At Books Beyond Bars, we celebrate people of all sexual orientations and gender identities year-round. However, during Pride Month, we believe it is especially important to reflect on how we can do more to foster inclusion and understanding of LGBTQIA+ identities. Here are five ways you can celebrate Pride with a love of books!
Support Queer authors. LGBTQIA+ writers have long been underrepresented in literary spaces, so buying books by Queer authors is a great way to show your solidarity. Lambda Literary, an organization dedicated to the promotion of Queer books and authors, is an excellent resource for LGBTQIA+ literature. Visit them here!
Donate to LGBTQIA+ books-to-prisoners programs. Similarly to BBB, LGBT Books to Prisoners is a volunteer-run organization that provides free books and educational materials to prisoners, focusing specifically on people who identify as LGBTQIA+.
Support programs for transgender prisoners. Programs like The Prisoner Justice Project run by the Sylvia Rivera Law Project offer legal services for transgender incarcerated individuals, supporting them through legal advocacy and a variety of gender-affirming services. Learn about their program here.
Educate yourself on LGBTQIA+ issues and their intersection with criminal justice. Captive Genders: Trans Embodiment and the Prison Industrial Complex by Eric A. Stanley and Nat Smith is an excellent resource to understand Queer experiences within the prison system. Feel free to donate a copy to our office library by Taking Action on BBB’s website.
Visit bookstores and attend events that center Queer authors. If you’re in NYC, check out the following bookstores:
Astoria Bookshop: a Queer woman-owned bookstore with an excellent LGBTQIA+ selection, also highlighting banned books and books by indigenous authors
Bureau of General Services—Queer Division: a LGBTQIA+ cultural center with a bookstore and an event space
Cafe con Libros: a feminist bookstore that centers BIPOC and Queer identities
Queer folks are often underrepresented in the criminal legal system as a result of the discrimination they face due to their sexual orientation and/or gender identity. Within prisons, LGBTQIA+ individuals are more vulnerable to abuse from other prisoners and from staff, often resulting in the increased use of solitary confinement—a rate that doubles for BIPOC individuals. For these reasons Books Beyond Bars recognizes the significance of providing Queer-inclusive and gender-affirming books that emphasize acceptance and intersectionality. We actively maintain a diverse library of literature that centers Queer identities and histories, including self-affirmation journals for the trans community. Help us expand our library by sharing titles you feel could add to the rainbow of selections we send to prisons with PRIDE.
Happy Reading!