SpeakOut: Intersections of LGBTQ Identity and Literature

The LGBTQ Resource Center at the Gulfport Public Library is hosting the fourth in its six-part SpeakOut series with a focus on the “Intersections of LGBTQ Identity and Literature.” This year, multiple school districts in Florida (and elsewhere) have removed a number of books claimed to contain obscene LGBTQ content (e.g., Lawn Boy, Gender Queer, Losing the Girl). Why is LGBTQ literature important? What has – and hasn’t – changed in the stories told by LGBTQ authors, and public reactions to them?

Dr. Stephanie Burt is a renowned poet and Harvard professor whose forthcoming collection “We Are Mermaids” (Oct. 4) is being praised as her best book yet. “We Are Mermaids” examines both real and imagined objects of fascination and desire. It is a trans book, a fangirl book, a book about coming together. Professor Kristen Adams is the William Reece Smith Jr. Distinguished Professor of Law at Stetson Law School. She has authored seven books, including “Law and Poetry: Promises from the Preamble.” She is also the coordinator of Stetson’s Social Justice Advocacy concentration.

Registration is required if you plan to attend via Zoom, and it is kindly requested if you plan to attend on-site. Parking at the Gulfport Library is free, as is the event. This program is funded in part through a Florida Humanities Community Project Grant in partnership with the Gulfport Public Library.