About the Author:
Dr. Virginia Loh-Hagan (she/her/hers) is an author, university professor, and former
classroom teacher. Shes currently the Director of the Asian Pacic Islander Desi
American Resource Center at San Diego State University. She lives in San Diego
with her very tall husband and very naughty dogs. She dedicates this book to her
students and readers who identify as LGBTQ+. She sees you.
Published in the United States of America by Cherry Lake Publishing Group
Ann Arbor, Michigan
www.cherrylakepublishing.com
Reading Adviser: Beth Walker Gambro, MS, Ed., Reading Consultant, Yorkville, IL
Content Adviser: Lauren Fisher
Book Designer: Jen Wahi
Photo Credits: Tirthankar Das/iStock.com, 4; mixmike/iStock.com, 6; Diego Alves Brasil/Shutterstock.com, 8;
Sabrina Bracher/iStock.com, 11; DanielBendjy/iStock.com, 12; Johnny Greig/iStock.com, 14; CarlosDavid.org/
iStock.com, 17; Nadia Snopek/Shutterstock.com, 18; Thomas Faull/iStock.com, 20; lazyllama/Shutterstock.com,
23; LaylaBird/iStock.com, 24; Renee Clancy/Shutterstock.com, 26; FG Trade/iStock.com, 29, 30, additional cover
images courtesy of iStock.com
Copyright 2022 by Cherry Lake Publishing Group
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or utilized in any form
or by any means without written permission from the publisher.
45th Parallel Press is an imprint of Cherry Lake Publishing Group.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Loh-Hagan, Virginia, author.
Title: LGBTQ+ rights / by Virginia Loh-Hagan.
Other titles: Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer+ rights
Description: Ann Arbor, Michigan : Cherry Lake Publishing, 2021. | Series:
Stand up, speak out | Includes index.
Identifiers: LCCN 2021004971 (print) | LCCN 2021004972 (ebook) | ISBN
9781534187542 (hardcover) | ISBN 9781534188945 (paperback) | ISBN
9781534190344 (pdf) | ISBN 9781534196186 (ebook)
Subjects: LCSH: Sexual minorities--Political activity--Juvenile literature.
| Sexual minorities--Civil rights--Juvenile literature.
Classification: LCC HQ76.5 .L64 2021 (print) | LCC HQ76.5 (ebook) | DDC
306.76--dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2021004971
LC ebook record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2021004972
Printed in the United States of America
Corporate Graphics
TABLE OF CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION:
What Is LGBTQ+ Activism? .............. 5
CHAPTER 1:
End Violence and Celebrate Pride ........ 9
CHAPTER 2:
Use Pronouns ....................... 15
CHAPTER 3:
Support Gender-Neutral Bathrooms ..... 21
CHAPTER 4:
Fight for Same-Sex Marriage ........... 27
Glossary ........................... 32
Learn More! ........................ 32
Index .............................. 32
Activists often work as a group.
They have power in numbers.
INTRODUCTION
WHAT IS LGBTQ+
WHAT IS LGBTQ+
ACTIVISM?
ACTIVISM?
Everyone has the power to make our world a better place.
A person just has to act. Activists ght for change. They
want justice . Justice is upholding what is right. Activists
help others.
There are all types of love. There are all types of people.
People have the right to be who they want to be. Many
activists feel strongly about LGBTQ+ rights. LGBTQ+
refers to several identities. A woman who loves a woman
may identify as a lesbian . People who love people of the
same sex may identify as gay . A person who loves both
men and women might identify as bisexual. Transgender
describes people whose identity and gender expression
differs from the sex they were assigned at birth. Queer
is a word that describes other identities beyond straight
and cisgender . Cisgender means having your sex at birth
match your gender identity. Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and
transgender people may all identify with queer. The plus
sign means there are more identities.
In this book, we share examples of LGBTQ+ issues and
actions. We also share tips for how to engage. Your activist
journey starts here!
Q can also mean Questioning. This refers to people
who are guring out who they are.
GET STARTED
GET STARTED
Community service is about helping others. Its about
creating a kinder world. Activism goes beyond service.
Its about making a fairer and more just world. It
involves acting and ghting for change. Choose to
be an activist!
Focus on your cause! In addition to the topics
covered in this book, there are many others. Other
examples include supporting LGBTQ+ persons in
the military and ending hate crimes.
Do your research! Learn all you can about the
cause. Learn about the history. Learn from other
activists.
Make a plan! Get organized.
Make it happen! Act! There are many ways to
act. Activists write letters. They write petitions.
They protest. They march in the streets. They ban
or boycott . Boycott means to avoid or not buy
something as a protest. They perform art to make
people aware. They post to social media. They ght
to change laws. They organize sit-in events. They
participate in demonstrations and strikes . During
strikes, people protest by refusing to do something,
such as work.
LGBTQ+ activist groups want to provide
safe spaces for the LGBTQ+ community.
CHAPTER 1
END VIOLENCE
END VIOLENCE
AND CELEBRATE
AND CELEBRATE
PRIDE
PRIDE
Folks who identify as LGBTQ+ should have the same rights
as everyone else. But they dont. Their love is even illegal
in some countries. They can be arrested. Lebanon is one
