Official News Outlet for the Rainbow Round Table of the American Library Association
By John Mack Freeman Minnesota Governor Mark Dayton has appointed the first openly gay member of that state’s Supreme Court. Margaret Chutich is a former member of the Appeals Court in Minnesota. With this appointment, Minnesota becomes one of just seven states with an openly-GLBT member of its Supreme Court. Via AP: “So I think if […]
By Ashley R. Lierman MTV series True Life, which explores the lives of ordinary people in unusual situations, recently profiled the relationships between two young people and their transitioning parents, Out reports. Kiara works to accept her mother’s coming out as a trans man, while Jeremy embraces his father’s identity as a woman and works […]
Via press release The 2016 Stonewall Book Awards were announced Monday, January 11 by the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Round Table (GLBTRT) of the American Library Association (ALA), during the ALA Midwinter Meeting in Boston. The Stonewall Book Awards are given annually to English-language works of exceptional merit relating to the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender […]
By John Mack Freeman The 2016 Rainbow Book List has been announced. From the blog: The Rainbow Book List Committee proudly announces the 2016 Rainbow List. The Rainbow List is a bibliography of books with significant gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, or queer/questioning content, and which are aimed at youth, birth through age 18. The list […]
By John Mack Freeman Influential psychiatrist Dr. Robert Spitzer passed away on Christmas Day at the age of 83 from complications with heart disease. Dr. Spitzer is perhaps best known for brokering the 1973 agreement that led the American Psychiatric Association to remove homosexuality as an illness from the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorder […]
By John Mack Freeman Tennessee State House Representative Rick Womick recently proposed that the state should stop issuing marriage licenses so that it would not have to issue licenses to same-sex couples as the Supreme Court ruled in Obergefell. Via Advocate.com: “The state Constitution says that marriage is between one man and one woman, and my personal belief is […]
By John Mack Freeman The New York City Commission On Human Rights released a new report from Mayor Bill de Blasio’s administration that outlines the way the city will interpret a 2002 law that protects the rights of trans people. First off, it has officially banned willful misuse of gender pronouns as part of a […]
By John Mack Freeman In 2014, Estonia became the first former Soviet republic to approve same-sex partnerships. However, despite those partnerships becoming legal this week, many are recommending that same-sex couples avoid getting hitched right away. Despite the long run-up to the law, issues like inheritance, divorce, and other common practical matters still haven’t been sorted […]
By Emilia R. Marcyk Scholarship and academic news that addresses LGBTQ identities and concerns, of interest to librarians and information professionals Special Issue The most recent issue of Trans* Studies Quarterly contains a range of articles on archives and archiving. The issue is divided into three topical sections: 1) emerging archives, 2) established archives, and […]
By John Mack Freeman Lawmakers in India have rejected a bill that would have decriminalized consensual same-sex activity in that country. Members of the Lok Sabha, the lower house of Parliaments, voted 71-24 against the measure. The move does not come as a surprise as the conservative Bharatiya Janata Party controls that house of Parliament. Via […]