Cassell's Encyclopedia of Queer Myth, Symbol and Spirit: Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Lore

by Randy P. Conner, Mariya Sparks, David Hatfield Sparks

Drawing on religion, mythology, folklore, anthropology, history and the arts, this encyclopoedia is a collection of queer spirit. It contains articles on the world's spiritual traditions; entries on deities, symbols, spiritual teachers, spiritually focused artists; and related subjects.

Genres: Queer, Nonfiction, LGBT, Mythology, Spirituality, Religion, History

400 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1997

Reviews

[Danika at The Lesbrary · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didn't read every word of this: I was skimming. I picked this up looking for queer women mythology/folklore, and unfortunately, I wasn't able to find a lot. This has much more to do with spirituality. It has a lot of interesting tidbits, but a few things hold it back. For one, the language is now outdated, including (confusingly) referring to trans men as trans women and vice versa. Also, there are no footnotes or any way to verify where they got their information. There is a list of sources in the back, but no indication of which source an entry came from. Extensive googling often failed to turn up anything to back up their claims, and there's a lot of "Well, it's possible they could have been lesbians, maybe!" in here without anything to back that up. Also, it's not really the fault of the book, but there is much more gay men content (and even trans content) than queer women content. I barely turned up any mythology with queer women.

[Ezra · Rating 4 out of 5]

this is great! one annoying thing - they use language for describing trans people that id's ppl by the gender they were assigned, so MTF = "trans male" in this book. distracting and inaccurate. also, I think the book is very light on relevant Jewish stuff like Lilith and Purim. Otherwise, an incredible resource - so amazing that this exists!

[Kathryn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have bought this book four times.
I gave it as a gift three times once as a, 'favorite book exchange,' party gift and replaced mine own once. It is not clear if it was borrowed not to be returned to me or downright stolen. It was definitely not lost.

I am a storyteller for family and friends for fun but.
AND, then there is story-boarding and social media content creation that I do for a sustainable living. I refer to Queer Myth, Symbol and Spirit: Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Lore reference Encyclopedia to add depth of meaning and cultural diversity in my content. For example, when I am noticing a pattern that follows a popular myths like the Creation of Man by Prometheus, I LOVE looking up Prometheus in this Encyclopedia to read about what was censored, muted or half-shared.
Why?
So I get to LIBERATE the story in a modern and meaningful way within new content! That is a great feeling and I hope there is an updated, expanded into two volumes - anything- I just want to know more - soon.

[Bill Courson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a treasure trove of queer esoterica! This book is much more than an exhaustive reference relating to the personalities, events, processes and movements within the realm of gay and lesbian spirituality, it is a pure pleasure to read. The product of meticulous research, this encyclopedia offers detailed yet concise, cross-referenced entries and an index of attributes and traditions as an encouragement to both quick reference and casual browsing. Beyond its obvious usefulness to scholars, this work aims to inspire, entertain and empower, and it is hugely successful in that effort.

It tells a far different story than the exclusively heterosexual roster of saints, sages, demons, demigods and deities that we've all had to live with - and this pantheon is far more fascinating.

The 1,500-odd alphabetic entries ranging from "Aakulujjuusi" to "Zeus" reveal our history, deeply encoded in sacred texts and all-but-forgotten traditions. Just read the entries on the "World Homosexual Movement," the "Order of Chaerona," and the "Han Temple" and you'll realize quickly that we've barely begun to scratch the surface of our old queer race's involvement with the world of the spirit.

A very praiseworthy and very necessary work!

[Alicia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Did I read every word cover to cover? No. Did I still read the shit out of this book for school? Yes.

[Alexandra · Rating 3 out of 5]

Encyclopedias are not meant to be read cover to cover and I have learned my lesson

[J. Allen · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent source of inspiration, but not that accurate.