Pride and Persistence: Stories of Queer Activism

Do You Know My Name? #4

by Mary Fairhurst Breen

Every day, people face discrimination because of their sexuality and gender identity. The people between these pages have stood up for the queer community, whether on their own behalf or in support of people they love. Some made a difference by confronting injustice; others dared to be fully themselves. Susan Ursel fought all the way to the Supreme Court of Canada for the right to have books with queer characters in schools. Sparkle Wilson runs an internship program for LGBTQ+ youth in San Francisco that helps them build skills and grow their confidence. Itzayana Gutiérrez Arillo discovered the joy and global community of queer tango. Their stories prove that we can all make the world a little safer, kinder, and more inclusive.

Genres: History, Canada, Nonfiction, Biography Memoir

112 pages, Paperback

Published October 10, 2023

Reviews

[Carolyn Whitzman · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve just had the pleasure of reading an advance copy of a book I want to give to all my friends, young and old! Pride and Persistence (great title by the way) consists of 14 short biographies of women and non-binary ‘everyday heroes’. From queer tango to the right to find books with same sex families in schools, a lot of brave fights have gone into LGBTQ+ rights. Fantastic illustrations complete this lovely book for a young adult or a young adult at heart.

[Alicia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reading in preparation for a moderated talk with several authors and their works, this one is a collective biography of queer Canadian and American women. Breen explains that vocabulary she uses in the story depend on the vocabulary of the subjects she interviewed as well as the historical context and ever-evolving language that is providing space for changing understanding.

Brief, focused, and thoughtfully placed biographies showcase the ways that they've impacted their work and what they believe to both educate or live authentically. The muted colors and sketch of their faces with their names and a quote are lovely introductions to each of the featured women. Breen mentions she chose to focus solely on women as there are plenty of books focused on and/or authored about the queer male experience.

[Raven Black · Rating 4 out of 5]

A clever book about everyday people who have made a name for themselves by just being themselves. We might know them by that name (some people "only" fought the inclusion of a Chick-fil a on their college campus that resulted in Senator Graham making a fool of himself) but they made sure that others can have the freedom of being themselves, being represented, and finding ways to make it safer for themselves. They are lawyers, teachers, technicians, former politicians, actors, and dancers and even an ally or two. Some served their country and some still do. We learn of how people express themselves in binary and nonbinary manners; some are queer, some identify as bi, some are lesbians, and there are trans females plus more. While mostly set in Canada, the concepts are universal.