A celebration of queer community and culture that offers an overview of LGBTQ+ history, short biographies of famous LGBTQ+ people, and explanations of various LGBTQ+ identities and related terms.
One chapter explains the difference between sex and gender, defines various LGBTQ+ identities, and shows how to respectfully ask about someone’s pronouns; another offers a timeline of LGBTQ+ history, with an emphasis on the U.K. and U.S., plus some pre-modern examples. The book also delves into concepts like unconscious bias, misconceptions about LGBTQ+ people, and changing attitudes towards LGBTQ+ rights around the world. With more nuance than many books for the age group, author Harriet Dyer observes, “A number of years after same-sex marriage was legalized in the UK, the majority of Western Europe (excluding Italy), Australia and the USA, basic freedoms are still missing in 29 states for LGBTQ+ Americans.” (The book doesn’t detail what these “basic freedoms” are, however.)
The profiles of famous LGBTQ people include both historical figures like Lili Elbe and Oscar Wilde, but also modern-day ones like Miley Cyrus and Lil Nas X. (RuPaul, Alison Bechdel, and Laverne Cox are oddly placed in the historical section, however, despite being very much alive and still engaged with the LGBTQ community. It seems that the “modern-day” categorization is reserved for much younger folks.)
A final chapter of “practical advice” offers tips on how readers themselves can be “game changers” as “an LGBTQ+ ally, advocate and friend,” and quotes from allies like Beyoncé and Daniel Radcliffe show useful models of allyship.
The book also includes short lists of LGBTQ-inclusive middle grade and young adult books and video games. Other resources listed at the end include a variety of LGBTQ+ non-profits, podcasts, and youth forums. Since the book was published in the U.K., most of the organizations listed are U.K. based, though there is some representation from the U.S. and elsewhere. Readers outside the U.K. should still find much useful content in the volume, however.
Overall, the book is informative and fun, and the bold, graphic design is clear and compelling. It seems somewhat more geared towards informing allies about the LGBTQ community than towards LGBTQ youth themselves; there is little here about coming out or how to handle specific situations one might encounter as a queer youth, for example. That’s not a criticism, just an observation; allies need books to inform them, too. And queer youth may still appreciate much of the information here.
There are a few omissions and errors, however, none of which are deal-breakers, but which I mention for adult readers’ reference:
- The Genderbread diagram should have been credited to Cristina González, Vanessa Prell, Jack Rivas, and Jarrod Schwartz.
- It’s not exactly right to say that Roman emperor Trajan was “openly gay,” as the term did not exist at the time and that is not how he would have thought of himself, even though he had relationships with men.
- The title of Alex Gino’s first book is not George (Melissa’s Story); Gino and the publisher changed it several years ago to Melissa so as not to deadname the main character.
- GLAAD isn’t “an LGBTQ+ company,” which implies a for-profit entity; more accurate for this non-profit would be “organization” (or “charity,” as the book refers to other non-profits).
- Lambda Literary is mis-categorized as a European organization; it is actually based in New York.
