For those that don’t know, February is LGBTQ+ history month. An important month not just for those in the community itself, but for everyone. 

Here you can find a small shortlist of recommendations that can help raise awareness of the challenges those in the community have faced historically, and how they are represented today.

The books: The Stonewall Reader

If you’re wanting to learn more about LGBTQ+ history, then The Stonewall Reader is a great place to start. Delving into firsthand accounts, diary entries, periodic literature and articles from LGBTQ+ magazines and newspapers that documented both the years leading up to and the years following the riots that were pivotal in the history of queer politics.

The books: The Bi-ble

The Bi-ble is brilliant. There isn’t too much out there published about bisexuality specifically in the UK, and like many of the people in the LGBTQ+ community, there is still such a stigma and sometimes erasure around those that identify as bisexual. The Bi-ble is essentially a collection of personal essays about love and desire that show real-life bisexual experiences. And it allows the beautiful B in LGBTQ+ to be heard.

The series: Sex Education 

Okay, you’ve probably seen this one. And if you haven’t, why?

Sex Education is a vital, and entertaining TV show (with season 3 coming soon… we all can’t wait to see what happens after that ending, right?). As the name suggests, its prime themes are sexuality and sex in general, with its cast of diverse characters understanding who they are and realising how they live their lives is okay, with or without labels.

The podcast: LGBTQ&A

Podcasts are now more popular than ever. Whether we’re listening on our commute (a thing of the past at the minute), or just before we go to sleep, we love them. And there’s so many out there.

Take LGBTQ&A for example. A weekly podcast featuring interviews with some of the most interesting LGBTQ+ people in the world, with recent guests including Trixie Mattel, an American drag queen, singer, comedian, author, and actor who is instrumental in the drag world. 

Sometimes it’s good to just stop and listen. Letting voices of this community be heard.

Of course, there are so many more resources out there, and I definitely advise having a gander. Reading, listening, watching – whatever your preference, I think it’s important for us to educate ourselves about integral human rights topics. Don’t you agree?