Pride Season Events

Before We Were Trans Monday 12th July, 6.30pm Central Library Free, book via Eventbrite Before We Were Trans is a new and different story of gender, that seeks not to be comprehensive or definitive, but – by blending culture, feminism and politics – to widen the scope of what we think of as trans history by telling the stories of people across the globe whose experience of gender has been transgressive, or not characterised by stability or binary categories. Transporting us from Renaissance Venice to seventeenth-century Angola, from Edo Japan to North America, the stories this book tells leave questions and resist conclusions.   Before We Were Trans is a history and celebration of gender in all its fluidity, ambiguity and complexity.

Camp! The Story of the Attitude that Conquered the World   Thursday 20th July, 6.30pm Central Library Free, book via Eventbrite Throughout its history, camp has been a place of refuge and renewal, of heroism and hedonism. Famously unrestrained and ever evolving, it has not only captured the cultural imagination, but also played an important role as a form of protest and resistance. Paul Baker takes us through camp’s rebellious and revolutionary past with warmth, humour and sensitivity, starting with the court of Louis XIV and the dandies of the eighteenth century through to Showgirls, Harlem’s drag balls and Columbian telenovelas.

LGBTQ+ Books for Kids online bookchat Tuesday 27th July, 7pm Free, online Looking for the best in new queer books for kids and teens? We bring you our top recommendations for all ages, from picture books to Young Adult, and non-fiction to graphic novels. You can join us live via Zoom or Facebook, or catch up at your leisure afterwards on Facebook or our YouTube channel. In partnership with Lambeth Libraries.

Sheffield Libraries at Pinknic

Saturday 15^th July, 11am-6pm Peace Gardens

The Little Library Van will be at Pinknic! Come and find out more about our LGBTQ+ collections and services, join the library, or bring your kids for an inclusive story session.

Film Screening: Queerama

Wednesday 19^th July, 6.30pm Central Library

Free, book via Eventbrite

18+ only

Join us for this special Pride month film screening of Queerama, created from the treasure trove of the BFI archive. The story traverses a century of gay experiences, encompassing persecution and prosecution, injustice, love and desire, identity, secrets, forbidden encounters, sexual liberation and pride.

Starting with the first gay relationship on film released in 1919, Different From the Others, Queerama offers a wealth of unknown newsreel and amateur film from the 20s and 30s, the sub textual references in 40s cinema, the arrests and prosecutions of gay men for ‘gross indecency’ in the 50s, the early gay rights marches and decriminalisation of the 60s and 70s, the campaigns for an equal age of consent and against section 28, the Pride movement and AIDS crisis in the 80s and 90s, the sexual liberation of the 00s queer and trans scene and the gay parenting and marriage campaign of recent years.

In partnership with Sheffield DocFest

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LGBTQ+ Reading Group

Last Wednesday of the month, 6.45pm

Central Library

A relaxed and friendly group that meets monthly to discuss a queer-themed book. Please email elizabeth.chapman@sheffield.gov.uk if you are interested in joining.

LGBTQ+ Collection

The Central Library holds our dedicated LGBTQ+ collection, containing fiction and non-fiction relating to many aspects of LGBTQ+ life. All our libraries hold LGBTQ+-interest titles. Magazines including Diva, Gay Times and Attitude are available via the eLibrary for free.

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