This blog post was written by Lara Short, Graduate Trainee Library Assistant at the Institute of Historical Research, in March 2025, in connection with LGBTQ+ History Month.
These recent additions to the IHR Library uncover hidden stories, challenge narratives, and celebrate the resilience of queer communities throughout history. These books offer fresh perspectives on LGBTQ+ lives across different times, places, and cultures. Visit the IHR Library to browse these titles and explore more stories that have shaped queer history.
Some Men in London: Queer Life, 1945-1959 – edited by Peter Parker
This anthology captures the lives of queer men in London from the end of World War Two to the passing of the Sexual Offences Act in 1967. Drawing from letters, diaries, newspaper reports, government and police records, as well as the voices of hostile witnesses, Parker paints a vivid picture of how queer men navigated life under the constant threat of arrest and social condemnation. This book highlights how London, whilst the cultural capital, offered anonymity, which allowed these men to form a thriving subculture. It serves as a crucial record of the challenges and resilience of these individuals, showing the trajectory toward partial decriminalization and shifting societal attitudes. The second volume covers the years 1960-67, exploring a period when attitudes were beginning to change.
Pretended: Schools and Section 28: Historical, Cultural and Personal Perspectives – Catherine Lee
Pretended is a personal and historical exploration of Section 28, the UK law that prohibited schools from promoting ‘the acceptability of homosexuality as a pretended family relationship.’ Catherine Lee, a teacher during this period, uses her diary entries to document the silence, fear, and shame that LGBTQ+ students and teachers endured, which serve as a powerful reminder of the dangers of censorship and structural homophobia. The book is divided into three parts: a history of same-sex relationships in the UK and the absence of laws regarding lesbians, a personal memoir reflecting on Lee’s own struggles as a closeted teacher, and an examination of how LGBTQ+ inclusion in schools has evolved since Section 28 was repealed in 2003. Lee also reflects on her involvement in the film Blue Jean, which explores the impact of this law.
Streetlife: Male and Trans Sex Workers’ Voices from the AIDS Era – Barbara Gibson
This oral history collection presents the diverse voices of male and trans sex workers in the UK during the height of the HIV/AIDS epidemic. Based on interviews recorded in the early 1990s, the book captures their lived experiences, from childhood and emerging sexual identities to their work in the sex industry, as well as their struggles with addiction, mental health, and social stigma. The book highlights the power of oral history in challenging the often one-dimensional portrayals of sex workers, encouraging readers to see them as whole individuals rather than relying on misinformed stereotypes and perpetuating the image for which they have been so frequently misunderstood. By sharing these personal stories, Streetlife offers invaluable insight into how these individuals were so unjustly marginalised and isolated in so many ways, due to their identities, sexualities, and occupations.
Policing Same-Sex Relations in Eighteenth-Century Paris – edited by Jeffrey Merrick
Using over 200 police records, this book reveals how same-sex relationships were monitored and prosecuted in 18th-century Paris. These archival documents provide a rare glimpse into how both law enforcement and the men they arrested understood same-sex encounters at the time. Some of the most striking records come from the mid-1780s, when prisoners recounted their own sexual histories in depositions, showcasing the lived experiences of gay men centuries later. This exploration offers a fresh, bottom-up perspective on repression, policing, and the ways in which queer culture persisted despite legal and social constraints.
EFP.545/Mer – IHR Floor 2 Wohl
As Good as a Marriage: The Anne Lister Diaries 1836-38 – Jill Liddington
Building on the success of TV series Gentleman Jack, which encouraged demand for more research into her coded diaries, this book continues the story of Anne Lister, who has often been described as the ‘first modern lesbian.’ Liddington presents newly transcribed and annotated diary entries from the period 1836-38, revealing more about the daily realities and dynamics of Lister’s relationship with Ann Walker, as well as shedding light on Lister’s business ventures and landownership. This book captures both the personal and professional aspects of Lister’s life, showcasing her determination to live openly and on her own terms in a society that largely did not accept her.
BC.8715/Lis – IHR Floor 1 Wohl
Tomorrow Will Be Different: Love, Loss and the Fight for Trans Equality – Sarah McBride
This memoir by Sarah McBride, the first openly transgender state senator in the US, follows her personal journey of coming out, navigating love and loss, and her political activism. McBride shares deeply personal experiences, including the story of her late husband who passed away from cancer shortly after their wedding, whilst also reflecting on her work advocating for trans rights, particularly in regard to healthcare and anti-discrimination policies. Her memoir balances emotional storytelling with an inspiring insight into political activism, making it a powerful read for anyone interested in LGBTQ+ rights and representation.
UF.758/Mcb – IHR Floor 2 Americas
Queer Newark: Stories of Resistance, Love and Community – edited by Whitney Strub
Queer Newark: Stories of Resistance, Love and Community explores the rich yet often overlooked LGBTQ+ history of Newark, NJ. Through oral histories, police records, and essays, it highlights the experiences of queer people of colour and their fight against violence, poverty, and discrimination. Strub sheds light on Newark’s queer spaces, from bars and ballrooms to churches and other community spaces, celebrating a queer community that has thrived despite challenges and hardships. This book reclaims and amplifies Newark’s queer history, showing the intersection of queerness with race, gender, and class, and offering an alternate history of LGBTQ+ life in America.
US.6055/Str – IHR Floor 2 Americas
Sexual and Gender Difference in the British Navy, 1690-1900 – edited by Seth Stein LeJacq
This book examines how the Royal Navy handled same-sex relationships and gender nonconformity during the 18th and 19th centuries. Using trial records and historical documents, it sheds light on both the harsh repression and moments of tolerance within seafaring communities. Though much of the naval archive documents the prosecution and punishment of same-sex relationships, this book also highlights moments of consensual relationships, romance, gender experimentation, and the breaking of social norms. By reclaiming suppressed LGBTQ+ stories, it offers a unique perspective on sexuality and gender at sea, exploring the ways in which maritime communities navigated these complex dynamics.
Chanacomchana: e outras narrativas lesbianas em Pindorama – Patrícia Lessa
This book documents lesbian activism in Brazil from the late 1970s onward. Expanding on her doctoral research, Lessa examines key organizations like the Grupo de Ação Lésbico-Feminista (GALF) and the Rede Um Outro Olhar (UOO), alongside alternative media and publications such as Chanacomchana and Iamuricumá, which played a key role in resisting the erasure of lesbian voices, particularly Brazil’s military dictatorship. This work sheds a light on lesbian feminist movements which have been largely overlooked in academic research, placing their narratives at the forefront and therefore preserving a crucial part of Brazil’s queer history.
LAG.765/Pin/Les – IHR Onsite Store
Love Offers No Safety: Nigeria’s Queer Men Speak – edited by Olumide F. Makanjuola and Jude Dibia
Love Offers No Safety: Nigeria’s Queer Men Speak is a powerful anthology of 25 first-person narratives that explore the diverse experiences of queer Nigerian men. These stories delve into survival, faith, and community in a country where the Same-Sex Marriage (Prohibition) Act seeks to erase queer existence. Unlike many accounts that focus on exploitation, this collection takes readers on deeply personal journeys with the narrators, highlighting the impact of mental health struggles and depression tied to the complexities of existing as a queer man in Nigeria. A testament to their resilience, this book reminds us of what Nigeria’s queer community has always fought for: visibility, acceptance, and the right to live freely.