Pride Month: 5 books every Inclusive Leader needs to read - The Ultimate Guide
We’re halfway through the year: this means that June, the Pride Month, is once again here and this time we want to help you with a Pride Month books recommendation list, to make yourself more familiar with the topic and learn how to leverage the newly acquired knowledge in your workplace.
Pride Month is celebrated across the globe every year to commemorate the Stonewall Uprising in Manhattan, New York City that occurred on June 28, 1969. Following a police invasion of the Stonewall Inn, a gay club located in Greenwich Village and very popular among drag queens and Black/Latinx queer people, riots and protests ensued throughout the neighboorhood and later the city.
Each and every leader that wants to be inclusive needs to educate themselves around the extremely wide topic of diversity, and what better occasion to start doing so by learning more about Pride Month and about queer perspective?
Of course, the contributions to the topic in terms of publications, prose, and research are countless. However, you’ll maybe have little time to go through and commit to a 15-item book recommendation list, so that’s why here you’ll find only 5 Pride month books which will nonetheless give you a broad overview on the topic from different perspectives and in different formats (prose, poetry, photography, graphic novel).
I promise, they’re so captivating you’ll be able to finish them by the end of your summer holidays… So, with no further ado, let’s get right to it!
#1 “LET THE RECORD SHOW. A Political History of ACT UP New York, 1987-1993”, by Sarah Schulman
First of all, do you know what ACT UP New York is? It’s an acronym that stands for “AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power” and is a diverse group of people formed in 1987 in response to social neglect, US government negligence, and the complacency of the medical establishment during the 1980s which has the consequence of eventually disencouraging the fight against AIDS and the prompt development of medical research and thus treatment.
Sarah Schulman’s extensive research resulted in this groundbreaking masterpiece of historical and intellectual analysis of the movement. For the past 20 years, she has indeed meticulously interviewed the hundreds of surviving former members of ACT UP, combining them with her own personal experience of participating in ACT UP. The result is this comprehensive, informative, and moving chronicle of ACT UP New York.
Why should you read it?
Besides giving an incredibly in-depth look at what it was like to live through this difficult era, this book also teaches us the importance of allyship. As a matter of fact, the fight against AIDS does not exclusively belong to gay men history, but it is rather a fight that has been upheld by a very diverse group of activists in terms of class, race, sexual orientation, and gender identity. Schulman tells us of how ACT UP New York relied as much on its white and gay members as it did on its Black and brown, lesbian, and cis members.
You can purchase your copy here.
#2 "Proud", by Juno Dawson
Be proud! This is the message of Juno Dawson’s bold and moving anthology of stories and poetry by top LGBTQ+ young authors. Thought-provoking and emotional, this collection celebrates LGBTQ+ new talent and gives a uniquely capturing and moving response to the broad theme of pride, without forgetting that behind its defiance there is a history of fear, vulnerability, and hope. On top of this, each story is enriched by stunning illustrations created by a very talented artist who identifies as part of the LGBTQ+ community.
Why should you read it?
It is important, not only during celebrations like these but all year around, to give voice to the community directly involved: the strength of this collection is indeed the fact that represents in such a unique way the diverse voices that form the LGBTQ+ community and tells us its story from within. Lastly, on top of this, we can find an intersectional approach that addresses the diversity existing within Pride and LGBTQ+ community: we cannot talk or think about it as a whole, but we must reflect on its different facets, considering also the multiple meanings that pride can have for all of us.
You can purchase your copy here.
#3 “We are everywhere. Protest, Power, and Pride In The History of Queer Liberation”, by Matthew Riemer and Leighton Brown
This book is an essential and empowering introduction to the history of the queer liberation movement. Through over 300 stunning pictures of more than 70 photographers and exhaustively researched narrative, “We are everywhere” traces queer activism from its roots in late-19th-century Europe (so long before the Stonewall Riots of 1969) to the gender warriors that are leading the movement today. Through this book, you’ll be able to have an unfiltered glimpse into every aspect of queer life and liberation: marches, protests, family life, personal snapshots, celebrations, reactions to important legal decisions, and Pride.
Why should you read it?
As this Harvard Business Review article rightfully points out, one of the ways you can become a better ally for marginalized groups is by educating yourself. And what better way to do so, if not through such a comprehensive and raw review of the LGBTQ+ movement?
You can purchase your copy here.
#4 “Flamer”, by Mike Curato
You ask for a powerful yet emotional graphic novel? Say no more: “Flamer” is definitely what you are looking for! This is the story of Curato’s fictional alter ego, Aiden Navarro, a queer 14 year-old Catholic kid about to enter high school and still trying to figure out his identity.
As Urban Dictionary explains, a flamer is an “extremely flamboyant homosexual. Very bright clothing, loud speech, upbeat attitude, often noisy or annoying, intrusive”. In his debut graphic novel, Curato tells his very difficult story with humor and compassion, letting everyone identify themselves with the main character thanks to his powerful narrative. As declared by Jarrett Krosoczka on the book’s cover, “This book will save lives” and it is our duty as society to understand what struggles other people might go (or have gone) through.
Why should you read it?
Although “Flamer” is labeled as a graphic novel for young adults, everyone should read it. Not only is this book a window into the struggles of a teenager that tries to find their place in the world, but uses an intersectional approach to do so. Aiden is not only a young gay boy, but he’s also a person raised with a conservative religious education and belonging to a nondominant ethnicity. It is important for everyone to understand the importance of seeing people as the multi-faceted human beings that they are, without trying to put them in a box.
You can purchase your copy here.
#5 “The queer advantage: Conversations with LGBTQ+ Leaders on the power of identity”, by Andrew Gelwicks
In this book Andrew Gelwicks interviews LGBTQ+ glass-ceiling breakers about how their queer identity has given them an edge in their paths to success. The interviewees’ background is extremely diverse and mixes the worlds of business, tech, politics, Hollywood, sports, and more. It is a celebration of the unique superpower of queerness, but the narrative wanders to other themes as well: from leveraging the differences to generate new ideas and strategies, to channeling anger in a positive way that leads to success.
Why should you read it?
Andrew Galwick here teaches an implicit lesson to every leader. As a matter of fact, this book gives an incredible insight into the reasons why you should invest into diversifying your workforce and into supporting each and every nondominant group within your company. Diversity is richness, progress, and innovation, and the protagonists of this book are a clear testament of it. Are you sure you want to miss it?
You can purchase your copy here.
Lastly, if you want to learn more about Pride and about the basics of inclusive communication with regard to LGBTQ+ community, have a look at our previous blog post!
I’m very curious to learn which book you’ve liked the most, or if you have any other book you’d like to add to this list… Let me know in the comments and, in the meantime, have a great and sunny summer!
About the author:
Aurora Grion is the Inclusive Marketing & Communications Specialist at BusinessWiz and a Diversity, Inclusion, and Cultural Studies enthusiast. She has been living and working in 4 different countries in the last 5 years and has therefore a very concrete take on Diversity & Inclusion (D&I) in workplaces, especially when it comes to inclusion of international talent.
Aurora holds a MA cum laude in Cultural Management and is the Vice-President of +Collective, an organization which promotes equality and inclusion in Finland through events and media production.