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Queer Library Resources

Welcome!

Image of a rainbow heart pillowWelcome to the Queer Library Resources guide! Consider this your starting point for discovering Library resources related to queer identities and topics, for both self-exploration and research. 

UNC students, staff, and faculty can freely access everything in this guide through the UNC Libraries. Occasionally the guide includes free resources available on the open web.

  • Want to search for materials yourself? This welcome page offers tips on finding materials related to your specific interests.
  • Want suggestions for where to start? The pages on this guide list examples of library materials by genre or format, such as videos, graphic novels, and memoirs. Each page is organized by gender and sex identities, sexual identities, and romantic identities. Click on the letter i next to any title to see what it's about. Click on the title to access the item.
  • Need help using the Libraries? We're here for you! Just look for the help box at the bottom of each page.
  • Looking for something besides library materials? UNC's Gender and Sexuality Resource Center can help you find resources on and off campus.

Finding Materials

The UNC Libraries offers access to a wide variety of resources, and they can't all be listed in this guide. So we suggest searching the UNC Libraries Catalog, Summon, and databases to find materials relevant to your interests. The following is a partial list of keywords relating to queer identities and topics that can help you find books, videos, articles, and more.Word cloud of keywords related to LGBTQIA+ identities and topics

Word cloud of keywords

  • Aromantic, Aro
  • Asexual, Asexuality, Ace
  • Bisexual, Bisexuality, Bi
  • Demiromantic
  • Demisexual, Demisexuality
  • Gay men
  • Gender expression
  • Gender identity
  • Gender nonconformity
  • Intersex
  • Lesbian, Lesbianism
  • LGBT, LGBTQ, LGBTQIA+
  • Nonbinary
  • Pansexual, Pansexuality, Pan
  • Polyamorous, Polyamory
  • Queer
  • Romantic identity
  • Sex
  • Sexual identity
  • Sexuality
  • Trans, Transgender
  • Two-Spirit

Please be aware as you're searching that some materials in the Libraries (especially older materials) may use outdated or offensive terms.

For more information on using the Libraries, please see the following related guides:

Student browsing books in the libraryFor non-fiction books on queer identities and topics, you can browse books with call numbers starting with HQ 74 through HQ 78. They are located on the third floor of Michener Library.

For non-fiction books on queer identities and topics for youth, you can browse books with call numbers starting with 306.7. They are located in the youth collection on the second floor of Michener Library.

Unfortunately, fiction books are harder to browse because they're organized by author, not subject.

As always, we're here to help! Just check out the help box on this page.

Help

Need help finding something? Stuck on your research project? Want to suggest that we buy something for the Libraries collection or that we add something to this research guide? We got you!

We're excited to hear from you!