The Blurb On The Back:
FROM PREJUDICE TO PRIDE looks at the rise and achievements of the LGBTQ+ movement for equal rights and the different communities, pioneers and stories of heartbreak and courage that have marched alongside it.
Follow LGBTQ+ history from ancient civilisations to the present-day, and learn about key events including the trial of Oscar Wilde, the Stonewall riots, the AIDS crisis and same sex-sex marriage.
Gain insight into the shifting attitudes that have challenged lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people and the experiences that help us understand what it means to be LGBTQ+ today.
You can order FROM PREJUDICE TO PRIDE: A HISTORY OF THE LGBTQ+ MOVEMENT by Amy Lamé from Amazon USA, Amazon UK, Waterstone’s or Bookshop.org UK. I earn commission on any purchases made through these links.
The Review (Cut For Spoilers):
LGBTQ+ campaigner Amy Lamé’s summary of the history of the LGBTQ+ movement for readers aged 12+ is a brief but wide-ranging and informative read with a particular focus on the US and UK and which serves as a good introduction to some of the people who have fought for LGBTQ+ rights and the issues that the community continues to endure today.
Lamé gives brief biographies of some of the key people in LGBTQ+ history including usual suspects Oscar Wilde, Alan Turing and Harvey Milk but also new-to-me campaigners like Stormé DeLarverie (a black lesbian who threw the first punch that sparked the Stonewall Riots and who I definitely want to read more about as she sounds amazing) and entertainer Gladys Bentley. The section on hate crime ad AIDS is powerful and I appreciated learning about the history of safe spaces for the community through its history.
Although the focus is very much on the UK and USA, Lamé does give attention to the situation in countries such as India, Jamaica, Japan, Saudia Arabia and Algeria, which makes for sobering reading. I particularly liked the timeline of LGBTQ+ liberation at the end of the book which highlights the progress made up to 2015 and offers some hope for the future.
I think that readers aged 12+ would get a lot from this book – apart from a reference to the 1533 Buggery Act, which may cause awkward questions – it’s written in a clear, unpatronising way and while it can’t, but its nature, cover everything it’s nevertheless a great place to start.
FROM PREJUDICE TO PRIDE: A HISTORY OF THE LGBTQ+ MOVEMENT was released in the United Kingdom on 8th July 2017. Thanks to the Amazon Vine Programme for the review copy of this book.
I Read, Therefore I Blog 