Rainbows Come to the Library, Pride Events, and LGBTQ Reads
Today, The New York Public Library raised rainbow flags on the front of our 42nd Street and 5th Avenue location. As the 50th anniversary of Stonewall approaches, be sure to visit our exhibition Love & Resistance: Stonewall 50, attend a Pride edition of the Library After Hours this Friday, June 21, and explore new LGBTQ reading lists. Please share your photos celebrating Pride Month at the Library with the hashtag #NYPLPride.
Exhibition
Love & Resistance: Stonewall 50
The Stonewall Riots were not the beginning of the LGBTQ civil rights movement, but the events at the Stonewall Inn in 1969 led to a growth in the national LGBTQ activist movement. To commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall Riots, discover the pivotal events through the lens of pioneering photojournalists Kay Tobin Lahusen and Diana Davies in our exhibition, open through July 13, 2019.
Tune In
Stonewall 50: Special Podcast Episodes
Two special episodes of the Library Talks podcast are being released exploring the past, present, and future of the Stonewall Riots through the Library's archives. The episodes feature Stonewall 50 exhibition curator Jason Baumann, When Brooklyn Was Queer author Hugh Ryan, Schomburg Center curator Megan Renee Williams sharing the story of Stormé DeLarverie, Eric Marcus on documenting queer history, archival audio clips featuring icons Sylvia Rivera, Marsha P. Johnson, and Miss Major, a new interview with Kay Tobin Lahusen, and more. The first episode is out now. Subscribe to hear the second part this Sunday, June 23.
Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or Google Play
Pride Month Events
The Library After Hours: Pride
Celebrate Pride at the Library! Get special after hours access to the Love & Resistance: Stonewall 50 exhibition, and enjoy curator and artist talks, readings from the LGBTQ archives by special guests, a literary drag show, music by Robi D Light, and more. Get Priority Advance Tickets for $15 and enter at 7 PM or pay what you wish starting at 8 PM. 21+.
Friday, June 21 | 7 PM
Stephen A. Schwarzman Building
Legacies Inherited: Miss Major and Tourmaline
Legendary activists Miss Major and Tourmaline draw on their collective decades of experience as trans women of color.
Wednesday, June 19 | 6:30 PM
Stephen A. Schwarzman Building
The Lit Ball: #Stonewall50 Party
An evening celebrating queer NYC life with a literary twist, featuring drag performances, crafting, and more.
Wednesday, June 19 | 6:30 PM
Stephen A. Schwarzman Building
Film Screening: Major!
Award-winning documentary Major! explores the life of living legend Miss Major and her ongoing leadership in movements for trans liberation.
Thursday, June 20 | 6 PM
Bronx Library Center
Fifty Shades of Jonée
Jacqueline Jonée returns with a sparkling brand-new presentation for two farewell Gay Pride performances with the JouJou Jacquettes Philharmonic Orchestra.
Monday, June 24 | 2:30 PM & 6 PM
Library for the Performing Arts
Emily Bass: Scenes from The Plague War
2018–19 Martin Duberman Fellow, Emily Bass, previews her forthcoming book, The Plague War—the first history of America's war on AIDS in Africa.
Thursday, June 27 | 6:30 PM
Stephen A. Schwarzman Building
Queer Harlem: A Celebration of Pride in the Harlem Renaissance
Celebrate Pride with a journey through the queer lives of the Harlem Renaissance.
Saturday, June 29 | 11 AM–4:30 PM
Countee Cullen Library
Queer Black Films: Looking for Langston and Two Films by Hayat Hyatt
An intergenerational pairing of film and video works explores Black queer inheritance and desire through Isaac Julien's Looking for Langston and two films by Hayat Hyatt.
Saturday, July 6 | 3 PM
Tompkins Square Library
More Pride Events
Find more events and programs at our locations in the Bronx, Manhattan, and Staten Island—from community conversations to panel discussions, film screenings, youth events, and more.
Libraries at NYC Pride March
Look for NYPL staff members marching in the NYC Pride March on Sunday, June 30.
Reading Recommendations
Librarians on Meaningful Books in Their LGBTQ Journeys
Learn about the books that our librarians say were a transformative part of their LGBTQ experience.
Beyond Coming Out: Fantastic Books with LGBTQ Characters
Coming out stories, while an essential part of the canon, are just a tiny part of the complicated, beautiful world that is LGBTQ literature.
The Trans and Gender Non-Conforming Literary Landscape
Discover over 150 stories of trans and gender non-conforming lives with our new book list for all ages.
LGBTQ Historical Fiction, 20 Years Before Stonewall
LGBTQ characters come to the forefront in these eight books, which are set during the two decades immediately preceding Stonewall.
A Beginner's Guide to LGBTQ Manga
Celebrate Pride Month with Japanese manga featuring LGBTQ characters and themes.
Show Your Pride
Pride at the Library Shop
Through the New York Public Library Shop's curated Pride and Stonewall collections, you can learn more about the history that brought us here and show your own pride and support.
Show Off Your Library Pride
Donate online and secure your exclusive NYPL or Schomburg Center Pride tote. Supplies are limited, get yours while you still can! All proceeds support programs and collections at The New York Public Library and Schomburg Center.
Donate and Get Great Benefits
Donate to the LGBTQ Initiative and help the Library preserve and increase access to its LGBTQ collections for all. Your contribution makes you part of the Friends of the Library membership program and gives you access to special benefits such as discounted tickets and invitations to member-only events.
#ThrowbackThursday
In honor of our Love & Resistance: Stonewall 50 exhibition, we are sharing a #ThrowbackThursday series on our Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter accounts. The photos featured are part of the Library's LGBTQ collections. See the photos here.