#PrideLivesHere at TBPL

It’s Pride Month in Thunder Bay, and as always, the Thunder Bay Public Library will be taking part. Like so many other organizations, we have moved our programming online and hope you will join us there. You can find details about our programs on the TBPL Facebook page under Events or our online calendar at http://www.tbpl.ca/.

Visit cloudLibrary, your source for TBPL ebooks, to find two featured shelves: June is Pride Month (adult titles) and June is Pride Month for Teens. The authors included here are members of the LGBTQ community, but that does not mean their books are similar in content or theme. Browse through everything from literary fiction to light beach reads to memoirs and pick a new title to try from amongst the bestsellers, award winners and nominees, and exciting debuts. To get started with Library ebooks, email coaches@tbpl.ca and we will be happy to help.

On Friday, June 12 at 2pm, join staff member Nicole and myself for Read This Next, a live video discussion and readers’ advisory program for adults and teens. I have been compiling our yearly booklists of Pride Month reads since 2011 and queer literature has evolved considerably since that time. We will talk about these changes, highlight books from the featured CloudLibrary shelves including some that are readalikes for other popular titles, and share our personal favourite LGBTQ reads.

Families are invited to join Miss Patience on Wednesday June 17th for a special Pride Month story time where she will share her favourite LGBTQS+ picture books. Later in the month, TBPL is co-hosting an online story time with drag queens (date TBA – check the TBPL Facebook Events or our website’s online calendar for updates). 

Watch Canadian LGBTQ2+ films on the National Film Board’s webpage at https://www.nfb.ca/ and visit our Facebook Events page for details about a communal online watching experience. Recommended films include Open Secrets, a documentary that uncovers the lost chapter in Canadian military history of how the Armed Forces dealt with homosexual behaviour among soldiers, during and after World War II, and Forbidden Love: the Unashamed Stories of Lesbian Lives, about the rich history of Canadian queer women’s experiences in the mid-20th century. 

While the in-person gatherings for Pride are part of what makes this month so special, there is an advantage to this year’s digital events: you can attend Pride around the world without leaving home! We have collected information about global Pride events and programming on our website – visit http://www.tbpl.ca/onlineactivities and look for the Pride Month category.  You’ll find links to global, Toronto, NYC, and other events, along with family-friendly programs and more. 

#PrideLivesHere at TBPL. We hope you enjoy our digital programming and don’t worry if you can’t join us live – all video programs will be archived on our Facebook Videos section and on our TBPL YouTube channel for later viewing. Happy Pride!