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Small Town, Big Dreams: Jacob Kelley’s Journey to Spread Queer-Inclusive Sex Education

Posted on October 25, 2023

I grew up in a rural town where being unapologetically bold and beautiful was the mark of a troublemaker. I was raised in an area where being queer or identifying with the LGBTQIA+ community was considered a sin, a bedroom secret never to be talked about. In my reality, it felt more like I should move or disappear in order to please the traditions of a predominantly white, heterosexual, cisgender, Christian, and country mindset.…

Empowerment Through Action: How LGBTQ+ Youth Can Channel Climate Anxiety into Activism

Posted on October 12, 2023

A photo of LGBTQ youth climate activists.

Each week, the ongoing climate crisis brings with it new anxiety-inducing headlines about record-breaking heat waves, unprecedented natural disasters, and species extinctions—not to mention the inability of world leaders to effectively and aggressively address these issues to prevent further harm. Unfortunately, these reports are not only worrisome, they are also starting to cause serious mental health problems.…

Historians of the Queer South: Remembering Florida’s ‘Johns Committee’ with Stacy Braukman

Posted on August 17, 2023

A photo of Stacy Braukman, researcher of the Johns Committee.

“Will someone please find out what the hell is going in Florida? We’ve had enough!” Stacy Braukman and I share a laugh. The question she’s just posed feels all too pertinent. My longtime partner lives part of the year in Florida, and through him, I’ve been getting a front-row seat to the state’s noxious anti-LGBTQ, anti-Black, anti-immigrant, and anti-protest politics.…

Driving LGBTQ+ Voices: How Allies Can and Should Shape Diverse Workplaces

Posted on August 1, 2023

A photo of LGBTQ allies in diverse workplaces.

Workplaces that cherish diversity are more resilient, attract better talent, and routinely outperform their more homogenous competitors. This sentiment is echoed by a recent McKinsey survey, which found that diverse businesses were 25% more likely to record above-average profits than the market average. Concerningly, however, that same McKinsey study found that only 52% of employees viewed diversity in a positive light, while 61% had a thoroughly negative view of initiatives to improve inclusion in the workplace. As an ally, there’s plenty you…

Historians of the Queer South: Queering the Florida Panhandle with Historian Jerry Watkins

Posted on July 14, 2023

“My office is the gayest place on campus,” declares Professor Jerry T. Watkins III with a grin. He’s not kidding. In the background behind him, I can see through my Zoom screen, the wall sports an LGBTQ pride flag, a poster of a renowned local Virginia queer cultural figure, buttons from the AIDS activist group ACT UP, and various other colorful items testifying to the unapologetic queerness of the office’s sole resident. It’s the kind of environment intended to make a…

A Prayer for Pride: Fighting the Darkness of Prejudice

Posted on June 24, 2023

As a queer of faith and the product of generations of Jewish people who fought to continue to exist and queer brethren who paved the way for me to live openly, I cannot help but continue to pray for one more moment of courage—one more moment of strength in the battle I need to fight.…

Historians of the Queer South: Robert Fieseler Remembers the 1973 Up Stairs Lounge Fire

Posted on June 23, 2023

A photo of Robert Fieseler, a historian of the queer South, with his book Tinderbox.

Fifty years ago this week, a horrifying tragedy struck the New Orleans queer community. On June 24, 1973, an arsonist attacked the Up Stairs Lounge, a French Quarter gay bar, killing 32 people. Until the Pulse massacre in Orlando in 2016, it was the most lethal attack on the LGBTQ community ever perpetrated in the United States. Yet even today, few people have heard of it. Robert Fieseler has done more to change that than nearly anyone.…

On Fatherhood, Identity, and Lost Connections: An Open Letter to My Dad on Father’s Day

Posted on June 16, 2023

A photo of the author with his dad on Father's Day.

June is a hard month for me. It’s a time when the world reminds me that I’m getting older, and the signs of adulthood become more apparent. Suddenly, being in my thirties means taking naps before nights out (also, why go out when you can be in bed by 9:30 p.m.?), turning down the radio in the car to focus, and realizing that “back day” is no longer just an intense workout at the gym but a day dedicated to…

Historians of the Queer South: Jaime Harker’s Lesbian Literary Renaissance

Posted on June 12, 2023

A photo of queer historian of the South Jaime Harker and her book The Lesbian South.

You can tell that Jaime Harker loves her job. I first learned about this scholar of the queer South through her brilliant 2018 study, The Lesbian South: Southern Feminists, the Women in Print Movement, and the Queer Literary Canon. When she’s recounting a tale from the adventurous, unapologetic southern lesbian literary cultures of the 1970s to 1990s that her book documents, her whole face lights up. Her buoyant enthusiasm shines through as she gestures avidly, grinning ear to ear, pumping…

Historians of the Queer South: Announcing a New Spectrum South Series

Posted on June 12, 2023

A photo of books by historians of the queer South.

We know you don’t have time to read every book and listen to every podcast out there. But chances are, you’re curious to know more about our history (and herstory, and theystory). That’s why we’re launching Historians of the Queer South, Spectrum South’s new series of articles profiling the writers and researchers who are helping to tell our stories. Each month, we’ll share a new article highlighting a scholar who we think has made a particularly important contribution to our…

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