From Equality Forum, the organization that coordinates LGBTQ+ History Month:
Celebrated in October, LGBTQ+ History Month honors 31 LGBTQ+ Icons — one each day — with a video, bio, resources, downloadable images and other materials useful to students, website visitors and the media. All honored Icons are archived and can be searched by name or year or from a tag cloud of more than 240 descriptors.
At Richmond Public Library, we are recognizing this month by hosting programs and making a wide range of resources available to all.
Out in Richmond: Queer Histories of the City
Saturday, October 3rd at 1:00 PM at the Main Library
Join us for a talk on Richmond’s LGTBQ+ history with public historians Matthew Guillen and Anne McCrery. Learn about the early foundations of Richmond’s gay community in the 19th century, Richmond’s literary renaissance in the 1920s which attracted queer authors from around the world, gay nightlife and the drag scene from the 1950s-1990s, and community building through activism, organizations, and newsletters in the late 20th century. This talk will highlight research methods and the archival resources you can access at museums and libraries across the city.
LGBTQ+ Friendship Bracelet Making & Trading
Thursday, October 8 at 6:00 PM at the Ginter Park Library
Celebrate LGBTQ+ History Month by creating a friendship bracelet representing identity and allyship. Use letter beads, unique charms, and color coordinate with beads or woven string to share with others! All materials will be provided, but please feel free to bring your own supplies.
Culture and Craft: The AIDS Memorial Quilt
Tuesday, October 27 at 4:30 PM at the Ginter Park Library
Culture and Craft invites participants to learn about the history and shared meaning of different communities through hands-on exploration of craft traditions. The AIDS Memorial Quilt is a massive community art project that was conceived in 1985 by activist Cleve Jones to memorialize and celebrate the lives of those lost to the AIDS epidemic. It is made up of thousands of three by six feet panels, approximately the size of a grave. This specific size is a nod to the fact that during the height of the AIDS epidemic, many people who were lost were denied funerals and burials due to public stigma and familial rejection. In 1987, the Quilt was displayed on the National Mall in DC to bring attention to the sheer scale of the AIDS crisis. It covered an area the size of a football field and was made of almost 2,000 panels. Today, AIDS Memorial Quilt is made up of 48,000 panels, weighs approximately 54 tons, and is considered the largest community art project in history.
Suggested Reading and Viewing
Kanopy is a free streaming service you can use your library card to access! There are lots of LGBTQ+ movies and documentaries available there.
Our book collection includes a wide range of titles on LGBTQ+ History, as well as many titles by LGBTQ+ authors!
