The following post is a joint effort by Liah Caravalho (keynote event text) and Jennifer Davis (collections text).
In commemoration of the 1969 riots at the Stonewall Inn in New York City, June is Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) Pride Month in the United States. In 2000 President Clinton issued the first proclamation recognizing June as Gay and Lesbian Pride Month. Beginning in 2009, President Obama has issued an annual proclamation recognizing June as Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Pride Month. Many legal changes for the LGBT community have been made since police raided the Stonewall Inn forty-seven years ago; however, continuing LGBT civil and equality rights issues loom large in the national conversation today. Not only are broad changes occurring in American culture and law, but there are also changes throughout the world.
Checking in on our collections is a good way to track legal changes. Studying these new volumes will help scholars determine how the law treats members of the LGBT community and to see what provisions are made for their families under the law, particularly children. As the President has stated, “…we are also reminded that we are not truly equal until every person is afforded the same rights and opportunities…”
Our blog readers are also invited to the Library of Congress’s LGBT Pride Month keynote event, “Love Wins,” at 1 pm on Wednesday, June 29, which will feature Jim Obergefell, the plaintiff in the landmark marriage equality case Obergefell v. Hodges. Mr. Obergefell will discuss his new book that he co-authored with journalist Debbie Cenziper, which recounts the marriage equality case and the stories of the individuals that were involved. Law Librarian of Congress Roberta I. Shaffer will provide introductory remarks. The event is free and open to the public; no tickets are required.
The Law Library’s collection includes many titles on this topic, most concentrating on the law of a particular jurisdiction or having a focus on family law in relation to LGBT individuals and families. Following are a few of our newer or more unique titles:
• K670.B58 2015 Blair, D. Marianne Brower, 1952- Family law in the world community : cases, materials, and problems in comparative and international family law. 3rd ed.
• KF479.C465 2015 Children, sexuality, and the law.
• KKW2467.G38 D76 2015 Droits des gays et lesbiennes en Suisse. German. LGBT-Recht : Rechte der Lesben, Schwulen, Bisexuellen und Transgender in der Schweiz : eingetragene Partnerschaft, faktische Lebensgemeinschaft, Rechtsfragen zur sexuellen Orientierung und Geschlechtsidentität.
• KQC575.5 G39 L39 2014 Laws on homosexuality in African nations.
• K700.A6 H66 2012 Homoparentalité : approche comparative.
• KD771.F76 2015 From civil partnerships to same-sex marriage : interdisciplinary reflections.
• K699.A94 2015 After legal equality : family, sex, kinship.
• K3242.3 2016 Asal, Victor. Legal path dependence and the long arm of the religious state : sodomy provisions and gay rights across nations and over time.
• KJE1159.K74 2015 Krešić, Boris. Zajednice života osoba istog spola u pravu zemalja Evropske unije.
• KHD521.P478 2015 Pertel, Adriana Maria dos Santos. Adoção monoparental por casais homoafetivos : efeitos à luz dos direitos fundamentais.
• KJC5114.F36 2015 La famiglia omogenitoriale in Europa : diritti di cittadinanza e libera circolazione.
• KHD521.F54 2015 Figueirêdo, Luiz Carlos de Barros. Adoção para homossexuais. 2a edição.