Book Review: 50 LGBTQI+ who changed the world

This is a really fun beginner’s guide to being a good ally. It covers the basics of the ‘who’s who’ in the lgbtq+ scene and a quick layman’s explanation of Queer history. I wouldn’t say that it was fully academically minded. It is, after all, a book that is clearly marketed to the wider masses, people who might not know where to start. So start here, chaps, it’s a good place to be.

The book covers 50 key figures of Queer history, both living and dead. Figures who are important but also widely recognisable. People like Alan Turing, RuPaul and David Hockney, key figures whose contribution to not just queer history but the history of the wider human race is groundbreaking.

It’s not a book that romanticises its history as it is often cruel, petty, fraught with misinformation and humiliation. In fact, it exposes the prejudice that many queer icons and activists have faced over the past 100 years. I’m pretty sure I tried very very hard not to cry on the morning commute when reading Turing’s story. I failed. Miserably. I blamed hayfever.

I think the purpose of this book isn’t so much to educate, but instead to inspire and invoke curiosity about the people involved. Perhaps if you read this book, you may pick up a biography on Turing or even do a deep dive into the semantics of the AIDS crisis, read more about the Stonewall riots and learn about other key figures who fought hard for the rights which several queer people enjoy today. My main takeaway is that Queer, LGBTIA+ rights are nearly always at risk. As allies is our job, whether Queer or not, to understand, empathise and help fight to keep these rights in place. There is also a handy list of resources at the back of the book. So well worth the read.