Audio & Video

National Book Festival Presents

Eric Cervini on Celebrating 50 Years of LGBTQ Pride
In honor of LGBTQ Pride month (June) and the 50th anniversary of Pride celebrations, Eric Cervini discusses his book “The Deviant’s War: The Homosexual vs. the United States of America,” with Roswell Encina, Library of Congress chief communications officer.

National Book Festival Presents Neil Patrick Harris
Award-winning actor and author Neil Patrick Harris celebrates the publication of the third book in his New York Times bestselling book series, "The Magic Misfits: The Minor Third."

Art & Culture

Poetry & Literature

Archive of Recorded Poetry and Literature

Features literary readings by hundreds of poets, authors, dramatists, and actors, including countless LGBTQ poets like John Ashbery, James Baldwin, Elizabeth Bishop, Audre Lorde, and Alice Walker. The Archive of Recorded Poetry and Literature was launched in 1943 when Allen Tate was Consultant in Poetry to the Library, the Archive of Recorded Poetry and Literature now contains recordings of over 2,000 poets reading their own work.

A poetry reading by Richard Blanco
Conversation with Author André Aciman
LGBT Literary Event, June 15, 2015 (Speakers: Stathis Orphanos, Bryan Borland, Jennifer Joseph, Lisa C. Moore, and William Johnson)
Love, Becky: One-on-One with Author Becky Albertalli
Mike Curato: National Book Festival 2020
Award-winning author and illustrator Mike Curato draws on his own experiences in "Flamer" (Henry Holt), his debut graphic novel, telling a difficult story with humor, compassion and love.
Yermiyahu Ahron Taub reads from his new book of poetry, "Uncle Feygele," which explores the issues encountered by gay Orthodox Jews. He follows up with questions from the audience regarding the book and translating between English and Yiddish.

LGBTQ History

"How to Survive a Plague"
David France discusses his telling of the history of the HIV/AIDS epidemic in the U.S.
Love Wins: Obergefell v. Hodges
Pride in the Library
Library curators display and describe items from the collections that were part of a special pop-up exhibit, "Pride in the Library," featuring the works of LGBTQ+ creators and representations of LGBTQ+ life in America.
Queer Iberia: Sexualities & Crossings from the Middle Ages to the Renaissance
Stonewall 50: A Panel Discussion on LGBTQ+ Research

The American Archive of Public Broadcasting

The American Archive of Public Broadcasting (AAPB), a collaboration between the Library of Congress and WGBH Boston, provides the public with access to a collection of American public radio and television content dating back to the 1950s.

Featured AAPB Collections:

The LGBT+ Collection
This collection includes over 500 public radio and televisions programs and original materials contributed to the American Archive of Public Broadcasting (AAPB) by 35 stations and organizations from across the United States. The recordings date from the late 1950s to 2018. The collection documents the representation of the LGBT+ community in public media, including conversations, social and political reactions, and cultural movements associated with LGBT+ history. These topics are presented through interviews, newscasts, lectures, and more.
Outcasting
The OutCasting Collection comes from Media for the Public Good, Inc. / OutCasting Media, an organization based in New York’s Lower Hudson Valley. Included in the collection are 129 episodes from three distinct series produced by Media for the Public Good, Inc. / OutCasting Media: OutCasting, the main program, which debuted over the radio waves in 2011 as a platform to discuss concerns, issues, and experiences of LGBTQ folks; OutCasting OffAir, later called OutCasting Overtime, initially an online-only program that subsequently became available for on-air broadcast, featuring commentaries and discussions by youth participants (called OutCasters) on a wide range of issues; and OutCasting Plus, which debuted in 2017 and includes an “OutCasting Ga[y]me Show,” a quiz-formatted and mostly lighthearted discussion of LGBTQ current events.

Featured AAPB Programs:

Stonewall Uprising Interviews
The Stonewall Uprising Interviews Collection is comprised of 48 raw interviews from the American Experience documentary of the same name. The documentary discusses the Stonewall riots, a six-day period beginning on June 28, 1969, during which the LGBTQ+ community protested against a police raid on a gay bar called the Stonewall Inn, in Greenwich Village, NYC.
The Homosexual in Our Society: Part 1
This recording from 1958 – The earliest known radio recording to overtly discuss homosexuality - features Public Affairs Director of KPFA Elsa Knight Thompson interviewing Hal Call, the editor of the Mattachine Review; Dr. Blanche Baker, a psychologist noted for her then-rarely-shared belief that homosexuality was not an abnormality nor an illness; and Leah Gailey, the mother of a gay man.
The Homosexual in Our Society: Part 2

Elsa Knight Thompson moderates a second panel discussion focusing on laws regarding homosexuals, civil rights of homosexuals, identification of homosexuals, gender identification in society, possible causes of sexual choice, i.e. heredity versus environmental causes, and how society can constructively deal with these issues.

Keynote Presentations

D.C. Councilmember David Catania to Keynote Library’s 2010 Celebration of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender Pride Month

OPM General Counsel Elaine Kaplan to Keynote Library’s Celebration of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender Pride Month 2009

Veterans History Project

“Breaking the Silence: Our Military Stories”
A panel discussion that focused on such topics as the Don’t Ask Don’t Tell (DADT) repeal and experiences, the current status of LGBTQ equality in the U.S. military, Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) and Proposition 8 as it relates to military families, and the current ban of transgender service members.

“Serving in Silence”
Gay members of the Armed Forces have had to live with an extra layer of discretion and professionalism. Here are stories of men and women who served their country while balancing the need to keep their private lives private.

Speaking Out: LGBT Veterans
While military service oftentimes demands sacrifices from those in uniform, historically, LGBTQ veterans have faced a unique set of challenges. For many of these veterans, following a call to serve meant keeping their private lives entirely private, for fear that exclusionary policies would hold them back or end their careers altogether.

StoryCorps – Links to stories related to the LGBTQ community

StoryCorps is an independent nonprofit whose mission is to provide Americans of all backgrounds and beliefs with the opportunity to record, share, and preserve the stories of our lives. Since 2003, over 50,000 everyday people have interviewed family and friends through StoryCorps. Each conversation is recorded on a free CD to share, and with the permission of the participants is preserved at the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress. StoryCorps is one of the largest oral history projects of its kind. Millions listen to StoryCorps weekly broadcasts on NPR’s Morning Edition. StoryCorps OutLoud

August Faustino and Chris Elardo
"I remember wishing I would wake up a boy." August Faustino and his friend Chris Elardo talk about being transgendered men.
Bobbi and Sandi Côté-Whitacre
"Do you remember when we were 19, totally in love, and couldn't tell anyone?" Bobbi Côté-Whitacre and her wife, Sandi, talk about their relationship.
David Wilson
A plaintiff in the 2004 court decision legalizing same-sex marriage in Massachusetts remembers the death of his first partner.
Don Boniface and Ted Kuhar
"It wasn't love at first sight, but there was some kind of a recognition." Don Boniface and his life partner, Ted Kuhar, talk about how their relationship began.
John Brown and his brother Paul Corbit Brown
The announcer was saying all these untrue things about gay and lesbian people..."John Brown tells his brother Paul about an encounter with a local radio station in West Virginia.
Jules Fishelman and Cathy Resmer
"You're the kind of person that we want our child to grow into..." Cathy Resmer to her friend Jules Fishelman.
Kaitlyn Sever and Lynne Lande
"I think I might want to be straight with a nice husband, but, of course, I don't have any idea what it's like to have kids, 'cause I am a kid myself." Kaitlyn Sever interviewed by her mom, Lynne Lande, who is a lesbian.
Kendall Bailey and his friend Don Davis
Kendall talks to his friend Don Davis about his dismissal from the U.S. Marines under the "Don't Ask Don't Tell" policy.
Michael Levine and Matthew Merlin
"The lights went up, the music went off and you could hear a pin drop." Michael Levine, who witnessed the Stonewall Riots on June 27th, 1969, speaks with his friend Matthew Merlin.
MJ Seide talks to her granddaughter Genna Alperin
"There was this hole that I had all of my life." MJ Seide talks to her granddaughter Genna Alperin about falling in love with her partner, Genna's biological grandmother.
Tom Kurthy and Robert Madden
"When I was 10, I told my parents I was going to marry a man." Robert Madden tells his friend Tom Kurthy about coming out to his parents.
Sue Hyde and Jesse McGleughlin
"What do you think the differences are in the way you grew up and the way I grew up?" Jesse McGleughlin to her mother, Sue Hyde.
Tony Perri and his grandson Jeffrey Perri
"I just felt I was not living an honest life." Tony Perri tells his grandson, Jeffrey about coming out as a gay man.