As June commences, so too does the anticipation for Pride Month. For many, this time of year is filled with festivals, parades, and celebrations in which members of the LGBTQ+ community can convene and express themselves. However, many others are not necessarily afforded access or proximity to such festivities. In these situations, how can people still celebrate this historic month?
As an ally who lives quite far from any major city, I’ve often turned to literature and writing as a form of participation. Whether it be reading about queer history, engaging with queer authors, or using the month as a basis for my own writing, I have managed to hear many voices and give shape to my own. Therefore, to bring in another Pride Month, I would like to share a few texts that helped me better appreciate this exciting time of year—and may help you as well!
Connecting to a key historical component of Pride Month, The Stonewall Reader is an anthology that provides a selection of firsthand accounts and articles from both before and after the Stonewall uprising in 1969. As someone who didn’t know much about the event beyond its basic facts until fairly recently, this book was an eye-opening read that helped me contextualize it in terms of who was involved and what drove them to resist in the way they did.
Hugh Ryan’s When Brooklyn Was Queer is also a fantastic deep dive into New York’s queer history, from the city’s development in the 1850s all the way to up to present day. Although the text is very specific in its focus and filled with several vivid anecdotes, I found the narrative to be microcosmic of several aspects of queer history—namely, how people in the community find ways to carve out spaces for themselves, regardless of the precarious circumstances they may find themselves in.
I recently had the pleasure of reading L. D. Lewis’ newest novel, Year of the Mer, which is a retelling of “The Little Mermaid” with a central sapphic relationship. Lewis’s novel explores both the power of the protagonists’ bond as well as how generational trauma, social expectations, and changing times can drive a wedge between such relationships. I found the book to be a great piece of representation as well as a timely reflection of our current era.
Finally, I want to emphasize that apart from reading, writing continues to be an excellent and accessible form of expression and activism for this cause. Even if you cannot attend in-person events, channeling your voice through prose, poetry, or any other genre can be a liberating, cathartic, and useful experience for yourself and others. So I would encourage you to get out there in any way you can this coming month: present at your nearest open mic, post to a blog, or simply journal about how Pride Month matters to you. More than ever, we need people championing these causes through their creativity. There’s no reason why that can’t be you!
Isaiah Russell
Senior Student Advisor, 2026-2028
Rho Psi Chapter President
Fort Hays State University, Hays, KS
Sigma Tau Delta
Sigma Tau Delta, International English Honor Society, was founded in 1924 at Dakota Wesleyan University. The Society strives to
- Confer distinction for high achievement in English language and literature in undergraduate, graduate, and professional studies;
- Provide, through its local chapters, cultural stimulation on college campuses and promote interest in literature and the English language in surrounding communities;
- Foster all aspects of the discipline of English, including literature, language, and writing;
- Promote exemplary character and good fellowship among its members;
- Exhibit high standards of academic excellence; and
- Serve society by fostering literacy.
With over 900 active chapters located in the United States and abroad, there are more than 1,000 Faculty Advisors, and approximately 9,000 members inducted annually.
Sigma Tau Delta also recognizes the accomplishments of professional writers who have contributed to the fields of language and literature.
