The Queeriodic Table: A Celebration of LGBTQ+ Culture

by Harriet Dyer

Celebrate the richness of modern queer culture and its vast history with this fascinating introduction to all the essential elements that helped sculpt the LGBTQ+ community up to the present day, including:

• the amazing stories of queer pioneers like Marsha P. Johnson, celebrities, game-changers and unsung heroes alike
• the essential LGBTQ+ timeline of queer world history
• the biggest queer culture festivals and events in the world
• classic works of queer art, literature, music, TV and film

This cheerful collection shines a light on the rich variety of elements that form The Queeriodic Table.

Genres: Nonfiction, LGBT, Queer, History, Gender and Sexuality

129 pages, Kindle Edition

Published January 8, 2019

Reviews

[Kirby R. · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's a decent introduction to queer culture. That being said, it's broad to the point of leaving out several identities (in-depth discussions of nonbinary individuals and aromantic individuals, for example, are nearly entirely absent) and for the most part, only pays attention to queer readers in the UK and US. In addition, the language is occasionally juvenile; I can see how this might be appealing, especially to young readers, but it is very much not to my taste. It also runs into the problem of not always contextualizing certain aspects of queer culture; for example, the author tries to put a positive "this-is-historical-representation" spin on the Ancient Grecco-Roman practice of pederasty, the act of a teenage boy engaging with an adult man. It goes unmentioned that this is nothing short of abusive and should not be glorified, nor does the author delve deeply into the fact that this wouldn't have been considered queer by the Ancient Greeks and Romans as we would call it today. In the end, it's designed to be an extremely broad, generally contextless collection of names, events, and pieces of art. It works as a branching-off point, especially if you're newly questioning or out, but it's not exactly the end all be all.

[Daniel · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's a fun and handy quick reference for people interested in LGBTQ+ terms, history, and notable advocates/celebrities; in particular for folks relatively unfamiliar with queer identity. I wish it had a bit more definitions and labels, and maybe a section for symbols and flags. As it is, it's still a nifty and accessible resource to have around. Maybe a "v2.o" edition that expands upon the current material will come along.

[Elon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting and well organised, but felt very US (and slightly UK) focused.

[Megan · Rating 5 out of 5]

A witty, necessary read for the history we don’t get taught.

[Finn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting enough read. Lacking in sexuality and gender definitions. Definitely recommend for a more broad search.

[Josie Dabinett · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found the identity descriptions at the beginning of the book to be lacking but the rest was amazing.

[Mahala · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not totally up to date/accurate for right this second but it gives some great gay history