LGBTQIA+ Library Resources

This is an experimental documentary chronicling the March 1995 groundbreaking conference on lesbian and gay sexualities in the African diaspora. The conference brought together an array of dynamic scholars, activists, and cultural workers including Essex Hemphill, Kobena Mercer, Barbara Smith, Urvashi Vaid, and Jacqui Alexander to interrogate the economic, political, and social situations of diasporic lesbians, gay men, bisexuals, and transgender peoples.

A hauntingly beautiful and powerful documentary that travels to the dark heart of Russia and gives an insight into the reality of life - particularly gay life - that's in stark contrast to the glitz of the Sochi winter Olympics. The programme tells how there's fear on all sides, with many Russians equating gay behaviour with semi-demonic practices. They believe homosexuality is a lifestyle choice and see it as a direct attack on family values, even as a poison that is corrupting society and weakening Russia. On the other side, many gay Russians live in fear of direct intimidation, persecution and violence - and even murder. This film gives ordinary Russians a voice as it exposes a world of widespread repression and extreme violence: a world of cold fear.

In this video documentary, you will watch real interviews with gay and lesbian teenagers and their parents as they share their experiences of coming out. You will also hear expert commentary by Dr. Wendy Rosen on the special issues these teenagers face at home and at school, as well as the different stages and processes they and their families go through in order to fully embrace their sexuality.

The 10th Amendment to the Constitution allows each state to set its own laws. That's meant that in Colorado, LGBTQIA+ rights have often been repressed. Meet the students at William J. Palmer High School who took their school district to court - and won!

A lively discussion about the status and progress of LGBT rights in the United States. This was a signature event for the USF Libraries' rapidly-growing LGBT initiative. The event featured experts in the field: Attorney Mitchell Katine, Hillsborough County Commissioner Kevin Beckner and USF Associate Professor Sara Crawley.

Film of 1977 lesbian and gay pride parades and marches throughout the United States. Intercut with on-the-street interviews with gay men and women on their lovers and how they came out.

This award-winning documentary boldly examines the controversial and challenging issues facing African American communities on gay civil rights, campaigns for/against marriage equality and in particular the role of faith institutions. The film makes a compelling case that the fight for LGBT rights in Black communities is an extension of the Black Freedom Struggle. Director Yoruba Richen was inspired to make the film in response to erroneous reports that African American voters caused the passage of an anti-same sex marriage initiative in the 2008 California election.

Out in the Open will, once and for all, destroy the misconceptions, fears, and myths about the LGBTQ community. This uplifting documentary is geared towards at risk youth across the world, as well as their families, friends, and teachers. Featuring interviews with celebrities, politicians, and everyday allies who openly embrace the LGBTQ community, this feel-good film asserts that no single person is the same and that all people should be celebrated.

Documents the life and work of Richard Berkowitz, a gay former S & M worker who became an AIDS activist and advocated safe sex for gay men.

Combining personal stories with historical and contemporary struggles for gay rights, this powerful documentary gives voice to the painful discrimination and in some cases, acceptance, that LGBT youth experience with their friends and famliy on a dialy basis.

In this film we meet eight elderly gays and lesbians who lived through an era when homosexuality was not tolerated, and who battled for self-esteem and survival in a "straight world." Among them are: a male couple still in love after 55 years of living together; a former monk turned rancher who in his eighties has made peace with being Catholic and gay; and a black great-grandmother who revealed her lesbianism to her grandchildren. This film challenges many stereotypes about homosexuals and shows that they have long-standing, deep-rooted commitments.

Stonewall Uprising explores the dramatic events that launched a worldwide civil rights movement. When police raided a Mafia-run gay bar in Greenwich Village, the Stonewall Inn, on June 28, 1969, gay men and women did something they had not done before they fought back. As the streets of New York erupted into violent protests and street demonstrations, the collective anger announced that the gay rights movement had arrived.

Explores an upstate New York community's efforts to create an LGBT historic archive, led by Madeline Davis, the first openly lesbian elected delegate to speak at the Democratic National Convention.

In the summer of 2005, a 16-year-old Memphis, TN wrote on his MySpace blog about his parents sending him to a "Fundamentalist Christian" program that strives to turn gay teens straight. This documentary follows the inspirational story of this teen's local community standing up for their friend with daily protests at the facility in what would become an international news story. The documentary features several former clients of the organization who tell their personal stories about the time they spent within the programs walls.

The lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) movement is at a remarkable crossroads. The goal of securing legal equality is within sight, yet significant gaps and challenges remain. This talk addresses both the advances and challenges facing the LGBT movement. What is the difference between advancing legal equality and winning lived equality? Is the work of the LGBT movement over when marriage equality and employment nondiscrimination are won? Veteran activist and attorney Urvashi Vaid argues that creative work for economic, gender, racial and environmental justice is the way forward for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender equality.

Imagine your husband of 25 years comes home one day and says he wants to change his gender and become a woman. Experience the remarkable story of Gayle, a small-town wife whose husband PJ did just that. Is love truly blind? Follow the pair to their high school reunion, when they have to break the news to surprised classmates.

Many people confuse the concepts of sexual orientation and gender identity. Gender identity is the term describing your sense of your gender expression - do you identify as male or female or both or neither? Matt and Denise are F to M and M to F persons who are transgendered. They give insight into their transitions and their lives. Cailynn and Chris use "gender queer" and "a gendered" to describe themselves. Where do you fit on the gender continuum?

When many people think of Israel, it is often in terms of modern war or ancient religion. But there is much more to the Jewish state than missiles and prayers. In his debut as a documentary filmmaker, adult-film entrepreneur and political columnist Michael Lucas examines a side of Israel that is too often overlooked: its thriving gay community.

What Do You Know? Six to Twelve Year-Olds Talk About Gays and Lesbians is an award-winning 13-minute film that features students from Massachusetts and Alabama discussing what they know about gay mean and lesbians, what they hear at school, and what they'd like teachers to do. With perspectives ranging from basic to nuanced, these children openly share their thoughts on the words that they hear on a daily basis.