It’s the new year! What are you reading for 2017? If you’re like us, and always looking for good LGBTQ books, why not sign up for the Queer Library?
Run by the Change Project and the brainchild of Change Project founder Steven Romeo, the Queer Library is the new online exclusive home for LGBTQ literature that was launched last November.
LGBTQ books you want, all the time
With 600 books and growing, this library is all about books that were written by an LGBTQ author or has LGBTQ content. The books have different genres, from mystery to young adult.
Jennifer Collins, the library curator, said their library will be helpful for people from all walks of life– but especially for one particular demographic at the center.
“You have some people that are still very marginalized who may be that one person that looks online and somebody has directed them to the Queer Library. Someone who has not come out yet, someone who is afraid in their own hometown,” Collins said.
These books are sent to those who’ve signed up for the service in plain packaging to ensure their privacy. This is because some of them are still aren’t out of the closet or live in places where being LGBTQ isn’t accepted, like in Alabama.
“In Alabama, it’s kind of like, you know how you have food deserts? We have an LGBT desert because there’s not a lot of resources and information and books and literature,” said Joshua Glenn.
Glenn, who grew up in a conservative, Christian household in Alabama, noted that because he felt isolated by his sexuality as a young man, available LGBTQ literature could have helped him better understand what he was going through.
“But I think it would also help parents, or family members or people who need to understand, whether they’re teachers or whatever the case may be, he added.
Sending and receiving LGBTQ books
With all the books available in this library, how do you sign up for this service? Essentially, it’s like a library where you can choose a book and have it sent to you.
After reading it, you have to return it. Likewise, it’s a paid service though one choice is via their “Just Pay Shipping” monthly subscription of $7 for one book a month.
“You have the option of spending seven dollars a month to receive one book in the mail that you get for 28 days,” Romeo explained.
“The library will automatically notify you when the book is due or ready to be put back in the mail. If you don’t put it back in the mail, we won’t ship you another book,” he added.
If you want to read more, you can go up to $14 a month to check out two books. You can cancel your subscription service any time just as long as you don’t have any late fees or damage fines– just like a regular library.
What’s more, your membership is tax-deductible.
For more information, check out their website here.