American life. [From publisher]