How proud are we?

The Reading List for 09 June 23

Our home had no closets for our children to come out of.

June is Pride Month.

So be proud.

And eventually get to the point where you are proud every day, not just for a day, or week, or month.

While you are at it, pre-order yourself a copy of Rhea Rollmann’s Queer history of Newfoundland and Labrador. This is a landmark book. Sight unseen. Landmark.

As the blurb puts it, “organized queer activism dates back to at least 1974 in this province, but queer presence and community stretches back much farther. Rollmann spent years scouring archives, newspapers and court records to chronicle that history. She draws on archival work as well as more than 120 first-hand interviews with activists and community members to document this history behind the history of the province.

The book focuses on the fight for human rights protections, AIDS activism, the growth of the city's vibrant queer bar scene, lesbian struggles for space in the feminist movement, trans struggles for recognition and health care, and more.

Just as same-sex intimacy emerged in spaces as varied as the fishing industry and campus dorms, queer liberation also took diverse forms in this province, from quiet living-room consciousness-raising groups to angry, in-your-face marches on homophobic bars. Newfoundland and Labrador has been tied into national and international queer liberation networks ever since the 1970s, but NL'ers also played a major role in shaping those national movements.

This book explores all of these stories, and more. The story of the queer rights movement in this province is one of great pride and joy, one of hardship and struggle, and ultimately, one of triumph.

Why?

Because there have always been – and always will be – queers in Newfoundland and Labrador.

That last bit’s the reality you need to hoist onboard.

Another good resource is the NL Queer Archive.

Now on to the rest of this week’s list of books, articles, and videos for you to mull over.