Learn about Queer History
All summer long, Pride parades — better known as Christopher Street Day (CSD) in german-speaking countries — will be taking place, flowing the streets of countless cities across the globe with rainbow colors. Here you can see when the Pride Parade closest to you will be taking place.
Yet, if today Pride is, in certain countries, first and foremost known as a joyful celebration, it actually started as an uprising. Why is it happening in June? Why do we call it Christopher Street Day in certain places? Do we still need it? You can read a condensed answer to those questions in this CHEEX article. Should you want to know all the nitty-gritty of Queer History, you can listen to Your Queer Story: An LGBTQ+ Podcast or give Instagram account @lgbt_history a follow!
To get started, here is also a small list of documentaries you can watch on LGBTQA+ history and current issues:
- How to Survive a Plague: The Inside Story of How Citizens and Science Tamed AIDS (2012)
- Stonewall Forever (2019)
- I Am They: A non-binary transgender (2019)
- Stonewall Uprising (2010)
- We Exist: Beyond the Binary (2019)
- Defiance: Voices of a New Generation, a Nigerian LGBT+ Documentary (2020)
- Disclosure: Trans Lives on Screen (2020) (Available on Netflix)
- Pray Away (2020) (Available on Netflix)
Donate time or money to a LGBTQA+ organisation, and update yourself on the current legislations in your country.
One way to immediately have a positive impact on the Queer community is to donate time or money to NGOs. The fight for total LGBTQA+ equal rights is still very much ongoing, albeit on various levels in different countries. Umbrella organisation for LGBTQA+ people ILGA Europe has put up a list of its 600+ members, sorted by countries, as well as an interactive map where one can swiftly check how queer-friendly legislations are in every European country.
Support Queer-owned businesses
Treat yourself to new sextoys, books, or fashion statement pieces AND directly support the LGBTQA+ community? It’s possible! Buy directly from queer-owned businesses:
Sex shops & toys
Other Nature, feminist, women, queer-oriented and eco-friendly sex shop
Juicy, Queer Sexshop für Alle, queer sex shop
Fuck Yeah Sexshopkollektiv, feminist sex shop for all genders
Cute Little Fuckers, gender-inclusive sex toys
Clone-A-Willy, in-home moulding kits for vulvas and penises
Bookshops
The Gentle Bookshop, for BIPoC and LGBTQIA+ authors
transfabel.de for trans-, inter-, non-binary and genderqueer authors
She Said, for female and queer authors
Fashion
The Code, Berlin fetish and club fashion for a sex-positive lifestyle
Daughters of Witches, sells and supports women- and queer-owned brands
Badass-Prints, independent pro-sex feminist & queer clothing, jewellery and prints
Undrowear, gender-inclusive underwear brand
Automatic Gold, jewellery for all genders
Practice thinking outside the norms
Pride Month is the perfect occasion to start thinking outside of heteronormativity. Don’t assume somebody’s sexual orientation or gender. Ask for pronouns, and normalise giving yours when introducing yourself (even if you’re cisgender!). Keep in mind that there are more than one way to express one’s gender, as well as innumerable sexual orientations, all of which may change and fluctuate over time. Don’t overstep boundaries by enquiring about anything personal. If you would not dare to ask a certain question to a cis-het person, it is probably best to refrain yourself from asking it to a queer one. Queer people are people above all else: be respectful of that.
Reality TV shows like the famous RuPaul’s Drag Race, Queer Eye, or Prince Charming and Princess Charming (in Germany) can be fun ways to challenge normative beliefs! Why not marathon one of them for Pride Month? (Keep in mind that they remain Reality TV show nonetheless and do not represent the whole community.)
Deep dive into Queer entertainment!
Love is love – no matter your orientation or gender. Regardless if you are part of the community or not, Queer entertainment is for everyone! Aside from Reality TV shows, there are plenty of books, films, and TV shows with characters for each and every colour of the rainbow. Here is a selection of books, TV Shows and Films with Queer characters by queer authors, actors, and producers.
Books
The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet
by Becky Chambers (2014), a feel-good gender diverse space-opera
Under the Udala Trees
by Chinela Okparanta (2015), a lesbian PoC historical romance
Full Disclosure,
by Camryn Garrett (2019), a comtemporary YA with asexual lesbian representation
Young Mungo,
by Douglas Stuart (2022), gay literary fiction
TV Shows
Billions (since 2016)
with the first non-binary character played by non-binary actor
Big Mouth (since 2017)
an adult animated series with homosexual, bisexual, and transgender representation
Feel Good (2020 – 2021)
with non-binary, bisexual and lesbian representation
Heartstopper (2022)
adapted from the eponymous graphic novel written by Alice Osman; with homosexual, bisexual, and transgender representation
Films
A Fantastic Woman (2017),
with a transgender woman character played by a transgender actress
Portrait Of A Lady On Fire (2019),
a lesbian historical romance
Anne+ (2021),
with non-binary, homosexual, and polyamory representation
Fire Island (2022)
a gay romantic comedy
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