Fellow rainbow brigade, feast your eyes on Loud and Proud, an inspirational collection of speeches from the LGBTQIAP+ community and its many allies that will change your life just like the individuals changed the world with their powerful words!
In this wonderful collection, Tea Uglow has accumulated a variety of speeches, the topics ranging from marriage equality to how we define gender and what it means to be an ally. Each speech brings its own kind of power to the table and whether they are uplifting or radical, there’s something to be said about every single one in this book. Pairing each excerpt of a speech with a concise bio and phenomenal illustrations, Tea Uglow has created a visually pleasing and emphatic collection that is as educational as is it easy on the eyes!
What I loved most about this book (beyond the vibrant colours, the quotes that made me want to scream from the rooftops, and the overall love I felt while reading it) was how much it taught me. The author mentions this in the introduction, but there are so many historic moments and speeches in the fight for LGBTQ+ rights that we never learn about in school or elsewhere. Sure, most of us have heard of Stonewall but sometimes by focusing so strongly on this big event, we might overlook that activists have been fighting for equal rights way earlier. I have to confess, living in Germany, I hadn’t heard of any of these earlier activists back in school. None of their names graced our history books or if they did, they conveniently left out that they were part of the LGBTQIAP+ community. As such, this was an especially enlightening read for me and made me hope that people will pick this up, especially when they figure out that a lot of history is left out in history books. From more popular names like Lady Gaga and Laverne Cox to more unknown ones like Harvey Milk and Sally Gearhart, this collection focuses on the hard-hitting parts of the speeches that will make you think and look up the entire speeches on YouTube just to see the pure energy and commitment these people showcase.
While this is an uplifting collection that showcases how far we have come in the fight for LGBTQ+ rights, it also highlights how far we have still to go in many countries. Inspirational and informative, this is the perfect purchase for yourself or your friends who are history nerds! Whether you leisurely flip through the pages or devour the entire collection in one sitting, Loud and Proud will be a timeless read.
Loud and Proud is available from Amazon, Book Depository, and other good book retailers as of May 5th 2020.
Will you be picking up Loud and Proud? Tell us in the comments below!
Synopsis | Goodreads
Loud and Proud is an inspirational collection of speeches from the LGBTQ+ community and its allies that have changed our world, and the conversation.
“Openness may not completely disarm prejudice, but it’s a good place to start.” —Jason Collins, first openly gay athlete in US pro sports
A sister volume to So Here I Am: Speeches by Great Women to Empower and Inspire, this seminal collection places the loud and proud voices of the vibrant LGBTQ+ community center stage. From equal marriage to gender definitions, bullying to parenthood, the issues covered in these speeches touch on all aspects of LGBTQ+ and reflect the diverse and multi-faceted nature of this community.
Experienced public speaker and Creative Director for Google’s Creative Lab Sydney Tea Uglow introduces each speech with a concise bio of the remarkable person who delivered it. Paired with powerful illustrations, the unique personality of each speaker is brought to life. A ribbon keeps your place in the book.
We are stronger when we stand together, and this collection encourages us to do just that and to celebrate the beauty of all our rainbow hues.
The voices: Karl Heinrich Ulrichs; Robert G. Ingersoll; Theodora Ana Sprungli; Bayard Rustin; Franklin “Frank” Kameny; James Baldwin; Marsha P. Johnson; Sally Gearhart; Harvey Milk; Harry Hay; Vito Russo; Mary Fisher; Tammy Baldwin; Paul Martin; Wanda Sykes; Sally Ride; Lady Gaga; Lana Wachowski; Jason Collins; Laverne Cox; Debi Jackson; Lee Mokobe; Janet Mock.
