LGBT+ Pride Month: Reference Materials

Is your research topic too big to cover in a short paper?  Is your topic so specific that sources will be hard to find?

Before you even begin your research, start the process with reference sources-- in the Library's Reference Section or online in our databases.  Reference books, like subject encyclopedias, can give you a head start and make your research easier in the long run.  Use reference sources to:

• find a topic
• narrow your topic
• find keywords
• get background information on your topic

Still trying to narrow down your research topic? Check out this guide's list of research topics to find more ideas.

These databases allow you to search a wide variety of reference sources, and are excellent for getting started on a topic.

Credo Reference  

Gale eBooks / Gale Virtual Reference Library  

Salem Press

Oxford Reference and Sage Knowledge Reference also have thousands of scholarly, academic articles, but they are a bit more difficult to use.   Click here to find instructions on how to use these collections of reference books.

Or, look in specific reference books, available online and/or physically in the library.

A to Z of Homosexuality

American Countercultures: An Encyclopedia of Nonconformists, Alternative Lifestyles.  Reference HM 647 .A 44 2009

The American LGBTQ rights movement : an introduction

Cambridge Dictionary of Sociology. Reference HM 425 .C36 2006

The Complete Encyclopedia of Signs & Symbols : Identification and Analysis of the Visual Vocabulary that Formulates our Thoughts and Dictates our Reactions to the World around Us.  Reference AZ 108 .C 65 2011

Defining Documents in American History:  LGBTQ (1923 -2018)

Dictionary of Gestures:  Expressive Comportments and Movements in Use Around the World.  General   P 117 .C 713 2018

Drag Dictionary:  An Illustrated Glossary of Fierce Queen Slang.   Reference HQ  73 .D 43 2021

Encyclopaedia Britannica Online.

Encyclopedia of American Social Movements.  Reference  HN 57 .E 594 2004

Encyclopedia of Body Image and Human Appearance. Ref. BF 697.5 .B 631997 2012

Encyclopedia of Gay and Lesbian Popular Culture.   Reference HQ 75.13 .P 76 2008

Encyclopedia of Gender and Society.

Encyclopedia of Gender in Media. Reference P 96.S5 E53 2012

Encyclopedia of Hair: A Cultural History

Encyclopedia of Human Relationships

Encyclopedia of LGBTQIA Portrayals in American Film

Encyclopedia of Life Writing: Autobiographical and Biographical Forms

Encyclopedia of Queer Studies in Education

Encyclopedia of Women and Gender: Sex Similarities and Differences and the Impact of Society on Gender. Reference HQ 1115 .E 52 2001

The Multimedia Encyclopedia of Women in Today's World.

Global Encyclopedia of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer History

Great Events from History : Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender Events, 1848-2006

Great Lives from History:  LGBTQ

Historical Dictionary of the Lesbian and Gay Liberation Movements

International Encyclopedia of Social Policy Reference ; HN18.3 .I58 2010

Keywords in American Cultural Studies.

LGBTQ America Today:  An Encyclopedia.  Reference   HQ  73.3 .U 6 L 43 2009

LGBTQ Events in History.  Reference  HQ 73 .L 438 2017

LGBTQ Stats : Lesbian, Gay, bisexual, Transgender, and Queer People by the Numbers

Notable Writers of LGBTQ+ Literature.   Reference PS 153 .S 39 N 6823 2023

The Oxford Encyclopedia of American Social History.  Reference HN 57 .O 94 2012

Pride:  A Celebration in Quotes

Principles of Sociology:  Group Relationships and Behavior.  Reference HM 716 .P 756 2018

Principles of Sociology:  Personal Relationships and Behavior.  Reference HM 1106 .P 756 2018

Principles of Sociology:  Societal Issues and Behavior.   Reference  HN 18.3 .P 756 2018

The Queen's English:  The LGBTQIA+ Dictionary of LIngo and Colloguial Phrases. 

Queer Cinema in America:  An Encyclopedia

Routledge Encyclopedia of Queer Culture.   Reference  HQ  76.97 .R 68 2011

Sage Dictionary of Cultural Studies.

Sage Encyclopedia of Intercultural Competence.

Sage Encyclopedia of Psychology and Gender

Sage Encyclopedia of Trans Studies

Violence in American Society:  An Encyclopedia  of Trends, Problems, and Perspectives

We did What? Offensive and Inappropriate Behavior in American History.

Wimmin, Wimps, and Wallflowers: An Encyclopedic Dictionary of Gender and Sexual Orientation Bias in the United States.

Women in American History: A Social, Political, and Cultural Encyclopedia and Document Collection

Youth Cultures in America: An Encyclopedia.