The nonprofit organization Queer Liberation Library is combating the current sweeping school and library bans on books covering LGBTQ+ material in America. To accomplish this, they are providing access to free e-books and audiobooks to its member base. The goal of the library is to connect members of the LGBTQ+ community who have been affected by the book bans in the United States with a virtual library where they can check out e-books on LGBTQ+ topics.
What The Queer Liberation Library Is
The Queer Liberation Library was founded in November of 2023 to be a response to the current wave of censorship of LGBTQ+ information in educational institutions. Policies from right wing lawmakers that seek to outright ban books in schools and libraries that cover such topics as sexuality, gender identity, and queer history, among other such material. For the Queer Liberation Library’s core team of volunteers, having a decentralized, online platform that by anybody with an internet connection could access was paramount.
CEO and co-founder Kieren Hickey states in an interview with KSAT-TV ABC News: “What we wanted to do was to make queer literature and information and resources just more accessible in the United States. Because, one, we’re living in a scary time where there’s been a lot of pushback to queer books and queer stories that are very dependent upon where someone lives — state to state, county to county. So, we were able to sort of build something that is a little bit less dependent on the geographical location of the reader.”
Besides just having access to LGBTQ+ literature in general, the Queer Liberation Library prides (no pun intended) itself on ensuring that a variety of ebooks and audiobooks are availabile in a myriad of genres. From historical nonfiction, to fantasy fiction, to BIPOC- specific queer stories, members will definitely find something that appeals to them.
Why the Queer Liberation Library Is Necessary
According to the American Library Association’s report in 2023, seven out of the ten most challenged book titles of that year were due to LGBTQ+ themes, including the intersection of racial identity and queer identity. In a report by PEN America, a nonprofit literature advocacy group, over 40% of all book bans from July 2022 to June 2023 were in Florida, the state where Governor Ron DeSantis has publicly spearheaded LGBTQ+ book bans. Texas and Missouri rank second, then third, respectively. The decentralized, virtual Queer Liberation Library platform aims to fight these regressive attacks on LGBTQ+ information by making it so that anybody with internet has their catalogue of e-books and audiobooks.
How You Can Help
To join the library, you can visit the website, then sign up for a free virtual library card. Then you can either download the Libby app, or go to OneDrive to access Queer Liberation Library’s vast free queer content of e-books and audiobooks on their platform. To help the nonprofit, you can donate to the Queer Liberation Library on their website, too.
If anything, just engaging in ways such as donating, checking out material, and telling your LGBTQ+ friends and family about this free, helpful resource is fantastic. Nonmembers of the LGBTQ+ community are encouraged to join, too.
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