Official News Outlet for the Rainbow Round Table of the American Library Association
For decades, honorifics with a person’s name in forms of address and databases have either implied status (doctor, lawyer, etc) or gender (mister, miss, etc.). However, the gender neutral title “Mx” is joining the list of honorifics available on driver’s licenses and other official documents in the United Kingdom for the first time as of […]
By Tess Goldwasser What is your role in the GLBTRT? I’m the Chair of the Resources Committee. What does the GLBTRT mean to you? It’s one of my “homes” in ALA, the professional association I have been a member of for many years. I feel comfortable meeting and working with other GLBT librarians, and that […]
By John Mack Freeman As you know, June will mark the inaugural GLBT Book Month under the maintenance of ALA and GLBTRT. To celebrate this, I would like to feature stories of the importance of GLBT books on the News blog throughout the month. They can be personal stories of your experiences, a thought piece on […]
By John Mack Freeman The GLBT Reviews blog released a new column this week by Judi Tichacek called “Playing Catch Up: Missed GLBTQIA Titles.” Head on over to the Reviews blog and check it out!
By John Mack Freeman Out Muslim filmmaker Parvez Sharma produced a documentary about his pilgrimage to Mecca (known in Islam as a “Hajj”). Primarily filmed with cell phones and small cameras, the documentary traces the trip through an area where homosexuality is punishable by death and filming is forbidden. Via Queerty: The film was denounced […]
By John Mack Freeman A limited 3,000 issue run of the Austrin queer men’s magazine Vangardist has been printed this month using an HIV-positive blood-infused ink. The ink is completely safe and carries zero risk of infection. The concept was created to draw attention to the fact that new HIV infections have been spiking in recent years […]
By John Mack Freeman This week, singer Cyndi Lauper testified before a Senate Approporiations subcommittee about the importance of tackling LGBT teen homelessness. Lauper has been a longtime devotee of helping homeless youth, even revealing during her testimony that she was homeless as a teen. After testifying before Congress, she also went to the White […]
By John Mack Freeman This week, Smith College officially decided that they would accept trans students. Although trans students have been considered since 2013 after they denied applicant Calliope Wong, the policy has been under review. The all-women’s school has come under frequent fire in recent years for denying trans students acceptance to the institution. An announcement […]
By John Mack Freeman (thanks to Chris Boire for the head’s up) As Randy Berry begins his role as the United States State Department’s first ever LGBT envoy, he has a lot on his plate. He has been instructed by Secretary John Kerry to maintain the Department’s internal LGBT policies and to administer them in […]
Via press release (thanks to Carolyn Caywood for the head’s up) On February 17, 2015, Freedom to Read Foundation filed an amicus brief in this case challenging the constitutionality of Pennsylvania’s “Revictimization Relief Act.” That law, passed in October 2014, permits crime victims to sue offenders to stop actions – including speech – that cause “mental […]