Stanmore College LRC Resource Guide
Introduction to LGBT Month ————————–——— 3 Glossary of Terms ——————————————————- 4
Non-Fiction/Memoir —————————————————- 5
7 Gay ———————————–—————————————–- 8 Bisexual ——————————————————————— 9 Transgender —————————————————————10 Fiction and Film ———————————————————-- 11 Sexuality (Female) ————————————————-- 12 Sexuality (Male) ——————————————————- 15 Sex and Gender —————————————————— 18 Events ——————————————————————————– 20
Lesbian ————————————————————————
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LGBT Month 2017 Thank you for picking up this booklet today. LGBT month looks to recognise the long, storied history of the LGBT community. This history is fraught with struggles and bravery on the part of both large groups and individual people. The items listed in this booklet will help you to look into some of these struggles and the people involved. They will also provide further insight into the LGBT community and the everyday societal issues that many LGBT people face on a regular basis. Also listed are some events scheduled to be held in or around London. They include talks and exhibitions that may give you a unique look at LGBT. Even if you don’t identify as LGBT, you may still find the information here both useful and interesting. The month - and wider LGBT support - aims to help improve opportunities for LGBT people, both socially and for employment. If they feel more free to enter the workforce, then society as a whole will benefit. It’s important to remember that LGBT month does not exist in a bubble; the issues raised by the month are ongoing. Rather, it is meant to serve as an introduction to LGBT and to show ways - no matter how small - you can help to improve life for everyone. 3
Glossary of Terms Lesbian— A woman who is romantically/sexually attracted to women Gay— A man who is romantically/sexually attracted to men Bisexual—Someone who is romantically/sexually attracted to both women and men Pansexual—Someone who is attracted to people of any gender and wants to recognise gender identities other than ‘man’ and ‘woman’ Trans*— Shorthand for transgender. Someone whose gender expression (man/ woman) does not completely match their sex (male/female) Transsexual— Somebody whose gender is not the same as their biological sex at birth e.g. someone who was born biologically male but feels more like a woman Transvestite/Cross-dresser— someone who enjoys dressing as the opposite sex Sex- someone's biological assignment (male/female), based on reproductive anatomy Gender - someone’s expression of their gender identity (e.g. man/ woman)- what someone feels they are and how they express it
http://www.erikamoen.com/
Cisgender— Someone whose gender identity aligns with their sex Asexual - Someone who experiences little or no sexual attraction to/has little or no interest in having sex with others Demisexual - a person who does not experience sexual attraction unless they form a strong emotional connection with someone Questioning - someone who is has not identified as a particular sexuality and/or gender but is exploring Queer—Somebody whose sexual identity/gender falls outside of the mainstream. N.B. this might be considered an in-group term, meaning that people identifying as ‘queer’ may find the word offensive if used by somebody who does not identify under the LGBTQ banner.
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Non-Fiction / Memoir
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This Book is Gay James Dawson This humorous guide written by PSHCE teacher and Young Adult Author James Dawson and illustrated by Spike Gerrell, tackles issues relevant to LGBT* young people. These range from stereotypes, sex, how to pull and how to come out. Its tackling of practical issues, coupled with its witty tone, makes it a handy ‘how to’ guide for any teenager navigating gender or sexuality issues. Shelf Location:
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Asexuality: The Invisible Orientation Julie Sondra Decker An invaluable guide for and about those who identify as Asexual This book addresses some of the problems that Asexual people face, from not being believed to being treated as if they had a sickness. The resource is for Asexual people who want to understand their orientation better, as well as for friends, family and allies who want more information on this sexual orientation. Shelf Location:
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http://adriofthedead.tumblr.com/post/65540442968/okay-i-realizethis-hilariously-late-for 6
Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic
Red Dust Road
Alison Bechdel In this funny yet sad Graphic Novel, Bechdel tells the story of growing up in her family home. The book details Bechdel’s longing for emotional closeness with her often distant father (who also happens to be gay) as well as her own journey to understanding her sexuality and coming out.
Born to a Nigerian father and highland mother, but adopted at a young age by a Scottish couple, poet Jackie Kay’s memoir tells the story of her search to find her birth parents. Charting her experiences from Glasgow to Lagos, this is a story of Kay’s search for identity and self understanding.
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Jackie Kay
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Audre Lorde
Why Be Happy When You Could Be Normal?
Self defining as "black, lesbian, mother, warrior, poet" , in this collection of 15 essays Lorde explores the challenges and potential triumphs of living together and changing things for the better, despite our various needs, differences and identities.
Jeanette Winterson The title of this memoir is a question put to Jeanette Winterson by her Christian Fundamentalist adoptive mother when she tells her she is gay . Through this story of love, humour and madness, Winterson explores the answer to this question, including the difficulty of accepting and being true to her feelings in world where she often felt out of place.
Sister Outsider
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The Velvet Rage Alan Downs Whilst clearly writing from the perspective of a privileged ‘American West Coast’ lifestyle, Alan Down’s examination of the difficulties of growing up gay in a society constructed for the benefits of straight men, is insightful and profound. He also addresses the mental health problems that can come from this and as well as possible solutions and coping strategies. Shelf Location:
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Lost Prophet: The Life and Times of Bayard Rustin John D’Emilio Bayard Rustin was one of the men at the forefront of the Civil Rights movement. His strategies of non violent protest inspired Martin Luther King Jr. and influenced other movements in unprecedented ways. He was also openly gay. This book attempts to restore his often forgotten name to the history books. Shelf Location:
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Gay Life and Culture: A World History “I live the life I love and I love the life I live…I won’t have it... any other way…”
Robert Aldrich Using the word gay to cover both male and female same-sex relationships, this book examines their nature, history and significance in various cultural contexts. Full of photographs and essays on this topic, there is plenty for interested readers to discover. Shelf Location:
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Bi: Notes for a Bisexual Revolution Shiri Eisner Eisner’s manifesto on Bisexuality examines and challenges some of the double binds that Bisexual people find themselves in, whether it’s difficulty fitting in with both gay and straight communities, or dealing with negative stereotypes such as the idea that they are promiscuous or indecisive. This book finds new and revolutionary ways to speak about bisexuality and challenge these problematic myths about bisexual identity. Shelf location:
For a kid who got bullied, beat up and nearly killed for once trying to kiss a girl in high school, I am doing all right now #itgetsbetter
Margaret Cho
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Getting Bi: Voices of Bisexuals Around the World Robyn Ochs (Editor) This collection of essays from around the world examines Shelf Location: many different sides of Bisexuality, from relationships to coming out, 306. as well as how this intersects with 76 OCH other issues such as class, race, gender and disability. 9
Trans Bodies Trans Selves Laura Erickson-Schroth This resource, written by and for Transgender and Genderqueer people examines many issues from this viewpoint. It covers topic such as race, religion, transition and mental health and provides information about many of the vital and important realities of the lives of people who fall outside of the gender binary. Shelf location:
306. 768 ERI
If someone needs to express their gender in a way that is different, that is okay, and they should not be denied healthcare. They should not be bullied. They don’t deserve to be victims of violence.… That’s what people need to understand, that it’s okay and that if you are uncomfortable with it, then you need to look at yourself. Laverne Cox
Transgender 101 Nicholas Teich Whilst primarily aimed at non-members of the transgender community, this resource, written by a transgender social worker and popular educator, provides a simple guide to issues such as: coming out, different ways of handling gender identity, society’s treatment of transgender people and transitioning, as well as many other topics. Shelf Location:
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Fiction & Film
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The Color Purple Alice Walker
Celie has suffered abuse her whole life; first from her father and then her husband. During the course of this classic novel she begins to understand herself and finds the courage to live truthfully. Celie’s relationship with singer Shug Avery is one of the defining points of her self-discovery but the main story is about self-acceptance, as Celie learns move on from her past and love who she is. Shelf Location:
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Also available on our LRC Kindles
Lies We Tell Ourselves
Oranges are Not the Only Fruit
Robin Talley
Jeanette Winterson
Sarah is the first black student to attend the formerly whites-only Jefferson High School. Linda is the daughter of the town’s most enthusiastic believer in the segregation of blacks and whites. With the fight for civil-rights in 1959 America going strong, the two girls should hate each other, but as they get to know each other different feelings emerge. Ones which they can’t ignore…
When Jeannette is adopted at a young age. Her new mother, an evangelical Christian, raises her to be god-fearing and zealous in converting others. However when Jeanette falls for a woman she has converted, she must do some soul searching of her own. Part autobiography – part fiction, part poetry – part prose, this is a beautiful and funny coming of age story about family, identity, religion and love.
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Disobedience Naomi Alderman Ronit grew up in an Orthodox Jewish Community in North London. Since then she has broken away from her roots and fallen in love with a married man. However, at the age of 32 her father dies and she must return to the place of her childhood. When she meets up with her ex-girlfriend Estie she begins to question what she has left behind. Shelf Location:
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WOMEN ARE WOMEN REGARDLESS OF SEX AND MEN ARE MEN IN MOST RESPECTS YOU CAN BE BOTH OR A MIX OF THE TWO YOU CAN BE NEITHER IF THAT’S WHAT SUITS YOU BUT PEOPLE ARE PEOPLE WHATEVER THEIR PARTS BECAUSE WHAT REALLY MATTERS IS INSIDE OUR HEARTS The Well of Loneliness Radclyffe Hall
Circumstance (DVD) Director: Maryam Keshavarz Atafeh and Shireen live in modern day Iran. Theirs is a world of forbidden pleasures, of parties, drugs and sex. Despite the expectations placed on them by wider society, the two girls explore their emerging understanding of their sexuality and fight to live their lives in a way that allows them to express who they are. Shelf Location:
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The Well of Loneliness tells the story of tomboyish Stephen, who hunts, wears trousers and cuts her hair short - and who gradually comes to realise that she is attracted to women. Charting her romantic and professional adventures during the First World War and beyond, the novel provoked a furore on first publication in 1928 for its lesbian heroine and led to a notorious legal trial for obscenity. Hall herself, however, saw the book as a pioneer work and today it is recognised as a landmark work of writing about non-normative sexuality. Shelf Location:
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Orange is the New Black (DVD Box Set) Director: Jodie Foster When Piper Chapman is first sent to Litchfield women’s prison for smuggling drug money for her girlfriend 10 years earlier, she is in for a shock and must learn to adapt quickly to her new, harsh environment. Through the series we grow to know her and the many other female prisoners with whom she now shares her life. By turns uplifting, heart-breaking and extremely funny, this series explores the lives and loves of a diverse range of characters, each of whom has a story to tell. Shelf Location:
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Tipping the Velvet Sarah Waters Nan is captivated by the music hall phenomenon that is Kitty Butler, a male impersonator extraordinaire treading the boards in Canterbury. Through a friend at the box office, Nan manages to visit all her shows and finally meet her heroine. Soon after, she becomes Kitty's dresser and the two head for the bright lights of Leicester Square where they start an all-singing and dancing double act. At the same time, behind closed doors, they admit their attraction to each other and their affair begins. Shelf Location:
Blue is the Warmest Colour (DVD) Director: Abdellatif Kechiche
15 year old Adèle always thought that her first love would be a guy. However, when she falls for Emma, an art student with blue hair, she embarks on a voyage of growth and self-discovery. Through a complicated and tempestuous journey of love and desire she is forced to start becoming the woman she has the potential to be. Shelf Location: DVD BLU
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Giovannii’s Room
Milk
James Baldwin
Director: Gus Van Sant
When David meets the sensual Giovanni in a bohemian bar, he is swept into a passionate love affair. But his girlfriend’s return to Paris destroys everything. Unable to admit to the truth, David pretends the liaison never happened – while Giovanni’s life descends into tragedy.
This is the true story of Harvey Milk (played by Sean Penn), a gay rights activist and the first openly gay government official elected in California, who campaigned tirelessly for human rights until his assassination in 1978. This amusing and moving film celebrates the life of a true hero and the legacy he left behind.
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Brokeback Mountain Annie Proulx ‘Brokeback Mountain’ is set in the beautiful, wild landscape
of Wyoming where cowboys live as they have done for generations. Hard, lonely lives in unforgiving country. Jack Twist and Ennis del Mar are two ranch hands, glad to have found each other’s company where none had been expected. But companionship becomes something else on Brokeback Mountain, something not looked for – an intimacy neither can forget. Shelf Location:
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Straightening Ali Amjeed Kabil Ali Mirza, a young British Born Pakistani Man, has already told his family he is gay. So he is surprised to discover that they have arranged for him to marry a woman named Sadja. To top it off, his boyfriend has moved to France and is hesitating to offer him support. Ali must decide what’s best for him and all in just a matter of days Shelf Location:
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Also available on our LRC Kindles
Hero Perry Moore Thom Creed is a school basketball star, has superpowers and also happens to be gay. His father, Hal Creed, was a superhero until he had a terrible accident which left him disfigured and ostracised. To protect his father Thom feels that he must keep his own superpowers secret, but when he is asked to join the League (the group of superheroes that disowned his father) he finds a place amongst a group of misfits and together they must foil a dangerous plot. F Shelf location: MOO
Maurice E.M. Forster Maurice Hall is a young man who grows up confident in his privileged status and well aware of his role in society. Modest and generally conformist, he nevertheless finds himself increasingly attracted to his own sex. Through Clive, whom he encounters at Cambridge, and through Alec, the gamekeeper on Clive's country estate, Maurice gradually experiences a profound emotional and sexual awakening... Shelf Location:
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Another Country James Baldwin
Boy Meets Boy David Levithian
James Baldwin’s 1962 classic ‘Another Country’ explores a number of themes, centring on race, gender, sexuality and love. Set in 1950’s New York in the hip Greenwich Village suburb, a progressive area of the great city, Baldwin’s powerful novel is as relevant today as it was when it was written. Shelf Location:
Whilst this may not be completely true to real life, every gay or bisexual character in this High School love story is accepted by their peers. The main character, Paul has known he was gay his whole life and has no need or desire to hide his identity. However, in this feel good, touching story, the path to true love still doesn’t run smooth.
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Brother to Brother (DVD Director: Rodney Evans Exploring an often forgotten chapter in Black and Gay American History, Brother to Brother is the story of Perry, a black gay artist who is thrown out of his house after he is found with another man. When he meets a famous poet he discovers the untold stories of the gay and lesbian culture during the Harlem renaissance. Through learning about his history he also learns to take pride in who he is. Shelf Location:
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Middlesex Jeffrey Eugenides Middlesex follows the breathtaking story of Calliope Stephanides and her truly unique family secret, born on the slopes of Mount Olympus and passed on through three generations. Growing up in 70s Michigan, Calliope’s special inheritance will turn her into Cal, the narrator of this intersex, inter-generational epic of immigrant life in 20th century America. Middlesex won the 2003 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction. Shelf Location:
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Ma Vie en Rose (DVD) Director: Alain Berliner Ma vie en rose (English translation: My Life in Pink) is a 1997 Belgian drama film directed by Alain Berliner. It tells the story of Ludovic, a child who is seen by family and community as a boy, but consistently communicates being a girl. The film depicts Ludovic's family struggling to accept this transgressive gender expression. Shelf Location:
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Beautiful Boxer (DVD) Director: Ekachai Uekrongtham Noong Tong is a Martial Arts professional with the determination to become the best. Tong’s aim is to escape poverty and find success but also to fund a sex change operation in order to become biologically female. Based on a true story, this is a moving tale about courage, focus and having the determination to achieve your goals. Shelf Location:
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The Danish Girl David Ebershoff Uniting fact and fiction into an original romantic vision, The Danish Girl eloquently portrays the unique intimacy that defines every marriage and the remarkable story of Lili Elbe, a pioneer in transgender history, and the woman torn between loyalty to her marriage and her own ambitions and desires. The Danish Girl is an evocative and deeply moving novel about one of the most passionate and unusual love stories of the 20th century. Shelf Location:
The Art of Being Normal Lisa Williamson
David is struggling. His parents think he’s gay and the school bully picks on him for being different. What David really wants, however, is to be a girl. Leo just wants to survive the school year without drawing too much attention to himself, but when Leo stands up for David one day, the two form an important friendship. Unfortunately, in the school environment things are never that simple… Shelf Location:
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I Am J Chris Beam For J it is clear what the problem is, he is a boy but he has been trapped inside the body of a girl. He’s hopeful that as he grows, his true, male self will develop so that the whole world can see who he really is. Unfortunately this doesn’t happen and he begins to cover up. However, when his best friend leaves him, he decides that enough is enough; it’s time to truly be himself.
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All event information and descriptions are taken directly from: http://lgbthistorymonth.org.uk/eventcalendar/
Exhibition: “Glad to be Gay: The struggle for legal equality”
Visit here for more events and updates.
LSE Library’s spring exhibition marks the 50th anniversary of a pivotal piece of legislation: the 1967 Sexual Offences Act. Before that, homosexuality was a criminal offence.
This exhibition follows the LGBT story from the ‘hidden’ years when homosexuality was a taboo subject, to the passing of the Sexual Offences Act in 1967 and the emergence of gay liberation in the 1970s when the first Gay Liberation Front meeting was held at LSE in October 1970. Held at: LSE library, Lionel Robbins Building, 10 Portugal St, London, WC2A 2HD
Dates/Times: 9th January - 7th April 2017 Website: http://www.lse.ac.uk/library/
OUTing the Past: Evening of Talks Hear incredible speakers discussing transgender and gender-fluid lives and experiences in the armed forces.
During this drop-in event there will be opportunities for conversation and debate, and visitors will have opportunities to reframe some of the Museums collection from a queer perspective.
Held at: Nation Maritime Museum, Park Row, Greenwich, London, SE10 9NF Date/Time: 7th February 2017, 6pm-9pm Website: http://www.rmg.co.uk/see-do/ exhibitions-events/outing-past-eveningtalks 20
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Sapphic Suffragettes: The key role of lesbians in the fight for Votes for Women – Hilary McCollum This presentation will highlight the key role of lesbians and bi women in the fight for women’s citizenship. It will also consider how concerns about such relationships fuelled the split in 1907, which gave rise to the Women’s Freedom League.
A free talk as part of The National Archives hub of the National Festival of LGBT History.
Held at: The National Archives, Kew, Richmond, TW9 4DU Date/Time: 11th February 2017, 1:55pm2:15pm Website: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/ e/outing-the-past-tickets-30031949369
Claude Cahun – Beneath This Mask A Hayward Touring exhibition from Southbank Centre of French photographer Claude Cahun’s elusive self-portraits. Claude Cahun (1894-1954) is best known for her original and enigmatic photographic self-portraits. Decades ahead of its time, her work played with perceived gender roles and identity, concerns that are still as current and pertinent in today’s world as ever.
Held at: The Glass Tank, Oxford, OX3 Date/Time: 23rd January - 17th February Website: https://www.brookes.ac.uk/ about-brookes/events/glass-tank/claude -cahun/ 21
OUTing the Past: London (Hub IV) Victoria & Albert Museum The festival event will take place in Seminar Room 5 of the Learning Centre in the V&A. We will have four speakers, each giving a 40 minute presentation followed by short Q&As, with a 20 minute break in the middle. The event is free, first come first served, so no booking is required. -6pm – 6:40pm Kate Hutchinson (Wipe Out Transphobia) ‘Blurring the Lines – Trans representation and gender expression in rock music.’ -6:40 to 7:20pm Peter Scott-Presland (CHE – Campaign for Homosexual Equality) ‘Punting with Pride’ -7:40pm – 8:20pm Alison Child (Behind the Lines) ‘Gwen Farrar and Norah Blaney: Our love is a thing apart’ -8:20-9pm Jana Funke (University of Exeter) ‘Exploring the links between lesbian and trans history through Bryher (Annie Winifred Ellerman)’
Held at: Victoria & Albert Museum Cromwell Rd Kensington, London
Dates/Times: 10th February, 6pm - 9pm Contact Email: d.hoskin@vam.ac.uk
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“No one…should ever be afraid to walk down the street holding the hand of the person they love” -Barrack Obama
“The problem with gender is that it prescribes who we should be, rather than recognizing how we are. Imagine how much happier we would be, how much freer to be our true individual selves, if we didn’t have the weight of gender expectations” -Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
“You don’t have to be gay to support gay rights You just have to be human” -Daniel Radcliffe
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“You never have an obligation to quiet the hurricane in your chest” Andrea Gibson
Stanmore College LRC Resource Guide
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