Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer (LGBTQ) Pride Month is annually celebrated in the month of June to commemorate the 1969 Stonewall Uprising in Manhattan.
In 2021, sadly there is still a lot more to be done to protect LGBTQ communities against hate crimes and provide young transgender people access to advice, guidance and medical support.
To mark the month, we are showcasing digital magazine issues from four of Exact Editionsā publishing partners that contain articles concentrating on the history of activism, the celebration of same-sex relationships and the systemic prejudice faced by the LGBTQ community across the world.
BBC History MagazineĀ āOut of the Closets and Into the Streetsā (Issue 16)
In the 1960s, no form of same-sex relationship was legally recognised anywhere in the world. In America, those who publicly revealed their sexual identities were ostracised, disbarred from professional associations, harassed by the police and assaulted.
Chris Parks explores how the Stonewall Uprising became an emblem of a revolution, transforming the lives of the LGBTQ community around the world.Ā
āThe events that unfolded over the following hours and days transformed the social, political and cultural landscape for sexual minorities in the United States, and reverberated across borders and down generations.ā
Read the full article, pages 52ā61,Ā here.Ā
HungerĀ āKings & Queens in Their Castlesā (Issue 12)
In the photo series āKings & Queens in Their Castlesā, Tom Atwood photographed more than 350 LGBTQ subjects at home. These personal landscapes are both a witness and a celebration, providing valuable insight into the LGBTQ experience in America.
Tom Atwood highlights that the most fascinating phenomenon from his series was how many creative and cultural leaders are LGBTQ.
āAlternative sexuality or gender practices and extraordinary talent in arts and culture often seem to be intertwined. So the assemblage of LGBTQ creative and cultural leaders in my book should come as no surprise.ā
Read the full article, pages 412ā421,Ā here.
New InternationalistĀ āOn the Pink Corridoorā (September/October 2020)
Honduras is one of the mostĀ unsafe places in the worldĀ to be a transgender womanāāāexperts put their life expectancy in the region at only 30 to 35 years. Transgender people are murdered and assaulted for activism denouncing crimes against their community, or for engaging in sex work.
Nicolle, a transgender woman from Tegucigalpa, explains the State is largely responsible for perpetrating discrimination and violence against the LGBTQ community.Ā
āItās crazy to say but outside we often feel more vulnerableā¦ Even though in prison weāre at the mercy of the gangs, they also somehow support and protect us.ā
Read the full article, pages 56ā59,Ā here.
Modern Poetry in TranslationĀ (The House of Thirst)
āThe House of Thirstā Issue gives LGBTQ poets a space to showcase their poetry, which focuses on love and the degradations and desires of the living body.
In 2020, The International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association found that 69 countries continue to criminalise homosexuality. Clare Pollard explains in the āEditorialā why LGBTQ poets are rarely heard, let alone translated due to censorship and fear of arrest.
āEven if a writer is not deterred by systemic privilege, prejudice and abuse, to send a poem out into the wider world can require a great deal of bravery, not only from themselves but from their translator, editor, publisher and even bookseller.ā
Read the full issueĀ here.
Access to the digital magazine issues included in this post will be active until the 1st August 2021.
Fully-searchable digital subscriptions toĀ BBC History Magazine,Ā Hunger,Ā New InternationalistĀ &Ā Modern Poetry in TranslationĀ are all available in the Exact EditionsĀ individualĀ andĀ institutionalĀ shops.
An up to date list of petitions fighting for LGBTQ rights can be foundĀ here.