Gay & Lesbian History for Kids: The Century-Long Struggle for LGBT Rights, with 21 Activities
by Jerome Pohlen (Author)
2016 Notable Social Studies Trade Books for Young People List
Lambda Literary Award Finalist
On the Rainbow Book List
Who transformed George Washington's demoralized troops at Valley Forge into a fighting force that defeated an empire? Who cracked Germany's Enigma code and shortened World War II? Who successfully lobbied the US Congress to outlaw child labor? And who organized the 1963 March on Washington? Ls, Gs, Bs, and Ts, that's who.
Given today's news, it would be easy to get the impression that the campaign for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) equality is a recent development, but it is only the final act in a struggle that started more than a century ago. The history is told through personal stories and firsthand accounts of the movement's key events, like the 1950s "Lavender Scare," the Stonewall Inn uprising, and the AIDS crisis. Kids will learn about civil rights mavericks, like Dr. Magnus Hirschfeld, founder of the first gay rights organization; Phyllis Lyon and Del Martin, who turned the Daughters of Bilitis from a lesbian social club into a powerhouse for LGBT freedom; Christine Jorgensen, the nation's first famous transgender; and Harvey Milk, the first out candidate to win a seat on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors. Also chronicled are the historic contributions of famous LGBT individuals, from General von Steuben and Alan Turing to Jane Addams and Bayard Rustin, among others. This up-to-date history includes the landmark Supreme Court decision making marriage equality the law of the land. Twenty-one activities enliven the history and demonstrate the spirited ways the LGBT community has pushed for positive social change.
Kids can: write a free verse poem like Walt Whitman; learn "The Madison" line dance; remember a loved one with a quilt panel; perform a monologue from The Laramie Project; make up a song parody; and much more.
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School Library Journal
Gr 5-8--Tackling everything from Sappho, the Daughters of Bilitis, and the Lavender Menace to Dan Savage, Gladys Bentley, and Ellen DeGeneres, this title offers a comprehensive view of LGBTQ history. While the topic is often framed through the lens of marriage rights, this book provides a multifaceted perspective, emphasizing gay and lesbian figures' places in history. Readers learn that Louisa May Alcott, Maurice Sendak, Marlene Dietrich, Bayard Rustin, and Alan Turing were all members of the LGBTQ community, though many of them were not "out." Readers also gain an understanding of the scope of LGBTQ erasure that has occurred from Pohlen's discussion of how in Emily Dickinson's love poems the words she and her were changed to he and her. While many have whitewashed LGBTQ history, Pohlen discusses two transgender individuals of color who were present at Stonewall (both were teens at the time), Sylvia Rivera and Marsha P. Johnson. In addition, Pohlen emphasizes that while the Stonewall Riots were an important turning point in American history, they were not the only time that the queer community has stood up for its rights. The text is upbeat, conversational, and often humorous in tone. Smattered with compelling photographs, biographical sidebars, and interactive activities (of varying quality), this vital and inclusive history fleshes out the LGBTQ education readers have long been denied, bringing it to light and giving it the attention it deserves. VERDICT A necessary purchase for collections that serve middle grade and teenage patrons.--Ingrid Abrams, The Town School, New York City
Copyright 2015 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.Review quotes
JNF053080 - Juvenile Nonfiction | LGBT
United States
Gays
Gay rights
