LGBTQ+
LIBRARY
POLICY
By Rozeena Dossa
Library Policy
To ensure that the School Library
recognizes, affirms and welcomes all
students regardless of their gender,
sexual orientations, gender identity or
gender expression. This policy is put in
place so that the library is a safe,
inclusive welcoming community for all
students and staff.
"Librarians have the power to act as catalysts for social change. They have the
potential to build inclusive library policies, collections and services within a
framework of human rights and social justice, reflecting core values of access and
intellectual freedom, inclusivity, diversity and equality, and, particularly in the
school library context, duty of care and safety."
- Alvin M. Schrader
1. Creating a Welcoming Space
Must model a clear and consistent message that all
are welcome. Nearly 60 percent of LGBTQ students
report feeling unsafe at school.
LGBTQ youth benefit from a place in their school where
they feel safe, welcomed and supported
Broadcast inclusion: to ensure library will be viewed as
safe zone it will exhibit diversity around the library
with posters and bulletin boards. Safe space signs
such as rainbow flags which can provide nonverbal
communication to students that this is a LGBTQ
friendly space
Library staff will declare pronouns through name tags
THE COLLECTION
"Collection development, outdated cataloging techniques, and improper tags are reasons
why LGTBQ youth have difficulty finding books on the shelves." Lisa Gay-Milliken
Visibility Availability
Build displays with the LGBTQ+ resources in the library. Continuously check LGBTQ+ availability in the
Create displays that are LGBTQ+ centred along with featuring library. Search within the library collection to see if
these resources with other displays as well. LGBTQ+ information/books are found easily.
Create visibility everywhere, meaning that LGBTQ+ material Make sure there are enough materials - Check
should be incorporated everywhere in all collections they will award winners and lists online.
not be found all in just one section
Collaborate with local LGBTQ+ organization for
"While exposure and visibility are important, school librarians recommendations
must provide opportunities for discovering and viewing
materials privately for those students who remain closeted or Suggest and promote e-books to students. E-
who may need to avoid social stigma or dis- crimination." books are easy to search genres and types of
(Gay-Milliken & DiScala, 2020) books with a great variety
Services and Events
Provide Meeting Spaces
and Support
The learning commons can be a welcoming
space for meetings and clubs such as
Gay-Straight Alliance or Gender and
Sexuality Alliance (GSA)
Celebrate, Support, Partner and Advertise
LGBTQ events in the community
Invite LGBT authors and illustrators to the
library
"Librarians can play a critical role in
fostering diversity and resiliency.
They can create safe places and turn
pain into opportunity, tolerance into
celebration, despair into hope."
- Alvin M. Schrader
1. The Whisper by Greg Howard
2. George Novel by Alex Gino
3. Better Nate Than Ever Book by
Tim Federle
4. Zenobia July by Lisa Bunker
5. 10,000 Dresses by Marcus Ewert 10 LGBTQ+
6. I Am Jazz Book by Jazz Jennings
and Jessica Herthel
7. And Tango Makes Three by Justin Recommended
Richardson and Peter Parnel
8. Pride: The Story of Harvey Milk
and the Rainbow Flag Book by Rob
Titles
Sanders
9. When Aidan Became a Brother by
Kyle Lukoff
10. Julian is a Mermaid by Jessica Love
"Before she disappeared, Riley's mama used to tell him stories about the Whispers, mysterious
creatures with the power to grant wishes. Riley wishes for lots of things. He wishes his secret
crush Dylan liked him back. He wishes the bumbling detective would stop asking awkward
questions. But most of all he wishes his mother would come home . . .
Four months later, the police are no closer to finding out the truth - and Riley decides to take
matters into his own hands. But do the Whispers really exist? And what is Riley willing to do to
find out?"
"When people look at George, they think they see a boy. But she knows she's not a boy. She
knows she's a girl. George thinks she'll have to keep this a secret forever. Then her teacher
announces that their class play is going to be Charlotte's Web. George really, really, REALLY
wants to play Charlotte. But the teacher says she can't even try out for the part . . . because
she's a boy. With the help of her best friend, Kelly, George comes up with a plan. Not just so
she can be Charlotte -- but so everyone can know who she is, once and for all. "
"Nate Foster has big dreams. His whole life, he’s wanted to star in a
Broadway show. (Heck, he'd settle for *seeing* a Broadway show.)
But how is Nate supposed to make his dreams come true when he’s
stuck in Jankburg, Pennsylvania, where no one (except his best pal
Libby) appreciates a good show tune? With Libby’s help, Nate plans a
daring overnight escape to New York. There's an open casting call for
E.T.: The Musical, and Nate knows this could be the difference
between small-town blues and big-time stardom."
"Zenobia July is starting a new life. She used to live in Arizona
with her father; now she's in Maine with her aunts. She used to
spend most of her time behind a computer screen, improving
her impressive coding and hacking skills; now she's coming out
of her shell and discovering a community of friends at
Monarch Middle School. People used to tell her she was a boy;
now she's able to live openly as the girl she always knew she
was."
"Every night, Bailey dreams about magical dresses: dresses made of crystals and rainbows, dresses made
of flowers, dresses made of windows... Unfortunately, when Bailey's awake, no one wants to hear about
these beautiful dreams. Quite the contrary: "You're a BOY!" Mother and Father tell Bailey. "You shouldn't
be thinking about dresses at all." Then Bailey meets Laurel, an older girl who is touched and inspired by
Bailey's imagination and courage. In friendship, the two of them begin making dresses together. And
Bailey becomes the girl she always dreamed she'd be!"
"From the time she was two years old, Jazz knew that she had a girl's brain in a
boy's body. She loved pink and dressing up as a mermaid and didn't feel like
herself in boys' clothing. This confused her family, until they took her to a
doctor who said that Jazz was transgender and that she was born that way.
Jazz's story is based on her real-life experience and she tells it in a simple, clear
way that will be appreciated by picture book readers, their parents, and
teachers."
"In this deeply moving and empowering true story,
"At the penguin house at the Central Park young readers will trace the life of the Gay Pride Flag,
Zoo, two penguins named Roy and Silo from its beginnings in 1978 with social activist Harvey
Milk and designer Gilbert Baker to its spanning of the
were a little bit different from the others. globe and its role in today’s world. Award-winning
But their desire for a family was the same. author Rob Sanders’s stirring text, and acclaimed
illustrator Steven Salerno’s evocative images, combine to
And with the help of a kindly zookeeper,
tell this remarkable – and undertold – story. A story of
Roy and Silo get the chance to welcome a love, hope, equality, and pride."
baby penguin of their very own."
When Aidan Became a Brother
is a heartwarming book that will "In an exuberant picture
resonate with transgender book, a glimpse of
children, reassure any child costumed mermaids
concerned about becoming an leaves one boy flooded
older sibling, and celebrate the with wonder and ready to
many transitions a family can dazzle the world."
experience."
Sources
GLSEN. 2013. Out Online: The Experiences of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and
Transgender Youth on the Internet.
<www.glsen.org/sites/default/files/ Out%20Online%20FINAL.pdf> (accessed July 29,
2021 ).
Gay-Milliken, L., & DiScala, J. (2020). GOING BEYOND BOOK DISPLAYS PROVIDING
SAFE SPACES FOR LGBTQ YOUTH. Going beyond School Libraries as Safe Havens,
Volume 48(No. 3). https://doi.org/https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1238793.pdf
Schrader, Alvin M. “Challenging Silence, Challenging Censorship, Building Resilience:
LGBTQ Services and Collections in Public, School and Post-Secondary Libraries.”
Feliciter, vol. 55, no. 3, June 2009, pp. 107–109. EBSCOhost,
search.ebscohost.com.proxy.queensu.ca/login.aspx?
direct=true&db=eue&AN=502969089&site=ehost-live.
