Happy Pride Month!
Pride Month Reading Lists compiled by Glendale Library, Arts & Culture staff:
June is Pride Month! All over the world, LGBTQIA+ communities come together and celebrate the freedom to be themselves. In the United States, we recognize Pride gatherings as a celebration of the dignity, equality and visibility of the community and a commemoration of the historic struggles to overcome prejudice. In the spirit of diversity, inclusion, and freedom to read, Glendale Library, Arts & Culture is committed to supporting our LGBTQIA+ residents by providing information and resources to raise awareness and advocate for the community.
Glendale Library, Arts & Culture values our City's rich diversity, and is proud to offer a wide selection of LGBTQIA+ themed fiction and non-fiction for adults, teens, and kids. Readers will enjoy true stories of famous LGBTQ political leaders, celebrities, artists, musicians, and ordinary people, their challenges, and their victories along the way. Learn about the fascinating history of the LGBTQ Civil Rights Movement and the evolving culture of the community. Discover resources for learning to deal with personal, family and career issues, coping with discrimination and prejudice, and suggestions for seeking out support. Explore the influence of social, political, and legal systems on LGBTQ individuals and the institutions of LGBTQ marriage and family. From mystery to drama to science fiction, treat yourself to a variety of LBGTQ themed literature.
The Glendale LGBTQIA+ Community has made great strides toward raising awareness and support over the past several years. In June 2018, the ACE/121 Art Gallery, Abril Books, Roslin Art Gallery, Gaucho’s Village and the Gay and Lesbian Armenian Society organized the first Glendale Pride community event. It featured a series of LGBTQIA+ activities, including art shows, panel discussions, spoken word events, and film previews. The following year, organizers worked with local chapters of Gay Straight Alliance in the Glendale Unified School District to collect student art submissions from local elementary, middle, and high schools. The collected works were first exhibited at Crescenta Valley High School and later showcased as part of the "glendaleOUT" exhibits at both the Abril Bookstore/Roslin Art Gallery and Ace/121 Gallery.
This year would have marked the first ever Glendale Pride Festival, a family friendly event intended to raise awareness and celebrate the LGBTQIA+ Community, with music, art exhibits, storytimes for kids, and all the trappings of a joyful celebration. When COVID-19 necessitated cancellation of the event, organizers leapt into action with their own cyber-celebration and online campaign, #Glendale Pride Because, collecting videos, photographs, and other media that "… speaks to the importance of Pride and other LGBTQIA+ events and activities in Glendale," with the full support and endorsement of the Glendale City Council by Proclamation. (Included in full below, courtesy of Grey James of glendaleOUT. Thank you!)
Libraries represent the heart of a community, a space where all are free to come together to learn, grow, and thrive. Glendale Library, Arts & Culture is dedicated to providing free and equal access to information, knowledge, lifelong learning, cultural enrichment, and the joys of reading for our diverse community.
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