LGBTQA+ Equality
In this section, you'll find information resources relating to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer themes. The resources include books, films, archives, oral histories and social media, and they examine LGBTQ themes from many perspectives, including history, society, politics, culture, literature, and more.
We hope you find the resources here and on our reading list informative and interesting, and as always, we welcome your suggestions for books and other resources to include.
FOCUS on Stonewall and Pride
Reading List
Take a look at our EDI Reading List for LGBTQA+ Equality.
Please get in touch if you have any recommendations to add to this list - whether already available in the Library or not!
Archives and Special Collections
This section highlights digitised and physical archives and special collections at Newcastle University and elsewhere, relating to LGBTQ topics. Materials in these archives cover centuries of history, and include images, data, interviews, campaign materials and much more, often offering fascinating first-hand insights into lives and events.
- The North's Forgotten Female ReformersThis exhibition includes information on the Campaign for Homosexual Equality, ‘campaigning for homosexual acts between men to be decriminalized’, and later creating a social and support network for gay men and lesbians.
- Tyneside Campaign for Homosexual Equality archiveAdministration, correspondence, research and campaign materials produced by the Tyneside Campaign for Homosexual Equality, and associated material relating to lesbian and gay politics, from the 1970s to the 1990s, including newspaper cuttings, campaign material, leaflets, and magazines and journals.
- Williams (Ethel) ArchiveEthel Williams was Newcastle’s first female doctor, a suffragist and a pacifist. Her collection includes correspondence, photographs and objects related to her medical practice and the suffrage movement. Ethel had a lifelong companion in Frances Hardcastle, and may have been gay. The nature of the relationship between Ethel and Frances is unknown, but has been speculated upon, and certainly it would have been considered to have been outside social conventions for the time. Here is an article about Ethel and Frances written by Northumberland Archives Service, who also hold material relating to Ethel.
- Wylie Comic Books (currently being catalogued)Spandex is a comic about the world's first all-gay superhero team. There is also a gender transition comic: The Sex Change Stories of a Pear Shaped Boy.
- GLBT Historical SocietyOnline resources from this society in San Francisco, which is recognised as a leader in the field of LGBTQ public history.
- LGBTQ archives in WalesRecent Archives Hub article highlighting useful Welsh archives.
- LGBT collections at LSE LibraryOverview of special collections and archives relating to LGBT issues held at London School of Economics Library.
- LGBTQ histories from the British LibraryDocuments the experiences and stories in the British Library's collections relating to LGBTQ people in the UK from the 1500s to the present.
- LGBT Magazine Archive This link opens in a new windowThis resource contains the full digitised archives of 26 LGBT publications, mainly from the UK and USA. Coverage dates from 1957 to 2015 (depending on the specific publication).
- LGBTQ oral history groupSpecial interest group of the UK Oral History Society, recording, preserving and celebrating the lives and experiences of LGBTQ people.
- LGBTQ libraries, archives and museumsInternational (mostly US) list of libraries, archives and museums specialising in LGBTQ resources.
- Mass Observation Online 1937-1967 This link opens in a new windowThis a major resource for British social history from 1937-1967. It contains material generated by the Mass Observation social research organisation, including all the day surveys, diaries and subject directives from 1937-1967, a wide range of themed topic collections, together with other material such as images and essays. We also have access to the Mass Observation 1980s and 1990s database. Read our blog post for more information about this archive.
- Mass Observation Project 1981-2009. This link opens in a new windowThis contains responses to the Mass Observation project in the 1980s,1990s and (NEW!) 2000s, covering political and social themes of the period, plus insights into everyday life. A fascinating insight into late twentieth century Britain. We also have access to the earlier Mass Observation Online database covering 1937-1967. Read our blog post for more information about this resource.
- My Funny Valentine: archives of interest for LGBT History MonthFeature by Archives Hub highlighting archival collections around the UK which relate to LGBT history.
- StatistaStatista is a collection of over 1.5 million datasets on a huge range of contemporary topics. If you're looking for data to help you research social issues and identities, it's a great place to start.
- UK National Archives: researching history of sexuality and gender identityGuide for anyone researching topics relating to sexuality and gender identity.
- Victoria and Albert museum: gender and sexualityCollection highlights from the V and A relating to gender and sexuality.
Films
As a member of the Newcastle University community, you are able to access the Library's subscription to Box of Broadcasts (BoB).
Take a look at the Library-curated playlist available on BoB:
Social Media & Multimedia
LGBTQA+ Equality - ACTION
Newcastle University is a member of the Stonewall Champions Diversity programme, and committed to Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender inclusion.
Take a look at the networks and societies on campus:
Here are some LGBT+ organisations and charities for information and support: