Pride and Persistence

Discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity touches many people every day. This book turns to individuals who have pushed back against it, sometimes for their own sake and sometimes for people they love. Some confronted injustice head-on, while others simply chose to live openly as themselves.

Susan Ursel took her fight over queer-inclusive books in school libraries all the way to the Supreme Court of Canada. Sparkle Wilson organizes a San Francisco internship program that gives LGBTQ+ young people chances to develop practical skills and self-assurance. Itzayana Gutiérrez Arillo came to love queer tango and found a community of dancers spread across the world.

Taken together, these accounts show that anyone can help make the world safer, kinder, and more welcoming.