It’s June! That means a few things are coming up. Summer. Heat. Sun. Wrapping up school. Father’s Day. Good stuff.
But one of this librarian’s favorite favorite FAVORITE things about June is PRIDE MONTH!!!! *cue air horns*
What started as a riot in New York in 1969 has evolved into a whole month of celebrating and learning about people who do not fit in any one box. Anyone from any background, culture, race, age, religion, region, ability, size, shape, belief, life experience and everything else can also proudly wave a rainbow flag, be it who they fall in love with and how, who just catches their eye, how their gender does or doesn’t fit who they are and even just how they see themselves and how they relate to other people. Or even if none of the colours or flags suit you, you can still wave it as an ally, standing with your friends, family and your community.
VPL is celebrating too. We have three different programs for three different age groups this June. For you grownups we have Queerative Doodling on June 12th, 6pm, at the Pierre Berton Resource Library. If you have any teens in your lives you can send them to Rainbow Reads for Teens at the Civic Centre Resource Library. Their June 21st session at 1pm is a special Pride Month edition and mug making will be involved (both Queerative Doodling and Rainbow Reads are preregistered programs, see the links for more info). To kick things off though we have an amazing program for all ages on June 8th from 11am – 3pm at the Civic Centre library; Family Pride! Bring the kids and get ready for fabulous, colorful fun!
Preparing for this post I came across a kids book (I’m a youth librarian, it’s what I do) that I had no idea existed. It’s called Are You a Friend of Dorothy?: The True Story of an Imaginary Woman and the Real People She Helped. It was written by Kyle Lukoff and illustrated by Levi Hastings and was just published this year. I had heard that expression before, ‘Friend of Dorothy’, and I had known that it referred to queer people (I had always thought it meant Dorothy Gale from The Wizard of Oz but learned in this book that no none knows for sure). But this book explains very well in a kid-friendly way three important things; how the phrase ‘friend of Dorothy’ was used in the past, how phrases and codes like this were used to help people in unsafe situations find each other and community support, and how things can still be unsafe for this community even today.
And that last part is what strikes me in 2025. Being 2SLGBTQIA+ has historically been a trepidatious situation. Since people were asking about Dorothy a lot of progress has been made to ensure that falsehoods about 2SLGBTQIA+ people were corrected and to create the chance to live openly and freely without fear of legal or social repercussions. It’s never been perfect, but there had been improvements. And then the last few years have happened, and so many of those footholds now seem in danger of being paved over.
So this Pride Month, as with many others before it, it’s always important to celebrate. How far we’ve come, who you are, who your families and friends are and who your community is. But we must never forget that there is still always work to be done even now. Especially now.
So to both celebrate and reflect on this special time, and for the rest of the year, here are some resources to check out.
One thing publisher DK has always been good at doing is taking big topics and not only explaining them clearly in an easily digestible way but doing so while often being visually stunning with infographs and luminous pictures. This book wrapped in the progress flag goes over the long and vast history of queer people, their progress, their struggles and how we have always been here and everywhere. Seriously, this book covers a lot. From all the way back in 2400 BCE up until 2021 this book highlights so many key moments and discusses so many different people from all over the world. If you ever want to start somewhere with queer history this is your one stop shop.
Pride by Angel John Guerra and Michael Rowe
In 2024 the Toronto Pride Parade celebrated it’s 50th anniversary. Back in 1974 over 100 people marched from Allan Gardens to Queen’s park in an effort to include orientation in the Ontario Human Rights Code. Today Toronto Pride has become not only the largest Pride parade and festival in Canada but one of the largest in North America. This book is great if you’re looking for a dose of homegrown pride. It’s a photo history of sorts, including portraits that Toronto photographer Guerra has captured over the last 15 years to highlight the individuals who march. This book also includes deeper history on the event itself. Don’t forget to take a look at everything happening at York Pride this year too.
The LBGTQ+ Travel Guide: Interviews, Itineraries and Inspiration from Queer Insiders in 50+ Proud Places by Alicia Valenski.
For those who like to travel, or who want to see how queer life is celebrated around the world, then this handy guide is what you need. Lonely Planet has published travel guides for years, and in this colourful and indepth book they use interviews and tips to outline some of the best and safest places in over 50 destinations. Whether you want to get out and travel, or dream about travel, or just learn more about places in the world that are welcoming to their rainbow residents and tourists, then give this book a read.
Out North: An Archive of Queer Activism and Kinship in Canada by Craig Jennex and Nisha Eswaran
This book was published by an organization called The Arquives. Their goal is to collect as much information as possible about the history and experiences of 2SLGBTQIA+ people in Canada. They’re one of the largest queer archives in the world and, according to their site, “the only archive in Canada with a mandate to collect at a national level.” They don’t just collect paper either, but all sorts of things like photos, videos, audio and other artifacts like buttons, tshirts and banners. Out North is a collection of some of those documents and photos that help tell the tale of queer activism all across Canada, from the 1930s up until 2019. It’s a good reminder of the struggles and victories that have come before us and a reminder of what there is to gain and lose in the future.
Wherever you fall on the spectrum and however you celebrate and reflect, I hope this is an amazing Pride Month for everyone!