Back To the Main SiteA Gender Agenda on LibraryThing
Currently we’re working hard on getting some kind of physical premises where we can open our Gender Library. We have now spent all the money from the grant, and so there are several boxes of books in my lounge room right now. The sex and gender diverse community has donated a spectacular number of books to this project, and we are immensely grateful for everyone’s support!
Setting up a library is quite a lot of work! Even though we don’t have a premises, and so wont be loaning the books out for some time, there are still plenty of tasks to keep me occupied. I need to input each books information into our library software, cover each book so that it doesn’t get damaged, and put stickers on the ones that are not for loan, and warning labels on heinous titles like ‘The Transsexual Empire’ by Janice Raymond.
Tonight I created a LibraryThing account for the Gender Library, so that I could access their nifty ‘recommendations’ feature, and reviews of some of the books I haven’t read, so that I could put appropriate information into our software.
There are currently 117 books listed, which is by no means all of the books we have. We also have a number of pamphlets, zines, and magazines that are published by small community groups, and so do not have ISBN’s, and we have DVD’s, and a few Aussie books that just weren’t listed in the US Databases. Not to mention the books we purchased from Melbourne which I still need to collect!
Anyway, if you would like to have a look through the books listed, this is our Profile, and this is our list of books. Feel free to make recommendations of titles, or let me know if there is a book in the collection that I should put a ‘Warning: Transphobic Content” label on!
Gender Library Update
A Gender Agenda has been very busy over the last few months. Even though we’ve not been updating the website much, plenty has been happening. We’ve held a fundraiser, continued lobbying the ACT Government for legislative change, provided free training for a group of local volunteers, supported student politics, and generally been out in the world, trying our hands at new things.
I think one of the most exciting new idea’s that we’ve had, has been the AGA Gender Library. The rationale behind the project, is that here in Canberra we don’t have a queer focussed bookshop, and none of the local LGBT Organisations have any trans employees, or information for or by trans/genderqueer or intersex people. This means that there is a dearth of information for sex and gender diverse people, and for those people who wish to educate themselves, and become more knowledgeable supporters of the sex and gender diverse individuals in Canberra. We thought that if we could collect enough of that material, we could provide a social and informational hub where people can gather to learn and talk about the myriad of issues that face the sex and gender diverse community both locally, and further afield.
A few months ago we sent out requests for book donations, and titles of books that people thought we should purchase, and since then we’ve been accumulating a stock pile of literature, films, and resources for transgendered, intersex, genderqueer, and other sex and gender diverse people. I currently have two big boxes of books in my lounge room, that have been donated by people from all over the country. The Bookshop Darlinghurst was kind enough to give us a 10% discount on the books we purchased from them, and an organisation in the USA refunded us the cost of our shipping when they heard what the books were for.
The public support of this project has been absolutely phenomenal. We’re currently looking for some kind of physical space where we can set up our library, and we’re hoping to have everything good to go so that our grand opening can coincide with Gender Diversity Day 2010.
A Gender Library Request
A Gender Agenda is opening a Gender Library at some point in the next few months. We have a grant to purchase books for the library, and do have a preliminary list of books we want, which is about 140 books long! Obviously, we can’t buy all of those. We can probably buy between 30-50 books, depending on the price of the books.
So we have two requests:
1. If you have a book (or multiple books) that you would like to donate to the library, what is it? (So we don’t buy it, and double up)
2. If there is a book (or multiple books) that you think that no self-respecting trans-positive book collection should be without, what is it?
These are the sorts of things that we are looking for:
- Non-fiction: Biographies, anthologies, self help, post-modern gender analysis, trans-positive medical information (medical stuff needs to be no older than 5-10 years), feminist classics, histories, political and activist writings, sociology, information for friends, partners, parents and children.
- Photography: Loren Cameron, Del La Grace Volcano, and other books of photographs of trans people, or by trans people
- Films: Documentaries, and movies starring trans people or transy characters. Can be either motion picture, or animations. (Including *trans-positive only* erotica) We are also looking for movies for children.
- Fiction: Stories that star trans people, stories by trans people, stories that have minor trans characters that are positively represented, (Including *trans-positive only* erotica). Also fantasy and science fiction books where an alternative gender system is represented.
- Childrens picture books: Everything from picture books about trans kids, or trans parents, to picture books with transy themes.
- Novels for kids and teens: Anything that has gender crossing as a major theme, regardless of whether an adult might think the character is ‘trans enough’. Only positive representations though – nothing where the transy character gets killed/raped/beaten/publicly humiliated for being transy.
If you can think of any authors or producers of trans media that might be willing to donate something to the library, please let me know so that I can contact them. :) We will be marking any media that is donated which is good advertising for writers and indie film makers.
If you wish to make a donation of a book or some cash to help us buy a book, keep in mind that A Gender Agenda is a Health Promotion Charity, so donations are tax deductable. We will value book donations at 50% of the RRP of a book in reasonable condition.
So if you wish to make a donation we need to know:
1. Whether and how you would like to be acknowledged in the book you donated
2. Whether and in what name you would like your tax deduction receipt to be provided.
Contact me on the email address webmaster@agenderagenda.org.au if you would like details as to where to send the donation, or would like to arrange a meeting to give it to me in person.
NOTE: Blatantly transphobic media of any kind will not be accepted, including but not limited to ‘The Transsexual Empire’ and other writing by Janice Raymond, Sheila Jeffreys, etc, medical/psychiatric information by Zucker, Bailey, Blanchard or John Money, films such as ‘Psycho’ or ‘Silence of the Lambs’ etc.
Books and papers critiquing the work of famous transphobes are welcome.
So then! What books and films do YOU think we should purchase?
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