how about instead of shaming people—especially young people—for not knowing our history, we provide them with credible resources?
here’s a long list of LGBT+ historical events worth googling and learning about. i’m not sure if all the dates and details are spot on, but, again, this is really just a guide for what to research on your own. to warn you, a lot of this history is ugly, including things like the conflation of pedophilia and LGBT+ people, genital mutilation, homophobia, transphobia, nazis, and wide scale persecution.
an interactive timeline of LGBT+ world history
The 1950s and the Roots of LGBT Politics (American-centric)
Before Stonewall: The Making of a Gay and Lesbian Community (warning: this documentary was made in the 80s and is dated in a lot of respects as a result; it also features quotes from Allen Ginsberg, who we now know was a pedophile, but it’s still very informative in terms of history)
a brief history of the bisexual movement from the 1960s-early 2000s (American-centric)
Bisexual.org has a TON of resources on bi (and often pan) history, historical figures, research, and media
“Here’s A History Of Bisexuality, From Ancient Egypt To Stonewall”
a brief timeline of trans history, beginning in the 1890s (European and American-centric)
“Gender Variance Around the World Over Time”
Some Purchasable Resources:
(most of these can be bought used online for pretty cheap and some can be found in libraries)
Before Stonewall: Activists for Gay and Lesbian Rights in Historical Context by Vern L Bullough (it’s a bit dated, but still informative)
A Little Gay History: Desire and Diversity Across the World by R. Parkinson
Sapphistries: A Global History of Love between Women (Intersections) by Leila J. Rupp
Gay Voices of the Harlem Renaissance (Blacks in the Diaspora) by A.B. Christa Schwarz
The Lavender Scare: The Cold War Persecution of Gays and Lesbians in the Federal Government by David K. Johnson
Queer Brown Voices: Personal Narratives of Latina/o LGBT Activism edited by Uriel Quesada, Letitia Gomez, and Salvador Vidal Ortiz
Transgender History: The Roots of Today’s Revolution by Susan Stryker
Asegi Stories: Cherokee Queer and Two-Spirit Memory by Qwo-Li Driskill
