Home - LGBT Studies Research Sources - LibGuides at Northern Illinois University

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LGBT Religious Archives Network - The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Religious Archives Network (LGBT-RAN) coordinates and supports the identification, collection and preservation of personal papers and organizational records from lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender religious movements. To encourage scholarly research and historical study of these important movements for social change, LGBT-RAN disseminates information about these records and provides and facilitates access to them, using digital technology when possible.

Illinois LGBT Resources

Equality Illinois- Founded in 1992 to address the civil rights isssues facing the LGBT citizens of Illinois, this statewide activist group focuses its efforts on working for the passage of civil rights laws ( including civil unions and same-sex marriage ) , challenging employment discrimination and violence, and promoting awareness of transgender issues.

Gerber/Hart Library and Archives (Chicago) - Founded in 1981, this collection's primary focus is on the collection and preservation of the Midwest's homosexual and bisexual history.

Leather Archives and Museum - A unique institution based in Chicago covering the history of the leather/levi community, with substantial holdings about gay men and lesbians.

General Web Resources

Gay and Lesbian Studies: A Research Guide -This is a link to the guide to all LGBT material held in the collections of the New York Public Library.
LGBTData- Based at the Drexel University School for Public Health, this site offers an open- access gathering of datasets and measures relating to sexual orientation and gender identity.
glbtq: gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and queer culture-An online encyclopedia covering LGBT culture - very good for more popular subjects.
Guide to Gay and Lesbian Resources: A Classified Bibliography - (University of Chicago)
Lesbian, Gay Bisexual and Transgender Studies Program ( Northern Illinois University )
Out of the Past: 400 years of Lesbian and Gay History in America - This Public Broadcasting System Web site is an outgrowth of the hour-long film of the same title, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in January 1998; it won the audience award for best documentary and was later aired on the network. It centers around the personal growth of a young woman who attempted to start a gay-straight alliance group at her high school and interweaves contemporary issues with her gradually expanded awareness of a gay and lesbian historical heritage. Out of the Past is composed of six pull-down menus examining evidence for same-sex history (chiefly in North America) between 1600 and the present. Each poses a question for reader feedback on subjects ranging from religion and sexuality, first romance, local community history, folklore and oral traditions, and conditions for gay and lesbian youth. The bibliography, although well chosen, contains only 35 books and articles. Eight Internet sites illustrate the possibilities of electronic access for monitoring current historical events in lesbigay history (with the glaring lack of links to any of the major gay and lesbian archives), while five organizations selected from the many in various fields of gay civil rights activism are briefly profiled, with the absence of the oldest of all, the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force.
Outfest - A leading showcase for diverse, international lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) film and video. Outfest produces the oldest and largest continuous film festival in Los Angeles, the only LGBT weekly screening series in the country as well as the only LGBT people of color film festival. Since 1982, Outfest has presented more than 4,000 film and video titles for audiences of well over half a million people.
People with a History: An Online Guide to Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Trans* History - This site presents the history of gay men, lesbians, bisexual and transgendered persons in all historical periods and regions of the world through hundreds of original texts and discussions. Cross-references to a detailed onsite bibliography make this site a valuable teaching tool.
Pink News- Europe's major LGBT news service.
PlanetOut - A subsidiary of the site Community Headlines is very useful for providing coverage of current news stories and political issues.
Programs in Gender and Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual Studies at Universities in the USA and Canada - The best basic list to use when seeking to obtain an address of a specific instHouston itution or assess the types of courses available within gay/lesbian curricula.
Queer Music Heritage -Begun as a radio show in 2000, this site offers in-deth coverage of over a decade of music and includes a lengthy list of links to studios that produce queer music and specific genres such as songs about gay marriage.
Queer Resource Directory - One of the longest established gay directory sites and the model for others.
Queering the Library: Including LGBT Information
QueerTheory.org

Newspapers and Periodicals

Bay Windows - New England's gay and lesbian newspaper.
Dallas Voice - The Voice's website descibes it as " the premier media source for LGBT Texas ."
Frontiers Magazine - Based in Los Angeles, this magazine has provided coverage of emerging political and cultural life, both within California and on the national scene, since 1981.
Gay and Lesbian Review - The premier forum for the discussion and analysis of contemporary gay, lesbian and bisexual ideas and literature. Topics covered have included the origin of homosexuality, sexual politics and the future of gay writing.
Gay Left - a socialist paper produced in London by gay men between 1975 and 1980- this site offers the full text of all nine issues.
Lavender Minnesota's GLBT Magazine - the newspaper of record for LGBT life in Minneapolis and St.Paul.
Philadelphia Gay News - A valuable complement to the Washington Blade for tracking news from the Mid-Atlantic states.
Pridesource - This is a monthly journal with articles covering national as well as local news stories and the arts of the GLBT community of Michigan.
Seattle Gay News On-line - A highly detailed and reliable source for lesbian and gay related news and issues for the Pacific Northwest and British Columbia.
Southern Voice - One of the newer generations of regional gay journalism, this paper offers excellent coverage of the communities of metropolitan Atlanta and the South in general.
The ADVOCATE - Referred to as the New York Times of Gay America this national newsmagazine was founded in 1967 has continued to publish commentary and information on all aspects of Americana nd ionternational gay life for over forty years.
Washington Blade (District of Columbia) - One of the oldest continuing papers serving the United States gay community, founded in 1971. Useful as a close monitor of Congressional political action and local DC news.
Windy City Times ( Chicago ) -the only remaining weekly LGBT newspaper of record for Chicago with the demise of Chicago Free Press in 2008.

Organizations

American Civil Liberties Union: Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender Project - The Project is centered on five areas of LGBT civil rights- gender identity and expression, parenting, youth and schools, relationships, and discrimination in housing and employment.
American Library Association Gay, Lesbian and Bisexual Transgendered Round Table - Founded in 1970 as the Task Force on Gay Liberation, this is the oldest professional homosexual caucus in the United States. Complete listings of all recipients of the Gay and Lesbian Book Awards and conference programs are included.
Astraea: The National Lesbian Action Foundation - The Astraea Foundation was established in 1977 by a group of women activists concerned about the many women's programs and projects having difficulty getting funding due to their lesbian, progressive, and feminist perspectives. Their mission . . .was to raise money to support the work of these women's groups. It was made a national foundation in 1990.
Center for Homicide Research
COLAGE (Children of Gays and Lesbians Everywhere) - COLAGE publishes a quarterly newsletter and offers support groups for children age 12 and older.
Egale Canada
Equality Illinois -Founded in 1992 to address the civil rights isssues facing the LGBT citizens of Illinois, this statewide activist group focuses its efforts on working for the passage of civil rights laws ( including civil unions and same-sex marriage ) , challenging employment discrimination and violence, and promoting awareness of transgender issues.
The Equality Project
Federation of Gay Games
Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation - The only national gay and lesbian multimedia watchdog organization, dedicated to promoting fair, accurate and inclusive representation as a means of challenging discrimination based on sexual orientation or identity. Site features include information on the creation of October as Lesbian and Gay History Month, the Freedom to Marry Project, and the GLAAD archives.
Gay and Lesbian Medical Association
Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network (GLSEN) -Founded in 1990 by a group of educators, the Network works to make schools safer for LGBT students, assist in the creation of local GSA ( gay-straight alliance ) groups, and challenges bullying to make schools safe space for all students, regardless of sexual orientation or gender choice.
Human Rights Campaign - The United States largest gay and lesbian lobbying organization, with emphasis on comprehensive homosexual rights and AIDS.
International Association of Lesbian and Gay Pride Coordinators, Inc. - A non-profit organization representing cities worldwide which produce gay and lesbian pride events. This page provides the full text of the mission statement, "Anomaly" (the group's newsletter), complete contact information and a calendar.
International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission
International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual , Trans and Intersex Association
Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund - Founded in 1973, the largest legal organization working to secure rights for gays, lesbians and persons with HIV via education, public policy work and litigation.
Metropolitan Community Churches
National Association of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Community Centers - Arranged by state and budget, this site is very useful for locating local and regional service providers. A service of the Lesbian and Gay Community Center of New York.
National Black Justice Coalition
National Center for Transgender Equality - Founded in 2003 to present a consistent voice on a wide range of transgender issues at the national and local levels.
National Gay and Lesbian Task Force - Describing itself as the frontline activist organization and national resource center for grassroots lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender organizations this site also includes press releases, full text of publications and profiles of the Creating Change conferences.
National Lesbian and Gay Journalists Association
National Organization of Gay and Lesbian Scientists and Technical Professionals
Pennsylvania Lesbian and Gay Task Force
P-FLAG (Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays) - An international organization founded in 1981 devoted to providing a forum for the families of gay, lesbian, and bisexual individuals wishing to work for change in public politics and social attitudes.
Society of American Archivists Lesbian and Gay Archives Roundtable (LAGAR)
Special Library Association Gay and Lesbian Issues Caucus - The professional forum for the sharing of resources and discussion of issues raised by the gay and lesbian members the Special Libraries Association. Full text of the newsletter and advisements on upcoming conferences and a list of other links to related library caucuses are included.

Libraries and Archival Collections

ACT UP Oral History Project- A full-text collection of over 100 interviews with surviving members of the AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power- New York.

Archives Gaie du Quebec - Collects and preserves all types of documentation (both paper and media) relating to the gay or lesbian community of the province of Quebec.

Canadian Lesbian and Gay Archives (Toronto) - Created in 1973 by the collective that produced the newspaper The Body Politic, the Archives' mission is to collect and maintain information and materials relating to the gay and lesbian movement in Canada and elsewhere. Researchers investigating any aspect of Canadian gay culture should also visit the site for the Archives Gaie du Quebec for the Francophone viewpoint on specific issues.

Gerber/Hart Library and Archives (Chicago) - Founded in 1981, this collection's primary focus is on the collection and preservation of the Midwest's homosexual and bisexual history.

Homodok (Amsterdam) - One of the primary European archival collections on homosexual history, with holdings reaching back to 1870 and ranging from traditional sexology research to contemporary periodicals.

James C. Hormel Gay and Lesbian Center and Collections (San Francisco Public Library) - A showpiece of the new San Francisco Public Library, this major research center's collections focuses both in the national and worldwide gay and lesbian communities. Information on the extensive archival holdings of the Center, including the personal papers of politician Harvey Milk and journalist Randy Shilts, is provided.

June L. Mazer Lesbian Archives: Insuring the Future By Preserving the Past - Originally known as the West Coast Lesbian Collection, these are the only archives in the western United States dedicated exclusively to preserving lesbian history. Holdings reach back to 1895 and include the papers of veteran lesbian activists Phyllis Lyon and Del Martin.

Leather Archives and Museum -A unique institution based in Chicago covering the history of the leather/levi community, with substantial holdings about gay men and lesbians.

Lesbian and Gay Archives and Libraries List for the United States

Lesbian and Gay Newsmedia Archive ( UK )

Lesbian Herstory Archives

Lesbian Pulp Fiction Collection (Duke University) -- This detailed site offers an extensive annotated bibliography of many lesbian pulp titles and, uniquely, a list of films made based on them. Readers unfamiliar with the genre will find the Introduction essay an excellent beginning.

Northern Illinois University Libraries Gender Studies Collection

ONE Institute International Gay and Lesbian Archives (Los Angeles) - Housed at the University of Southern California, this collection was formed in 1994 through the merger of the library of ONE (the oldest continuing homosexual activist group in the western hemisphere, founded in 1952) and the huge private collection of veteran activist Jim Kepner.

Pacific Northwest Lesbian Archives - (Seattle, Washington)

QueerZineArchive Project - The mission of the Queer Zine Archive Project (QZAP) is to establish a living history archive of past and present queer zines and to encourage current and emerging zine publishers to continue to create. In curating such a unique aspect of culture, we value a collectivist approach that respects the diversity of experiences that fall under the heading queer.

Rainbow History Project (Washington, D.C.) - The Rainbow History Project formed November 4, 2000, .... came out of frustration at trying to identify archives and sources of information on gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgendered history in metropolitan Washington DC. ...The group's purpose has always been to preserve our community's memories. Among our highest priority initial projects was the capturing of community members' memories for an oral history project. Our mission is to collect, preserve, and promote an active knowledge of the history, arts, and culture relevant to sexually diverse communities in metropolitan Washington DC.

The Gay Peoples Union Collection -Based at the University of Wisconsin- Milwaukee, the primary materials in this collection offer access to the history of the first major gay rights activist group in the city.

The History Project (Boston, Massachusetts) - The History Project is an all-volunteer organization focused on several important initiatives: conducting research on lesbians, gay men, bisexuals, and transgenders in Massachusetts , preserving the documentary record of that community's social and historical contributions, providing a forum for educating the general public. The History Project - established in 1980 by a group of historians, activists and archivists - is the only group focused exclusively on preserving the history of Boston’s LGBT community, and on making that history accessible to future generations.

Arts, Literature and the Media

Business Groups

Canadian Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce

Chicago Area Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce

The Gay Business Association-the national body for LGBT businesses of all types in the United Kingdom

National Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce ( United States )

U.S. Gay and Lesbian Business Groups

Politics

Amnesty International Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender

American Civil Liberties Union: Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender Project

Gaynet - A link to a discussion list centered on gay, lesbian, and bisexual concerns on college campuses, whose coverage includes outreach programs, political education, AIDS, and dealing with administrations.

Homophobic Hate Crime: The Gay British Crime Survey 2008

International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission - Founded in 1990

International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Intersex Association

PlanetOut - A subsidiary of the site Community Headlines is very useful for providing coverage of current news stories and political issues.

Servicemembers Legal Defense Network- A nonprofit orgranization working to end the harassment of military personnel affected by the policy on homosexuality popularly known as " Don't ask, don't tell".

Sexual Orientation and the Law

25 Years of Political Influence: The Records of the Human Rights Campaign-This is the website for an exhibition mounted by Cornell University Library's Human Sexuality Collection in 2006.

Williams Institute (UCLA School of Law) - the Institute specialilzes in sexual orientation law and public policy.

Minority Gays and Lesbians

Deaf Queer Resources Center - Launched on September 1, 1995, this unique site offers links and data on the deaf homosexual community.

Rainbow Bridge Community Services

Trikone: Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender South Asians - Founded in 1986 in San Francisco, Trikone was the first organization for LGBT South Asians.