Stop by the library this month to see a display in our reading room in honor of June’s designation as LGBTQ Pride Month. Along with a selection of books, we are pleased to share informational placards highlighting some LGBTQ milestones in the Commonwealth.
In 1975, Boston resident Elaine Noble became the first openly gay or lesbian candidate to serve not just in the Massachusetts Legislature, but in any state legislature. Noble was a democrat who faced harassment during her campaign but was elected as a Representative from the 6th Suffolk District from 1975 to 1978. In 2022, WGBH interviewed Ann Maguire, who served as her campaign manager - you can read that interview here. We are also happy to share milestones achieved by our current governor, Maura Healey. When Healey was elected as Attorney General in 2014, she became the first openly LBGT person to be elected as Attorney General in the country. Within our own state, she made history at the time by being the first openly LGBT person to be elected to statewide office. And with her 2022 election as Massachusetts Governor, Healey became the co-first openly lesbian governor of a U.S. state (a title shared with Tina Kotek of Oregon). And as many of our readers know, Massachusetts was also the first state in the country to legalize same-sex marriage. In May 2004 the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court ruled in Goodridge vs. Department of Public Health that stated that it was unconstitutional under the Massachusetts Constitution that only opposite-sex couples could marry. Other states followed suit, but it was not until eleven years later, in June 2015, that the Supreme Court legalized same-sex marriage in all fifty states.
The American Library Association has designated June as Rainbow Book Month, a time when libraries throughout the country draw attention to the authors and writings that reflect the experiences of the LGBTQIA+ community. With this in mind, our staff has researched to find books that would expand the LGBTQ holdings in our collection. Our recent acquisitions include:
- Cruising Utopia: The Then and There of Queer Futurity by José Esteban Muñoz
- Let the Record Show: A Political History of Act Up New York, 1987-1993 by Sarah Schulman
- Bi: The Hidden Culture, History, and Science of Bisexuality by Julie Shaw
- Gay Rights at the Ballot Box by Amy L. Stone
We hope that you will stop by the library this month to see our display and new acquisitions, and that you’ll seek out Rainbow Book Month books in your own local library. And if you would like to find some additional books, you can check out the current and past winners of the Stonewall Book Awards. Beginning in 1971, the Stonewall Book Awards is the first and longest running book award for LGBTQIA+ books. Happy reading and Happy Pride!
Elizabeth Roscio
Preservation Librarian