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. Note: This resource is currently unavailable owing to the cyber attack on the British Library.
- LGBT Magazine Archive This link opens in a new window
Fully digitised archives of 26 LGBT publications, mainly from the UK and USA. Coverage dates from 1954 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 window
A major resource for British social history from 1937-1967, it contains material generated by the Mass Observation social research organisation, including 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.
- Mass Observation Project 1981-2009 This link opens in a new window
A major resource for British social history from 1981 - 2009, it contains responses to the Mass Observation project's directives (questionnaires) sent out to volunteers who were asked to report on their lives and opinions. Topics covered are wide-ranging and include political and social themes of the period, plus insights into everyday life.
- 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: