Saturday, February 20, 2021

The best books on LGBT+ history

Michael Cashman is a British politician and life peer. Born and raised in the East End of London, he acted throughout his childhood and adulthood and is best known for his role as Colin Russell in Eastenders. He is the co-founder of the Stonewall Group and was the UK's first ever special envoy on LGBT issues. He was elected as an MEP in 1999, a position he filled for fifteen years. He has been awarded the Stonewall Politician of the Year, a Pink News Award, and a Lifetime Achievement Award from the European Diversity Awards.

Cashman's memoir is One of Them: From Albert Square to Parliament Square.

At the Guardian he tagged his favorite books on LGBT+ history, including:
[M]y reading list is dominated by love, loss, diversity and friendship – but above all, by themes of identity. The House of Impossible Beauties by Joseph Cassara reminds me of that trip to New York; a place of hope and refuge, where everything was possible as long as you had the rent for the landlord and the wit to survive. And how these boys – some transitioning – survive; the love, camaraderie and support is both uplifting and heartbreaking. Heartbreak – yes, I’m a romantic – is also what we get from Tomasz Jedrowski’s exquisite debut novel, Swimming in the Dark. Set in 1980s Poland, this love story captivates and is so beautifully written I return to it again and again.
Read about another entry on the list.

--Marshal Zeringue