Spring 2023
Collection curated by Twisha Dimri, Vanessa Sogan, and Jade Wu
Introduction
This collection explores the experiences of LGBTQ+ individuals and their families as they navigate identity and build connections within their communities. This collection brings together a diverse range of materials, from memoirs to films, photographs, and children’s literature, to offer intimate insights into the interplay between personal emotions and the structural challenges of acceptance and inclusion. Linking individual memories to a family’s history and the regional issues in a global context, this collection is a reminder of the resilience and love in the collective experience of the LGBTQ+ community. It invites us together to rethink history, acknowledge the present challenges, and imagine a transformation in the future generation.
Physical Display
Life Stories: Love, Loss, Longings
This section presents a collection of memoirs of LGBTQ+ individuals and LGBTQ+ families. The powerful narratives offer a glimpse of the joy and struggles in the LGBTQ+ experience and invite a more nuanced understanding of their journey of navigating identity and familial relationships.
Green, Jesse. The Velveteen Father: An Unexpected Journey to Parenthood. Ballantine Books, 2000.
Jesse Green’s memoir details his experience becoming a dad while living as a gay man in New York City. Green eventually learns what it means to be a father and builds a loving family with his husband and child through the challenges and triumphs of surrogacy and adoption.
Malcolm Belc, Krys. The Natural Mother of the Child: a Memoir of Nonbinary Parenthood. Counterpoint, 2021.
The memoir by Keys Malcolm Belc narrates the experience of gestational parenthood as a nonbinary, transmasculine parent. Their intimate writing explores the challenges and joys of navigating gender identity and family dynamics. The reflection on their experience with body, social records, and family life also offers perspectives into the interplay between parenthood and gender, as well as the deep struggle with social recognition.
Reang, Putsata. Ma and Me: a Memoir. MCD, Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2022.
This autobiography by Putsata Reang explores her relationship with her mother, Ma, their experiences as refugees from Cambodia, and her struggle with identity. The memoir is a deeply personal reflection on the complexities of family, culture, and sexuality. It delves into the family’s history, and how it weaves into the larger historical and political context of the Khmer Rouge regime in Cambodia.
Royster, Francesca T. Choosing Family: A Memoir of Queer Motherhood and Black Resistance. Abrams Press, 2023
This is an autobiography of Francesca Royster, a professor of English at DePaul University, in Chicago. It is a memoir of her experiences as a Black queer woman navigating adoption and parenting and her childhood memories of home in Chicago’s South Side. She weaves her experiences and memories into queer and gender theory to imagine a fluid family configuration.
Navigating Spaces: Home, School, and Community
This section offers a range of readings that address the struggles of LGBTQ+ individuals with family and social dynamics. It explores the systemic issues in a heteronormative culture and provides a candid account of the complexities of familial and societal relationships, and their impact on one’s place in the world.
Hays, Katie. Family of Origin, Family of Choice. William. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2021
Testimonials from LGBTQ Christians about coming out and navigating family dynamics in the Church. It explores affirming and non-affirming, biological and found family, and acceptance.
Shelton, Michael. Family Pride: WHAT LGBT Families Should Know about Navigating Home, School, and Safety in Their Neighborhoods. Beacon Press, 2013.
This guidebook provides information and practical guidance for LGBTQ families dealing with the difficulties of bringing up children in a heteronormative culture. The book provides helpful information for both families and allies on a number of topics, such as legal rights, school advocacy, health care, and community development.
Gottlieb, Andrew R. Sons Talk about Their Gay Fathers: Life Curves. Harrington Park Press, 2003.
Gottlieb writes about the impacts on the sons whose fathers disclose as gay. He uses psychoanalytic theory to examine the stories of sons and their fathers, presenting a comprehensive picture of their evolving relationships.
A New Frontier: From Love to Imaginations
In this section, one can explore children’s literature and film that provide representation for LGBTQ+ families. Through engaging visuals and storytelling, these works build a conversation with the public and inspire their actions toward creating a more inclusive and welcoming environment for all.
Donoghue, Emma, and Caroline Hadilaksono. The Lotterys More or Less. Arthur A. Levine Books, an Imprint of Scholastic Inc., 2018.
“The Lotterys More or Less” is a children’s book about a large, gay, and multi-ethnic family. The story follows the nine-year-old Sumac Lottery as she prepares for the holiday filled with family traditions, only to have her plans disrupted by an ice storm. The delightful story explores the themes of multiculturalism and family dynamics.
Written by Lesléa Newman, Heather Has Two Mommies and Daddy, Papa, and Me are two groundbreaking works in children’s literature and LGBTQ+ literature. With simple language and engaging visuals, the book follows young children’s perspectives as they learn about her family and diverse family structures. It has an important role in promoting understanding, acceptance, and inclusion among young readers.
Danon, Marcello. La Cage Aux Folles. Criterion Collection, Les Productions Artistes Associés Da.Ma. Produzione, 1978, Universal Product Code: 715515109819.
Adapted from a French play written by Jean Poiret, “La Cage aux Folles” is a musical about a middle-aged gay couple, Georges and Albin, running a drag nightclub. They agree to hide their sexual identities when they are meeting the ultra-conservative parents of their son’s fiancée. The comic scenario sends out a warm message of embracing diverse gender expressions and family love.
For more information:
Here includes a list of resources for further exploration.
At Fulton County Library
Adeagbo, Oluwafemi. The Dynamics and Complexities of Interracial Gay Families In South Africa: a New Frontier: Gay Relationships In South Africa. Springer, 2019.
“The Dynamics and Complexities of Interracial Gay Families in South Africa” is a scholarly work exploring the challenges faced by interracial gay families in South Africa. It provides an in-depth account of a qualitative study on domestic settings including division of housework and power negotiation, social support, coping strategies, and conflict management. The book addresses the intersectionality of sexuality, gender, racial identity, and resources, and it seeks to answer how the context of South Africa’s racial segregation and transformations influence relationships and resilience strategies.
Preston, John, and Michael Lowenthal, editors. Friends and Lovers: Gay Men Write about the Families They Create. Dutton, 1997.
This anthology features essays written by well-known gay authors such as Andrew Holleran, Michael Nava, and William Haywood Henderson. The book explores the concept of family in the LGBTQ+ community, with some authors sharing about biological families, and others recounting how they created their own family units. The book highlights the importance of a sense of history and continuity, support and acceptance, and love and respect in defining family.
Snow, Judith E. How It Feels to Have a Gay or Lesbian Parent: A Book by Kids for Kids of All Ages. Harrington Park Press, 2004
A book that represents the thoughts, feelings, and experiences of people who have a gay or lesbian parent. The book is a candid conversation with young individuals, who discuss their unique life experiences and the effects of homophobia on a family.
Kaeser, Gigi, and Peggy Gillespie. Love Makes a Family: Portraits of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Parents and Their Families. University of Massachusetts Press, 1999.
This is a collection of photographs and personal narratives that help paint a picture of what life is like being a part of an LGBTQ family in the U.S.
Costa, Mari. Life of Melody. Seven Seas Entertainment, 2021.
A graphic novel that was first released as a webcomic about a fairy godfather and a beast man raising a human baby together. The story is written and beautifully illustrated by Mari Costa, a comic artist from Brazil.
Digital Resources:
“Two Dads, Two Moms: Gay Couples and Their Families.” Filmoption International, 2013.
This documentary examines the lives of several same-sex couples and their children, showing the struggles and successes of their nontraditional family systems. The movie shows the resilience and love of LGBTQ families while addressing issues like homophobia and prejudice that these families have dealt with.
“Throwaway Teens”. ABC News Productions, 2013
In this program, ABC News anchor Connie Chung investigates the struggles of young people who are rejected by their families because of their sexual orientation and end up homeless. The program features case studies of three teenagers in Los Angeles, Des Moines, and New York City, highlighting issues such as homelessness, child prostitution, drug abuse, and societal attitudes toward homosexuality. The program also showcases services and resources offered by organizations to help homeless youth.
“Making Grace”. First Run Features, 2005.
Ann Krsul and Leslie Sullivan, a lesbian couple, want to create a family and raise a child together. They explore every aspect of the process – from selecting a sperm donor to deciding who will carry the baby, to attending classes and handling family dynamics. Challenges and joy accompany their journey with motherhood and family life.
“Conceiving Family”. Watershed Productions Inc., 2011.
This documentary follows filmmaker Amy Bohigian’s and her partner as they adopt 15-month-old twins, highlighting the legal, social, and personal challenges during the process of same-sex adoption. The film also shows other families and couples dealing with issues such as the high cost of surrogacy. It sheds light on the complexities of starting a family as LGBTQ+ people.
Child Welfare Information Gateway. (2021). Working with LGBTQ+ families in foster care and adoption. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families, Children’s Bureau. https://www.childwelfare.gov/pubs/f-profbulletin/
A resource guide developed by the Children’s Bureau, a federal agency under the US Department of Health and Human Services. The guide provides information about LGBTQ+ families, foster care, and adoption.
Local Libraries
Madrone, Kelly Huegel. LGBTQ: The Survival Guide for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Questioning Teens. Free Spirit Publishing, 2019.
This guidebook aims to provide LGBTQ+ affiliated teenagers with historical information and real world advice and help them navigate identities in a complex world.
Deschamps, David, and Singer L. Bennett. LGBTQ STATS: Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer People by the Numbers. NEW Press, 2017.
This book provides statistics and data that are crucial to understanding the LGBTQ revolution. The data in this book pertains to numerous topics – from family and marriage to criminal justice, law and policy. It also takes a global lens and illustrates the state of LGBTQ discrimination.
Quist, Jeremy, and Justin Tindall. LGBTQ without Borders: International Life. Mason Crest, 2020.
This book celebrates the global diversity of the LGBTQ community. It examines how society and cultures shape individual identities in a variety of ways.
Harris, Duchess, and Rebecca Rowell. Growing up LGBTQ. Abdo Publishing, 2020.
This book is for adolescents who identify with the LGBTQ community. It discusses various problems that young people face, like coming out, mental health issues, bullying, discrimination, etc. It also shares about finding a community and building a supportive family structure.
Apelqvist, Eva. LGBTQ Families: The Ultimate Teen Guide. The Scarecrow Press, Inc., 2013.
LGBTQ families are impacted by all issues that the community at large faces, and this book offers encouragement, insight, and resources to young people looking for answers and clarity.
National Libraries
Library of Congress:
Curators of the Library of Congress display and describe items from the collections that were part of a special pop-up exhibit, “Pride in the Library,” featuring the works of LGBTQ+ creators and representations of LGBTQ+ life in America.
Columbia University history professor George Chauncey is the Library of Congress 2022 Kluge Center honoree, cited for his pathbreaking work on LGBTQ+ history in the United States. His work was critical to several gay rights Supreme Court decisions, including the right of gay people to marry in all states. This video showcases his work and gay life and culture over the past century.
(Aug. 30, 2016) “On August 7, 2016, the Tel Aviv Yafo Family Court recognized for the first time, without genetic testing, the parentage of a child born to a gay couple from a surrogate mother abroad. While determining that the plaintiffs had successfully proved their parentage by other means, the court held that by refusing to use genetic testing the plaintiffs had wasted the court’s time, and therefore they were not eligible for reimbursement for court-related expenses. “
National Library of Education:
Jubas, Kaela. “Equity and internationalization on campus intersecting or colliding discourses for LGBTQ people? by Kaela Jubas, Boston, MA: Brill Sense Publishers, 2018. 162 pp., ISBN: 978-90-04-38091-2.” (2021): 99-101.
The book explores how post-secondary institutions adapt to fit into a globalized system and focus on the intersection of equity and internationalization on Canadian campuses, specifically in relation to LGBTQ people. The book is divided into nine chapters and examines four major tensions: inclusion/exclusion, safety/risk, “freedom” to come out/expectation to pass, and ally/Other, It also identifies five dimensions in which they are organized: Cultural, Community, Physical, Career, and Psychic. The book provides a critical analysis of the experiences of students, staff, and faculty at post-secondary institutions and their negotiation of personal/professional growth.
Eva Apelqvist. LGBTQ Families : The Ultimate Teen Guide. Scarecrow Press, 2013. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=nlebk&AN=638789&site=ehost-live&scope=site.
The guide focuses on the challenges that teenagers face while growing up in households with LGBTQ parents. It provides guidance, insights, and resources to help them navigate their unique family dynamics. The book features personal stories from LGBTQ teens and adults, as well as strategies for dealing with societal challenges related to politics, religion, media, and bullying. It aims to educate young adults with LGBTQ parents, LGBTQ teens, allies, and anyone interested in understanding and embracing the diversity of modern families.
