LGBTQ+ Pride Month
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) Pride month is celebrated in June in the United States and many countries around the world. It commemorates the Stonewall Uprising of 1969 when New York City police raids against LGBTQ establishments turned violent. This is seen by many as the beginning of the Gay Liberation Movement.
One year later, on June 28, 1970, the first Pride March in New York City was held.
Today, many communities have parades, parties, concerts or other events to celebrate Pride Month.
We believe that all people have the right to exist, and to be included as a valuable part of society. The Lititz Public Library has put together a collection of books and movies that highlight LGBTQ people and their experiences. We hope you find one that will inspire you.
Non-fiction:
The Stonewall reader / The New York Public Library ; foreword by Edmund White ; edited with an introduction by Jason Baumann – “For the fiftieth anniversary of the Stonewall uprising, an anthology chronicling the tumultuous fight for LGBTQ rights in the 1960s and the activists who spearheaded it, with a foreword by Edmund White. June 28, 2019 marks the fiftieth anniversary of the Stonewall uprising, which is considered the most significant event in the gay liberation movement, and the catalyst for the modern fight for LGBTQ rights in the United States.
Tomorrow will be different: love, loss, and the fight for trans equality / Sarah McBride – “A captivating memoir that will change the way we look at identity and equality in this country.”
Oddly normal: one family’s struggle to help their teenage son come to terms with his sexuality / John Schwartz – A heartfelt memoir by the father of a gay teen, and an eye-opening guide for families who hope to bring up well-adjusted gay adults.
How to they/them : a visual guide to nonbinary pronouns and the world of gender fluidity / Stuart Getty – “Ever wonder what “nonbinary” or “gender nonconforming” really means? Why would someone choose to identify that way? And how the heck do you use they/them” pronouns for a singular person – isn’t it supposed to be plural? This charming and disarming guide promises to unpack all these questions and more, with a fun, visual infographic approach”
Fiction:
Call me by your name/ André Aciman – The sudden and powerful attraction between a teenage boy and a summer guest at his parents’ house on the Italian Riviera has a profund and lasting influence that will mark them both for a lifetime.
Hot Milk/ Deborah Levy – Hot Milk is a profound exploration of the sting of sexuality, of unspoken female rage, of myth and modernity, the lure of hypochondria and big pharma, and, above all, the value of experimenting with life; of being curious, bewildered, and vitally alive to the world.
On earth we’re briefly gorgeous : a novel / Ocean Vuong – “A portrait of a family, and a testament to the redemptive power of storytelling. At once a witness to the fraught yet undeniable love between a single mother and her son, it is also a brutally honest exploration of race, class, and masculinity”
Peaces: [a novel] / Helen Oyeyemi – “A spellbinding tale from a star author, Peaces is about what it means to be seen by another person–whether it’s your lover or a stranger on a train–and what happens when things you thought were firmly in the past turn out to be right beside you”
Juvenile & Young Adult Books:
It’s okay to be different / Todd Parr – Presents a children’s book that explains how being different or having different friends is okay and helps children to understand that each person is special no matter what they look like or do.
All are welcome/ Alexandra Penfold ; Suzanne Kaufman – “rhyming text introduce a school where diversity is celebrated and songs, stories, and talents are shared.”
All kinds of families/ by Norma Simon ; pictures by Joe Lasker – Explores in words and pictures what a family is and how families vary in makeup and life-styles.
Drama/ Raina Telgemeier – Callie rides an emotional roller coaster while serving on the stage crew for a middle school production of Moon over Mississippi as various relationships start and end, and others never quite get going.
Raise your voice: 12 protests that shaped America / Jeffrey Kluger – “A recounting of protests throughout American history that have shaped our nation”
Movies
Moonlight / an A24 and Plan B Entertainment; directed by Barry Jenkins – A young African-American man grapples with his identity and sexuality while experiencing the everyday struggles of childhood, adolescence, and burgeoning adulthood.
The Danish girl / Focus Features presents a Working Title/Pretty Pictures production; screenplay by Lucinda Coxon – The remarkable love story inspired by the lives of artists Lili Elbe and Gerda Wegener. Lili and Gerda’s marriage and work evolve as they navigate Lili’s groundbreaking journey as a transgender pioneer.
Portrait of a lady on fire / Neon and Lilies Films present ; in association with Arte France Cinéma and Hold-Up Films; written and directed by Céline Sciamma – France, 1760. Marianne is commissioned to paint the wedding portrait of Héloïse, a young woman who has just left the convent. Because she is a reluctant bride-to-be, Marianne arrives under the guise of companionship, observing Héloïse by day and secretly painting her by firelight at night. As the two women orbit one another, intimacy and attraction grow as they share Héloïse first moments of freedom. Héloïse’s portrait soon becomes a collaborative act and testament to their love.
Can you ever forgive me? / Fox Searchlight Pictures presents; produced by Anne Carey, Amy Nauiokas, David Yarnell – Lee Israel made her living in the 1970s and 1980s profiling the likes of Katharine Hepburn, Tallulah Bankhead, and Estee Lauder. Now in times of financial hardship, Israel must find other ways to make a living. With assistance from her steadfast friend, Jack, the two endeavor to keep Israel afloat. With a dose of trickery and deceptive eye, they do just that.
Kinky boots / Miramax Films; written by Geoff Deane and Tim Firth – To save the family shoe business from bankruptcy, young Charlie turns to an unlikely new creative consultant: a sassy cross-dressing cabaret singer whose outrageous style and wild designs are a breath of fresh air in the stuffy old factory.
A fantastic woman / Sony Pictures Classics y Participant Media presentan ;; productores, Juan de Dios Larrain, Pablo Larrain, Sebastian Lelio, Gonzalo Maza – A transgender woman’s life is thrown into turmoil following the death of her partner. Mourning the loss of the man she loved, she finds herself under intense scrutiny from those with no regard for her privacy.