LGBT+ Resources

Search Strategies

Booth Library uses Library of Congress headings to organize material by subject. When you complete a search you might notice that the entry for your book has a lot of "Topics". For example, the details for the Historical Dictionary of Lesbian Literature contains a long list of subjects the book is about. 

The headings in the list above are all Library of Congress subject headings, and because they are standardized, they collect works of like subject. Every book we own that is about Lesbian Authors is assigned that same subject heading, so following that link would bring up item in the catalog with that heading. 

Some Example Headings might be

• Bisexual Students
• Intersexuality
• Gay Parents
• Heterosexism
• Transgender
• Sexual Minorities
• Sexual Orientation
• Lesbian Youth

And many more! It is worth noting that because these are standardized terms, they may not reflect the most current, common or correct term, especially in regards to transgender individuals. Many older works may use the heading "transsexual", or "sex change" alone, and not the new standards of Transgender and Gender-affirming surgery which many newer works would have. 

Searching the Catalog

To begin a search, head to this link for the Library Catalog, you will need to log in to access materials, make sure you have created a library account connected to your Library number on your Panther Card.

Try searching for your topic using several different key phrases attached. Using different keywords, or changing from "keyword" to subject searches can often bring up different results. But a keyword search should look something like this.

Let's say you don't find enough results! In the screenshot below, notice the option on the right side of the search bar.

Our original search was to the EIU library catalog. But you can search and request books from any school within I-Share, the library collective of Illinois universities.

If you haven't found what you want, or if the perfect book is already checked out, expand your search by selecting "All I-Share Libraries." 

Select Titles from the Catalog

Additional Recommendations

LGBT+ Subject headings

A
Abused gay men
Abused lesbians
African American bisexual men
African American gay men
African American gays
African American lesbians
AIDS (Disease)
Asexual people
Asexuality (Sexual orientation)
Asian American gays

B
Bears (Gay culture) 
Bible - Gay interpretations 
Bisexual librarians 
Bisexual men 
Bisexual students 
Bisexual women 
Bisexual youth 
Bisexuality 
Bisexuality in literature 
Bisexuality in motion pictures 
Bisexuality on television 
Bisexuals 
Bisexuals' writings  

C
Children of gay parents 
Children of sexual minority parents 
Christian ethics 
Christian gay men 
Christian gays 
Church work with gays (can sub-categorize further by denomination) 
Civil unions 
Closeted gays 
Coming Out (Sexual orientation)  

D 
Drag balls 

F
Female impersonators 
Female-to-male transsexuals

G
Gay activists 
Gay actors 
Gay adoption 
Gay and lesbian dance parties 
Gay and lesbian studies 
Gay artists 
Gay artists in popular culture 
Gay athletes 
Gay authors 
Gay bars 
Gay business enterprises 
Gay college students 
Gay college teachers 
Gay community 
Gay composers 
Gay consumers 
Gay counselors 
Gay couples 
Gay culture 
Gay culture in literature  
Gay discotheques 
Gay erotic art 
Gay erotic films  
Gay fathers 
Gay high school students 
Gay kings and rulers 
Gay labor union members 
Gay liberation movement 
Gay men  
Gay men - Identity 
Gay men - Legal status, laws, etc. 
Gay men - Relations with heterosexual women  
Gay men in literature 
Gay men in motion pictures 
Gay men on television 
Gay men's writings (can sub-categorize by language) 
Gay motion picture actors and actresses 
Gay musicians 
Gay parents 
Gay parents - Legal status, laws, etc. 
Gay politicians 
Gay press 
Gay pride parades 
Gay psychiatrists 
Gay rights 
Gay rights - Religious aspects (can sub-categorize further by denomination) 
Gay sailors 
Gay-straight alliances in schools 
Gay students 
Gay teachers 
Gay teenagers 
Gay theater 
Gay wit and humor 
Gay youth 
Gays 
Gays - Abuse of 
Gays - Attitudes 
Gays - Employment 
Gays - Employment - Law and legislation 
Gays - Identity 
Gays - Legal status, laws, etc. 
Gays - Psychology 
Gays - Social life and customs 
Gays - Violence against 
Gays and the performing arts 
Gays in literature 
Gays in motion pictures 
Gays in popular culture  
Gays in the performing arts 
Gays with disabilities 
Gays' writings  
Gender identity 
Gender identity disorders 
Gender identity disorders in adolescence 
Gender identity disorders in children 
Gender Identity in art 
Gender identity in dance 
Gender identity in education 
Gender identity in literature 
Gender identity in mass media 
Gender identity in motion pictures 
Gender identity in music  

H 
Heterosexism 
Hispanic American gays 
Hispanic American lesbians 
HIV-positive gay men Homophobia 
Homophobia - Press coverage 
Homophobia - Religious aspects (can sub-categorize futher by denomination) 
Homophobia in high schools 
Homophobia in higher education 
Homophobia in literature 
Homophobia in schools 
Homophobia in sports 
Homophobia United States History 
Homosexuality 
Homosexuality - Genetic aspects 
Homosexuality - Religious aspects (can sub-categorize further by denomination) 
Homosexuality America History 
Homosexuality and art 
Homosexuality and dance 
Homosexuality and education 
Homosexuality and literature 
Homosexuality and motion pictures 
Homosexuality and music 
Homosexuality Biblical teaching 
Homosexuality Europe History 
Homosexuality fiction 
Homosexuality government policy 
Homosexuality History (can sub-divide further by century) 
Homosexuality in art 
Homosexuality in dance 
Homosexuality in literature 
Homosexuality in motion pictures 
Homosexuality in music 
Homosexuality in the Bible 
Homosexuality in the workplace 
Homosexuality law and legislation 
Homosexuality on television 
Homosexuality poetry 
Homosexuality social aspects 
Homosexuality, Male, in art 
Homosexuality, Male, in literature  

I
Indian gays
Intersexuality 
Italian American lesbians

J 
Jewish gays 
Jewish lesbians 
Jewish transsexuals

L
Lesbian anthropologists 
Lesbian artists 
Lesbian artists in popular culture 
Lesbian athletes 
Lesbian authors 
Lesbian consumers 
Lesbian couples 
Lesbian culture 
Lesbian librarians 
Lesbian nuns
Lesbian partner abuse 
Lesbian rabbis 
Lesbian students 
Lesbian teachers 
Lesbian teenagers 
Lesbian youth 
Lesbianism 
Lesbianism - Religious aspects (can sub-categorize further by denomination) 
Lesbianism in literature 
Lesbianism in motion pictures 
Lesbians 
Lesbians - Identity 
Lesbians - Legal status, laws 
Lesbians and sports 
Lesbians History 
Lesbians in art 
Lesbians in literature 
Lesbians in mass media 
Lesbians' writings 
Liberation theology 
Libraries and sexual minorities  

M 
Male impersonators 
Mass media and gays 
Mexican American gays 
Mexican American lesbians 
Middle-aged gay men 
Middle-aged gays 
Minority gays 
Mormon gays 
Music by gay composers 
Music by lesbian composers   

O
Older gay men 
Older gays 
Older sexual minorities 
Ordination of gays (can sub-categorize further by denomination) 
Ordination of lesbians (can sub-categorize further by denomination) 
Outing (Sexual orientation)  

P 
Parents of gays 
Parents of Transsexuals 
Prostitution - History 
Prostitution - law and legislation 
Prostitution in literature 
Psychoanalysis and Homosexuality 
Psychology gender, and theory  (Subject Keyword search) 
Puerto Rican lesbians  

Q
Queer theory  

R
Radical Faeries 
Rural gay men 
Rural lesbians  

S
Same-sex divorce 
Same-sex marriage  
Same-sex marriage law and legislation 
Same-sex marriage religious aspects 
Same-sex partner abuse 
Sex (psychology) 
Sex change 
Sex Customs History 
Sex roles 
Sex-oriented businesses 
Sexual behavior 
Sexual ethics 
Sexual minorities 
Sexual minorities in literature 
Sexual minority college students 
Sexual minority students 
Sexual orientation 
Sexual orientation in literature 
Social work with gays 
Social work with lesbians 
Stonewall Riot, New York, N.Y., 1969  

T
Transgender  
Transsexual students 
Transsexual youth 
Transsexualism 
Transsexualism - Religious aspects (can sub-categorize further by denomination) 
Transsexuals 
Transsexuals - Identity 
Transsexuals - Legal status, laws 
Transsexuals in literature 
Transsexuals in motion pictures Transsexuals' writings 
Transvestism 
Transvestism - Religious aspects (can sub-categorize further by denomination) 
Transvestism in art Transvestites 
Transvestites in literature 

  
W 
Women's rights 

Y
Young gay men