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DID YOU KNOW?
The Violet Quill Authors Group
The Violet Quill was an informal group of gay authors of fiction mostly resident in New York City formed in 1980. Their purpose was to act as an interest and support group for each other with the hope of reflecting the uniqueness of the LGBTQ community and improving the profile and respect of the American community's output of literature. At the time, there were few role models for the average LGBTQ individual to help with self-perception and confidence, so a group such as this had the opportunity to make an impact by telling the stories of every-day gay men. Occurring after the Stonewall Riots and before the AIDS epidemic devastated the community, the Violet Quill has been viewed retrospectively as the beginning of America's organized gay literary culture.
Through their literary output, this group became a central focus for the views, criticisms, principles and prejudices of their generation of gay men. In their early work, the members of the Violet Quill reflected the growing confidence of the gay liberation movement. They moved the portrayal of the gay man in literature from that of a lonely outsider to that of a community participant, agitator, activist and relevant member of society. In doing so, these writers indirectly altered LGBTQ life by legitimizing and motivating the community to be confident and active.
The onset of AIDS would alter this. This devastating disease became the central focus of the LGBTQ community, and this group of writers would portray the distress of many. Indeed, four of the original members of the Violet Quill would themselves die of the disease.
The seven original members of the group were Christopher Cox, Michael Grumley, Andrew Holleran, Felice Picano, Edmund White and George Whitmore. Several other notable authors can be considered 'honourary' members of the group because their work also reflected some of this period of history, including Armistead Maupin, Larry Kramer, David Leavitt and Britain's Alan Hollinghurst (the first gay author to win the prestigious Booker Prize for Literature).
Although it is challenging to attribute the maturation of the literary output of the LGBTQ community entirely to the Violet Quill, they remain fascinating as a group and reflect a vibrant and prolific time in the community's history, worthy of respect and knowing. To read more and see the complete list, click here
Directory of past 'Did You Know?' Articles See Here
The goal of QueerBio.com is to be the definitive online biographical reference source for the international LGBTQ community. Its database lists over 15,000 contemporary and historical figures who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, two-spirit, or gender fluid (LGBTQ) and includes artists, sports figures, politicians, entertainers, business leaders, academics, activists, and more. The database is widely international in scope and is an ideal source for research and analysis with full search and sort functionality.
The mission is to inspire, educate, and motivate all generations of LGBTQ individuals and others through a collective knowledge of this international community.
Managing Editors: Mark S. Bonham, Connie Bonello, Gordon Dunbar
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To search for an individual from the database of over 15,000 biographies, simply type the name in the Search Box located in the top right hand corner of this Home Page and click on GO. Similarly, you can search for a common characteristic such as Country, City, Nobel Prize winners, writers, and so on.
Alternatively, you can view and scroll through the entire list of biographies by viewing the All Biographies section.
Announcing Our New Documentary Project - Being Different: 101 Global LGBTQ Individuals Who Changed the World
Despite adversity and discrimination, LGBTQ individuals have excelled throughout history. Yet historians and academics have conveniently participated in the heterosexist erasure of these LGBTQ contributions by omitting the LGBTQ status of prominent historical figures from academic and historical documents. Accordingly, there are relatively few comprehensive projects which document and showcase the influence of these LGBTQ efforts.
Being Different: 101 Global LGBTQ Individuals Who Changed The World will be an original documentary outlining the contributions that members of the LGBTQ community have made, individually and collectively, to changing the world.
We are now Crowdfunding to get this project off the ground. We would love to have you as part of our team. You can help us and SUPPORT THIS PROJECT!
SEE THE TRAILER, READ MORE AND CROWDFUND HERE
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Bonham Centre Awards Gala
Annual Awards established in 2007 to recognize individuals or groups that have made a significant contribution to the advancement and education of human rights issues surrounding sexual education. Click here to find out more about the Bonham Centre Awards, past recipients, and present nominees.
Books Available From QueerBio.Com
A Path to Diversity: LGBTQ Participation in the Working World (Mark S. Bonham, 2017) investigates the current state of employment markets around the world for the LGBTQ community. Included is a discussion of equality in the workplace and why it is important to both the employer and employee, the wage gap, which professions are attractive to LGBTQ individuals and why, and the role of unions and government legislation. A survey of seventy five professions provides a status report for each, and seventy two biographies of influential LGBTQ professionals from around the world is included. 242 pages
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READ MORE AND PURCHASE THE U.S. KINDLE COPY HERE OR THE CANADIAN KINDLE COPY HERE
Notables: 101 Global LBGTQ People Who Changed the World (Mark S. Bonham, 2015) reveals a group of select global Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer (LGBTQ) individuals whose accomplishments in their profession changed the world in some relevant way. Included are founders of various social movements, innovators in sports, leaders in business and politics, explorers and discoverers, instigators in religious movements, thinkers in philosophy, infamous villains, creators of new academic fields of study, and risk takers in the arts, culture, and entertainment worlds. 212 pages.
READ MORE AND PURCHASE THE PRINT COPY HERE
READ MORE AND PURCHASE THE U.S KINDLE COPY HERE OR THE CANADIAN KINDLE COPY HERE
Champions: Biographies of Global LGBTQ Pioneers (Mark S. Bonham, 2014) reveals a group of select artists, writers, politicians, lawyers, sports figures, activists, and religious figures from around the world who have helped shape the history of the LGBTQ community. Presented in a convenient notebook format. 114 pages.
READ MORE AND PURCHASE THE PRINT COPY HERE
Order for yourself, and the books also make an ideal gift for friends and family while supporting the development of QueerBio.Com
