INSIGHT
‘‘ LGBTQ+ network news
Resources for allies T
HE main goal of the CILIP LGBTQ+ Network is to support library, knowledge and information services
and professionals developing LGBTQ+ services. It is always worth remembering, though, that our network doesn’t solely rely on LKI resources strategies and policies alone to achieve that. Members of the Network don’t sit in an isolated LKI bubble, much in the same way that LGBTQ+ communities don’t sit in isolation from the rest of the world – we are all made up of different facets and aspects of our identity that frame who we are, where we sit in and how we understand the world. There are resources that never touch upon the LKI profession that have played an important part in the development of us as CILIP LGBTQ+ Network members. Here, we share a few recommendations
that have impacted upon some of us as LGBTQ+ people, and which give allies a personal perspective and understanding of what it can mean to be an LGBTQ+ person, and not just an LGBTQ+ LKI worker.
Deep Sniff A history of poppers and queer futures by Adam Zmith (Repeater Books, 2021), recommended by Steven Dryden. Books about LGBTQ+ history are largely divided into two camps, the dry academic reclaiming through nuanced and accepted scholarly routes, and those which boldly and creatively grab the means of production and create rich, deeply researched and accessible works. This latter type of LGBTQ+ history is the one that not only opens a door, it removes the door and proactively welcomes everyone in. Adam Zmith has written just such a history. People familiar with the award winning Logbooks podcast, will not be disappointed by this book. In accessible, entertaining and thought-provoking chapters the history of Amyl Nitrate, a by-product of the chemical process that creates dynamite, is charted through
30 INFORMATION PROFESSIONAL Everybody
A book about freedom by Olivia Laing (Picador, 2021), recommended by Steven Dryden.
Olivia Laing’s latest work utilises her signature contemplative exploration of culture to consider the power, vulnerability and potential of the human body. Utilising the life and work of psychologists and sexual evangelist Wilhelm Reich Laign interrogates our relationship to illness and the body in the 20th Century. Seeking to reconcile psychoanalysis and Marxism, Reich argued that repression – which Freud came to believe was an inherent part of the human condition – could be shed, through a fulfilling and meaningful sex life and relationship to the body. Pitting Reich’s ideas about sex, sexuality, illness and identity against his teacher, Sigmund Freud, his contemporaries, and considering 20th century icons, Laing explores how the relationship between sickness, oppression and the body forges identity and freedom.
The New Girl A trans girl tells it like it is by Rhyannon Styles (Headline, 2017), recommended by Ash Green.
This personal memoir focused on journalist and performer Rhyannon Styles, details her path to transitioning, wrapped up in a backdrop of her early life and later as an artist and performer. It’s an easy read and gives plenty of insight into Rhyannon’s emotional journey. It’s a memoir I can relate to, partly because of Rhyannon’s gradual realisation and opening up of how she feels about herself and her identity in the world. As a gender non-confirming person I don’t
Ash Green is a CILIP LGBTQ+ Network Steering Group member.
... we are all made up of different facets and aspects of our identity that frame who we are, where we sit in and how we understand the world.
the halls of medical schools, dentistry, heart surgery and as an icon of the 70s LGBTQ+ liberation movement. Deep Sniff explores popular culture, capitalism and utopias to tell the story of a vapour that changed the world and helped free a community.
feel I’m on exactly the same path as Rhyannon, but at the same time there are many moments in this book I could completely identify with.
Adventures in the Gender Trade by Susan Marenco (Film Makers Library, 1994), recommended by Ash Green.
This documentary features writer and performer Kate Bornstein, and other non-binary and gender non- confirming people, alongside academic perspectives. It questions a traditional perspective of gender being divided into male and female, and gives a voice to those people who often do not see themselves as either. As I watched this short documentary, it felt very current, with many of the questions being asked of gender non-conforming, queer and non-binary people back in the 1990s still being asked today. It made me wonder why those discussions still haven’t moved on in nearly 30 years. Why is the fixation still on “a bipolar gender system, when some other cultures can accommodate diversity?” Part of the reason for highlighting these recommendations is to give allies an insight into LGBTQ+ lives. If you’re interested in learning more about how to be a good ally to trans, non-binary and gender variant people, CILIP LGBTQ+ Network is sponsoring an online lunchtime webinar on 17 November, hosted by committee member Binni Brynolf. You can book your free place at
https://bit.ly/3FEYV9S. IP
October-November 2021
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