Brooklyn Public Library is open to all and welcomes visitors of all gender identities/expressions and orientations. We have print and digital resources about LGBTQ+ lives, stories, and issues. Gendered and all-gender restrooms are available, and access to a restroom that matches your gender identity is a protected right in New York.
The LGBTQ+ community is diverse and not everyone may use the same words to describe themselves; as language and society changes, so too may these terms. To find more ways that people might identify themselves, you can visit The Trevor Project, The Safe Zone Project, or GLAAD. Here is a brief, simplified list of some of the many terms you might encounter in books, media, and in conversation:
- Asexual/Ace: Someone who experiences little to no attraction to others.
- Bisexual: Someone who is attracted to more than one gender.
- Biphobia: Negative attitudes about people who are bisexual that may be expressed through laws or interpersonal acts, may involve verbal or physical violence.
- Cisgender: Someone whose gender identity aligns with the sex they were assigned at birth.
- Drag: A type of performance or look that is dramatic and fancy, generally performed by those in the LGBTQ+ community.
- Femme: A self-identifying term for a feminine person of any gender.
- Gay: A man who is attracted to other men, or someone who is attracted to the same gender.
- Homophobia: Negative attitudes about gays and lesbians that may be expressed through laws or interpersonal acts, may involve verbal or physical violence.
- Intersex: Someone born with chromosomes and/or anatomy that can't be classified as typically male or female.
- LGBTQ+: Stands for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans, Two-Spirit, Queer, Questioning, Intersex, Asexual/Agender, and other genders and orientations.
- Lesbian: A woman who is attracted to other women.
- Masc: A self-identifying term for a masculine person of any gender.
- Mx.: A gender neutral title that can be used instead of Mr. or Ms., pronounced “mix.”
- Nonbinary: A person who may have no gender or are a mix of genders.
- Queer: An umbrella term that some people use to denote their gender or orientation, a formerly pejorative term that some have reclaimed.
- Trans/Transgender: Someone whose gender identity and sex assigned at birth do not correspond.
- Transphobia: Negative attitudes about transgender people that may be expressed through laws or interpersonal acts, may involve verbal or physical violence.
Upcoming Events
LGBTQ+ Book Discussion: Paul Takes the Form of a Mortal Girl by Andrea Lawlor
Looking to meet other LGBTQ+ folks? We meet the first Tuesday of every month to discuss an LGBTQ+ work. For April, Paul Takes the Form of a Mortal Girl, by Andrea Lawlor. In the irreverent pages of this novel, a shapeshifter in 1993 gets a crash course in gender and sexuality by inhabiting both…
Teen Time: GSA and Mother's Day craft!
Join us for our Gay/Straight Alliance Meetup!Come one, come all to the Game Room upstairs in the Teen Mezzanine. We will provide a space for open topics expressing appreciations and concerns related to the LGBTQ+ community while we munch on snacks and paint!
We will waterpaint…
LEAP’s LGBTQ+ Teen Cultural Competency Workshop: Become A Better Ally!
In this workshop we will learn how to support our LGBTQ+ peers, family members, and friends.
CAMBA's Project LEAP (LGBTQ+ Education and Acceptance Project) offers services including support groups for parents and families, and educational workshops for parents, community members, educators…
Community Singing Event
Join us for our Community Songshare singing circle at the Brooklyn Heights Library!
We will come together and share songs with each other that are relatively short, and easy to teach via call and response. Please consider coming with a song you might like to share! Our facilitator will…
Teen DIY: Pride Flags
Drop into our monthly teen DIY classes to learn a new craft or skill!
This month we're celebrating Pride!
Paint your own pride flag - be it for yourself or to show your an ally!
Plus we will have snacks, music & a safe space to be yourself. This class is for ages 12-…
Teen Time: GSA and crafting!
Join us for our Gay/Straight Alliance Meetup!Come one, come all to the Game Room upstairs in the Teen Mezzanine. We will provide a space for open topics expressing appreciations and concerns related to the LGBTQ+ community while we munch on snacks and paint!
GSAs provide a…
Early Childhood Educator Series: Gender Diversity in Early Childhood Development (CTLE-1)
Participants will review the process of gender development beginning in early childhood, understand the role of culture and societal messages in shaping gender development, and learn best practices to support healthy gender development in all children.
Facilitated by the Ackerman…
Movie Matinee: The Gospel According to Andre
Adult Librarian Donald Peebles (Saratoga) will facilitate Movie Matinee programs in commemoration of Spring 2025.
The feature presentation will be the docuentary THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO ANDRE (2017, 93 minutes). It stars Andre Leon Talley, Anna Winotur, Tom Ford, Tamron Hall, Fran Lebowitz…
Teen Graphic Novel Book Club: Becoming Who We Are
Join BKLYN librarian Jessi G's monthly virtual book club for teens. We will read and talk about graphic novels, both fiction and non-fiction. For our June meeting in celebration of Pride Month, we'll discuss Becoming Who We Are: : real stories about growing up trans by Sammy Lisel.…
Movie Matinee: Paris Is Burning
Adult Librarian Donald Peebles (Saratoga) will facilitate Movie Matinee programs in commemoration of Spring 2025.
The feature presentation will be the documentary PARIS IS BURNING (1990, 78 minutes). It is directed by Jennie Livingston. It stars Dorian Corey, Pepper LeBeija, Junior LeBeija…
Staff Picks
- Gay Dads
- Queer and Trans-Inclusive Magic Schools
