Elizabeth Morris
Reading, Learning & Community Officer, Yarra Plenty Regional Library
Pronouns: They/She
It’s hard to believe that it is June already, but that means that it is Pride Month! A time to celebrate and commemorate all that the LGBTQIA+ community has done for our world.
As a queer, non-binary person, this community has had such a profound impact on who I am and how I experience the world today. I take this time to reflect on those who have and continue to suffer at the hands of prejudice, those who want to be their true selves but are unsafe to do so, and those who have fought with everything they have for queer rights. Although this world has come so far, we still have an immensely long way to go.
Pride Month began in the United States to commemorate the Stonewall Riots, which took place on June 28th, 1969. This transformative event in LGBTQIA+ history involved many protests made by the queer community in response to the police raids that occurred at the Stonewall Inn in Greenwich Village. The Stonewall Riots are considered to be a significant catalyst that spurred the fight for LGBTQIA+ rights in the United States. I would like to acknowledge and pay my respects to the incredible leaders of this movement, Marsha P. Johnson and Sylvia Rivera, two trans women of colour who put their lives on the line for the recognition, respect and liberation of the LGBTQIA+ community.
A year after the Stonewall Riots occurred, on June 28th, 1970, the first gay pride marches were held in New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco. Now, Pride Month can be seen celebrated all over the world, recognising the meaningful impact that has been made by so many members of the LGBTQIA+ community.
To every L, G, B, T, Q, I, A and beyond, I see you and I love you. Thank you for being here and for being you.
Celebrate Pride month by reading some of our collection exploring LGBTQIA+ themes:
Adult Fiction -
When Katie met Cassidy by Camille Perri
Detransition, Baby by Torrey Peters
Memorial by Bryan Washington
Non-Fiction -
Trans Love: An Anthology of Transgender and Non-binary Voices edited by Freiya Benson
We Have Always Been Here by Samra Habib
Growing up Queer in Australia edited by Benjamin Law