Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Queer Studies

Use this guide to quickly find reputable sources and save time on your research! Contact your subject librarian or the reference librarians if you need more help. For an overview of how to research efficiently, see Steps of the Research Process.

Search CityCat to find books, e-books, disks and more. There are many ways to search, such as Title, Author and Keyword.

Books in the library are organized by call number according to the Library of Congress classification system which groups items by subject, so you can often simply browse the shelves.

Examples of Subject searches include: Bisexuality, Bisexuals, Gay men, Gays, Lesbians, Homosexuality, Lesbians -- Fiction, Gay men -- Fiction, etc., Gay couples, Lesbian couples, etc.

Find queer artists, painters, authors, etc. by using the author index to search for last name: Abbott, Berenice; or Baez, Joan; or Baldwin, James; or Brooks, Romaine; etc.

Materials in the Library are shelved by call number according to the Library of Congress classification system. Books are arranged on the shelves by subject.

Relevant areas in the collection to find materials on transgender studies include:

Reference books are great for short overviews and background information. There are also reference resources in our database section.

Bronski, Michael. Outstanding Lives: Profiles of Lesbians and Gay Men. Detroit: Visible Ink Press, 1997. Ref HQ75.3 .O97 1997

Curry, Hayden. A Legal Guide for Lesbian and Gay Couples. 12th ed. Berkeley: Nolo, 2004. Ref KF539 .L44 2004

Ellis, Alan. The Harvey Milk Institute Guide to Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer Internet Research. New York: Harrington Park, 2002. Ref HQ76.25 .H375 2002

Haggerty, George E., ed. Gay Histories and Cultures: An Encyclopedia. New York: Garland, 2000. Ref HQ75.13 .G37 2000

Stein, Marc, ed. Encyclopedia of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender History in America. New York: Scribner's, 2004. Ref HQ76.3.U5 E53 2004

Zimmerman, Bonnie, ed. Lesbian Histories and Cultures: An Encyclopedia. New York: Garland, 2000. Ref HQ75.5 .L4395 2000

This is a very small percentage of the numerous items available.

Please notice that some of the video recordings are in the collections of the Audiovisual Department at the Ocean Campus. Students may request these video recordings for viewing in the Media Center on the Fourth Floor of the Rosenberg Library. Please see the Service Desk of the Media Center for details.

Abbott, Sidney, and Barbara Love. Sappho Was a Right-On Woman: A Liberated View of Lesbianism. New York: Stein and Day, 1972. HQ75.6 .A23

Berube, Allan. Coming Out under Fire: The History of Gay Men and Women in World War Two. New York: Free Press, 1990. D769.2 .B46 1990

Brown, Lester B. Two Spirit People: American Indian, Lesbian Women and Gay Men. New York: Haworth, 1997. E98.S48 T84 1997

Burg, B.R., ed. Gay warriors: A Documentary History from the Ancient World to the Present. New York: New York University Press, 2002. UH630 .G39 2002

Colette. Earthly Paradise: An Autobiography. New York: Farrar, Straus & Giroux, 1966. PQ2605.O28 Z5

Drucker, Jane. Families of Value: Gay and Lesbian Parents and Their Children Speak Out. New York: Insight Books, 1998. HQ76.3.U5 D78 1998

Epstein, Robert and Richard Schmiechen. The Times of Harvey Milk. [videorecording] San Francisco: Black Sand Productions, 1984. Audiovisual Dept. / V 1945

Etheridge, Melissa. Skin. [sound recording] New York: Island, 2001. Media Center / CD 1733

Gidlow, Elsa. I Come with My Songs: The Autobiography of Elsa Gidlow. San Francisco: Bootlegger Press, 1986. PS3513.I29 Z68 1986

Hutchins, Loraine, and Lani Kaahumanu, eds. Bi Any Other Name: Bisexual People Speak Out. 1st ed. Boston: Alyson, 1991. HQ74 .B5 1990

Journal of Homosexuality . [microfilm] Haworth Press, 1981 onwards. Rosenberg Periodicals Dept.

Kates, Nancy, and Bennett Singer, dir. Brother Outsider: The Life of Bayard Rustin. [videorecording] [S.l.]: California Newsreel, 2002. Southeast Library / SVHS 0152

Lesbian-Feminist Dialogue . [Sound recording] Los Angeles: Pacifica Tape Library, 1972. Media Center / D 1128 cassette

Lorde, Audre. Zami: A New Spelling of My Name. Trumansburg, N.Y.: Crossing Press, c1982. PS3562.O75 Z23 1982

Luckhardt, Ulrich, and Paul Melia. David Hockney: A Drawing Retrospective. San Francisco: Chronicle Books, 1996. NC242.H6 A4 1996

On Being Gay . [Sound recording] Los Angeles: Pacifica Tape Library, 1972. Media Center / D 1129 cassette

Pratibha Parmar, dir. Khush. [videorecording] New York: Women Make Movies [distributor], 1991. Audivisual Dept. / V 0942

Riggs, Marlon, dir. Tongues Untied. [videorecording] Santa Monica, CA: Strand Releasing, c1996. Audivisual Dept. / V 0881

Rauch, Jonathan. Gay Marriage: Why It Is Good for Gays, Good for Straights, and Good for America. 1st ed. New York: Times Books/Henry Holt, 2004. HQ1034.U5 R38 2004

Russo, Vito. The Celluloid Closet: Homosexuality in the Movies. Rev. ed. New York: Harper & Row, 1987. PN1995.9.H55 R8 1987

San Francisco Gay Men's Chorus. Let There Be Music. [sound recording] San Francisco: G.G.P.A., 1980. Media Center / D 3044 cassette

Shilts, Randy. Conduct Unbecoming: Lesbians and Gays in the U.S. Military : Vietnam to the Persian Gulf . New York: St. Martin's, 1993. UB418.G38 S55 1993

Stein, Peter L., dir. The Castro. [videorecording]. San Francisco: KQED, 1997. John Adams Library: JVHS 0505

Trujillo, Carla, ed. Chicana Lesbians: The Girls Our Mothers Warned Us about. Berkeley: Third Woman Press, c1991. HQ75.6.U5 C53 1991

Weiss, Andrea. Before Stonewall: The Making of a Gay and Lesbian Community. Tallahassee, FL: Naiad Press, 1988. HQ76.8.U5 W43 1988

Use databases for specialized and the most up-to-date information, especially academic (scholarly) sources that are not available for free on the Web. See the Articles & Databases page for a full list of databases available.

CQ Researcher
CQ Researcher contains many useful articles. Examples: “Biology and Behavior” 4/3/1998; “Diversity in the Workplace” 10/10/1997; “Gay Marriage” 9/5/2003; “Gays on Campus” 10/1/2004; “Sexually Transmitted Diseases” 12/3/2004.

EbscoHost
Ebscohost is a brand name for more than 25 multi-disciplinary databases with coverage from 1980 to the present.

Ethnic Newswatch
News, culture and history from the newspapers, magazines and journals of the ethnic, minority and native press. 1991-present: English and Spanish language. Examples of good subject searches: Same Sex Marriage, Lesbians AND Military, Bisexual Men, etc

Gale Powersearch
Infotrac is a brand name for several databases with coverage from 1980 to the present. All of the Infotrac database collections can be used to find information on some aspect of queer studies. There are many specific Subject Guide terms. Here are some examples:

a. African American Gays
b. Bisexuality
c. Coming Out (Homosexuality)
d. Discrimination against Gays
e. Gay Parents
f. Homosexuality in Motion Pictures.
g. Lesbians’ Writings

Within the Literature Resource Center, you can create lists of authors who have written about queer life by using the Authors by Type search, leaving blank the space for Author Name, and for Theme choosing: Gender confusion, Homosexuality, Lesbianism, Sexual Identity

Literature Resource Center
Within the Literature Resource Center, you can create lists of authors who have written about queer life by using the Authors by Type search, leaving blank the space for Author Name, and for Theme choosing: Gender confusion, Homosexuality, Lesbianism, Sexual Identity

Use websites for government information, statistics and current events. It's very important to carefully evaluate websites for accuracy, currency, bias and credibility.

New York Public Library Research Guides: Gay and Lesbian Studies. Selected Internet Sites. http://www.nypl.org/research/chss/grd/resguides/gay/gay.cfm An excellent guide to about 100 websites, organized by category: History, Law, Gay Rights, Archives and Collections, etc. A description is given for each site.

GLBT Historical Society. http://www.glbthistory.org/ The GLBT Historical Society, located in San Francisco , collects primary source materials. Their collections are open to the public – check website for hours. Online search tools may help your determine what materials they have for your topic.

glbtq: an Encyclopedia of Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender, & Queer Culture. http://www.glbtq.com/ An online encyclopedia edited by two emeriti professors of queer studies.

Human Rights Campaign. http://www.hrc.org/ HRC advocates for queer rights. Their site includes information about current state laws, as well as pending legislation and court cases.

National Center for Lesbian Rights. http://www.nclrights.org/ Headquartered in San Francisco, NCLR is a major advocate for legal and civil rights. Their site includes helpful summaries and factsheets on Families, Parenting, Relationship Recognition, and Marriage.

Center for the Study of Sexual Minorities in the Military. http://www.gaymilitary.ucsb.edu/ See the Research Resources page for primary sources directly available in electronic form as well as for links to other web resources. CSSMM is sponsored by UC Santa Barbara.

Freedom to Marry. http://www.freedomtomarry.org/ This website carries the latest news about marriage rights.

List of Gay, Lesbian, or Bisexual People. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_famous_gay,_lesbian_or_bisexual_people Wikipedia, a participatory, online encyclopedia maintains this list of famous people who were (or are) queer.