LGBTQ+ Pride Month

A June 1969 uprising at the Stonewall Inn in Manhattan is often considered to be the beginning of the gay liberation movement in the United States. In June 1999, U.S. President Bill Clinton declared the anniversary of the Stonewall uprising every June as Pride Month in the United States.

Today, people around the world celebrate Pride to honor LGBTQIA people of the past, present and future and to reflect on the global movement that pushes for full and equal rights.

Do you have favorite resources that are not listed below? Please share them in the comments or email us at programminglibrarian@ala.org.

Library Programming

ALA's Office for Intellectual Freedom recently reported the highest number of attempted book bans since data collection began more than 20 years ago. The majority of the challenged books were written by members of the LGBTQIA community and people of color. Now more than ever, it is important to keep LGBTQ programs, books and events visible at the library in whatever capacity you are able. And remember: LGBTQIA programs shouldn't be limited to the month of June!

• Pima County (Ariz.) Public Library will conduct a Rainbow Reads club and rainbow bracelet-making.
• Pflugerville (Texas) Library will host its second annual Family Pride Celebration.
• Morrill Memorial Library in Massachusetts will co-host the community's Third Annual Pride Picnic, host a history program on LGBTQ people in Hollywood and a talk on myth-busting trans and gender-diverse health misinformation. 
• Forest Park (Ill.) Public Library's Pride 2023 program lineup includes children's crafts and an "Ask a Queer Neighbor" program.
• The Evanston (Ill.) Public Library will have a DIY Mini Pride Float Take-home Kit, a teen Pride party and book talks.
• Sonoma (Calif.) County Library will have rainbow crafts, a Drag Queen Story Hour, and host its queer book club.

Other Resources

• The Library of Congress offers a wide range of Pride Month resources, including “many books, posters, sound recordings, manuscripts, and other material produced by, about, and for the LGBTQ community. The contributions … are preserved as part of our nation’s history, and include noted artistic works, musical compositions, and contemporary novels. The Library’s American collections range from the iconic poetry of Walt Whitman through the manuscripts of the founder of LGBTQ activism in Washington, D.C., Frank Kameny.”
• "Pride Month at Your Library" ALSC Blog (May 30, 2022)
• The LGBTQ+ Studies: A Resource Guide from the Library of Congress serves as an introduction to the excellent collection of LGBTQ+ resources available at the LOC.
• Check out Oak Park (Ill.) Public Library’s groundbreaking Transgender Resource Collection.
• A history of the AIDS Memorial Quilt. 
• The National Archives hold extensive records created or received by the U.S. Government on issues of sexual identity and rights.
• "The First Pride Was a Riot: The Origins of Pride Month," American University 
• What to Watch | Celebrate LGBTQIA Pride Month with PBS
• "What Is Pride Month and the History of Pride?" Them (June 25, 2020)
• The LGBTQIA Resource Center Glossary at The University of California Davis has been collectively built and created by the staff members of the LGBTQIA Resource Center since the early 2000s.  
• The National Park Service's virtual Stonewall National Monument exhibit.