Photo credt: Alexander Grey/pexels.com
Every year on October 11, National Coming Out Day (NCOD) provides an opportunity to celebrate the courage of LGBTQ+ individuals who choose to honor their identities and live their truth. While everyone’s path is different, including what being “out” looks like, the uniting experience of coming out is sharing a story with someone who holds space for you. At Emory Libraries, we hold the space for people to accept their authentic selves and build affirming connections. By cultivating diverse collections and organizing inclusive events, we strive to bring the values of NCOD into our everyday practice.
Whether you’re an ally or a member of the LGBTQ+ community, there are many ways to embrace the spirit of NCOD at the library. Throughout the month of October, the Stuart A. Rose Library is hosting a series of events to commemorate LGBTQ+ history and uplift queer identity and culture. Upcoming events include:
- The Rose Library Drag Show – 10/9 at 7 p.m. in Rose Library. Yes! You can have a drag show in a library! Rose Library hosted our first drag show in 2020, making us the first special collections library in the nation to host one (as far as we can tell).
- Rose Library at Atlanta Pride Festival – 10/12-10/13 in Piedmont Park. Rose Library will once again have a booth at Pride, this time near panels of the AIDS Quilt. Visitors to our booth will have the opportunity to write a letter to the past, present, and/or future to be added to our LGBT Miscellany collection.
- International Pronouns Day button-making activity – 10/16 from 11 a.m.-1 p.m. in Woodruff Library’s Lobby. Rose Library and the Emory Libraries Preservation Department are co-sponsoring this button making activity in honor of International Pronouns Day and LGBT History Month. Folks will have the opportunity to decorate and craft their own button.
- Atlanta’s 1990s LGBTQ+ and Arts Scene: A Talk with Artist Royce Soble and Curator Randy Gue – 10/26 at 1 p.m. in Woodruff Library’s Jones Room. This talk between photographer Royce Soble (whose papers at Rose document the Atlanta LGBTQ and arts communities of the 1990s) and curator Randy Gue is part of Emory’s Homecoming weekend.
On October 16, we are launching a book display in Robert W. Woodruff Library to showcase the finalists and winners of the 2024 Lambda Literary Awards, which recognize the excellence of LGBTQ+ literature across identity and genre. Reading and engaging with Lammy-nominated and Lammy-winning works is a fantastic means to understanding the richness of queer life.
Lastly, we have many databases and other resources that contain valuable information on the LGBTQ+ experience. I highly recommend exploring the following:
- LGBTQ+ Source
Provides indexing and abstracts for a large collection of magazines, journals, books and news sources. Also includes gray literature such as case studies and speeches and full text of historically significant LGBT resources.
- LGBTQ History and Culture Since 1940, Parts I & II
Access archival material on the social, political, health, and legal issues impacting LGBTQ communities around the world. Materials include microfilm, newsletters, papers, government documents, manuscripts, and more.
- Docuseek
Streaming video documentaries database. Includes most content from Icarus Films, Women Make Movies, and Bullfrog Films. Under “subjects,” browse for films under the LGBTQ+ Studies tag.
As we commemorate National Coming Out Day, Emory Libraries remains committed to creating a space where all voices are heard. From diverse collections and engaging events to valuable resources, we invite you to explore LGBTQ+ history, culture, and identity. Whether through our programs or research tools, we hope the liberatory message of NCOD, to live fully and freely as yourself, inspires a lasting transformation.
—Russ Peterson, head of instruction and engagement, Woodruff Library at Emory University