Meet The Superhero Librarians Fighting For Their Queer Communities
https://www.msn.com/en-us/lifestyle/lifestyle-buzz/meet-the-superhero-librarians-fighting-for-their-queer-communities/ar-BB1hZVg0?ocid=hpmsn&cvid=590d6ae30369447baa802b47d106b9c8&ei=15
Story by Samuel Sims (8 Feb 2024)
I loved reading about bloodthirsty supernatural creatures as an 8-year-old. But the older I got and the more confused I became about my queerness, the more I craved reading material that was a bit more, well, relatable. But books about and for young queer people didn't really exist 30 years ago, in any part of the world.
Fortunately, there are more now than ever before — and for free at your local library. Queer kids today have a wealth of options, like Meredith Russo's joyful transgender romance "If I Was Your Girl" and Juno Dawson's fun yet incredibly informative "This Book Is Gay." If books like these were available when I was processing my queerness, it would have made me feel less alone and I'd need a lot less therapy now.
Fortunately, librarians all over the U.S. are fighting back, with many viewing their job as inherently political. They're doing everything they can to protect and advocate for queer people, even if it costs them their jobs and mental health.
Librarians are an extremely valuable part of the fight against LGBTQ+ oppression, and if these attacks continue, then we're all screwed. As research like that reported in The Guardian shows, this is everybody's battle to wage. So please, go to your local library, request queer books, tell your friends and families about them. The fight is far from over, but silence and apathy won't help win it — rainbow swords will.