Why is telling life stories about LGBTQ+ people so important?

My PhD research 

How often do you see queer representation in the books you read? The LGBTQ+ community is vibrant and diverse, and every aspect of it should be included, represented, and made visible in the media we consume. My PhD research looks at why telling life stories of LGBTQ+ people is so important, looking at whose lives are represented in the books we read and how they are represented. This research project uses the example of queer collective biographies: collections of short biographies of LGBTQ+ people from across the world, past and present. This research is an interdisciplinary project which brings together human geography, literary studies, and sexuality studies to ask how we talk about LGBTQ+ people in non-fiction books, whose stories we tell, and why this is important for LGBTQ+ representation and education. 

Based on geographical theory (Anderson, 2015; Hones, 2008) which sees the book not just as an object, but a network of connections between different components, I am interested in three key research questions: [1] Who is involved in the creation and circulation of queer books for example authors, illustrators, editors, publishers, bookshops, and librarians? [2] How do we write about LGBTQ+ people in non-fiction books, what language is used, and who is included or excluded? and [3] What messages do queer books send to audiences about LGBTQ+ people and how can we use biographies of LGBTQ+ people for representation and education?

Why is this important to study?

Books are incredibly important resources for children, young people, and adults alike. Books with LGBTQ+ characters, storylines, and themes are a valuable, educational, and affirming tool for everyone. Queer books allow queer people to see themselves reflected in the books they read, shaping their understandings of their own identity and encouraging them to feel affirmed in their identity and feel a sense of comfort, community and belonging. Meanwhile, they also encourage all readers, regardless of their own gender and sexuality, to learn about LGBTQ+ people and understand the realities of the world around them. 

Books about LGBTQ+ lives are therefore important educational tools to teach people about topics around gender identity and sexuality and to encourage people to explore the rich and diverse LGBTQ+ history. The queer collective biographies in this project also have a focus on celebration, highlighting the achievements of LGBTQ+ past and present, empowering audiences, and showing that anything is possible. My research aims to show how important it is to tell the stories of LGBTQ+ people, past and present, and the importance of taking care in whose stories we tell and the language we use to talk about queer people.  

What have I done so far?

My research project has involved three stages of data collection. The first stage of my research was textual and visual analysis of eight queer collective biographies, for example, Queer Power! by Dom&Ink, 365 Gays of the Year by Lewis Laney, and Rainbow Revolutionaries by Sarah Prager. This involved looking at what types of people are included or excluded, for example, which part of the world they were born and lived in, and whether they are historical or contemporary figures. I also looked at the language used to talk about LGBTQ+ people, and its potential impact, as lots of celebratory language such as superheroes and icons are used across the books. 

Next, I completed two stages of semi-structured interviews. The first was creator interviews with people involved in the creation of the books including authors, illustrators, editors, and publishers to find out their aims and motivations of writing about queer lives, the process of publication, and what impact they wanted their books to have on their audience. I also interviewed people involved in the circulation of the books including LGBTQ+ bookshop owners and librarians to find out why LGBTQ+ books are so important and impactful. The second set of interviews were reader interviews with LGBTQ+ people in or with connections to the South West of England. These used pages of the books to reflect on the way we talk about queer lives and to discuss their own experiences of their queerness, and LGBTQ+ representation and education.

What next?

Once my analysis is complete, findings from my data collection will be used to write my PhD thesis and I hope to share my findings in journal articles and conference presentations. My research findings will also be shared with all the participants of my research project in a summary report. After my PhD, I am keen to get involved with the important and valuable work LGBTQ+ charity organisations do or to continue researching LGBTQ+ lives from a human geography perspective. 

Studying human geography for my undergraduate and Masters degree before my PhD has given me the opportunity to explore critical global issues around so many facets of our culture, politics, and society. Human geography is perfectly placed to do interdisciplinary research that gives an insight into the lived experience of LGBTQ+ people using a range of creative methodologies and has connections with a huge diversity of different disciplines, for example, literary studies and sexuality studies as exemplified in my PhD research. 

Further reading: 

Anderson, J. (2015). Literary Geographies "Towards an Assemblage Approach to Literary Geography." Literary Geographies, 1(2), 120–137.

Hones, S. (2008). Text as it happens: Literary geography. Geography Compass, 2(5), 1301–1317.