Happy Pride Month!
Every June, Vancouver Island Regional Library joins 2SLGBTQI+ communities and supporters to highlight the resilience, commemorate significant milestones, raise awareness, and recognize the contributions of 2SLGBTQI+ communities across our service area and beyond. It is a time for people of all identities to come together in support of diversity, love, and human rights, and we want to celebrate with you!
Listen to our Pride-related Podcast Episodes
Available wherever you get your podcasts or with the episode links provided.
SOGI 1, 2, 3 
Have you always wondered what SOGI stands for but didn’t want to ask the angry people with the signs by the side of the road? Nathan thinks maybe you have. He conducts an investigation with the help of Scout from SOGI 1, 2, 3.
Find some SOGI-inclusive books for children and teens here.
Romance Recipe with Ruby Barret
Casey talks with Ottawa based bisexual author Ruby Barrett. She is the author of The Romance Recipe, a queer rom-com featuring Amy and Sophie possibly adding the non-FDA approved ingredient of “love” into their restaurant food. Publisher’s Weekly calls it “a down-to-earth queer romance”.
This episode was recorded at our live Pride Month event with Ruby Barrett. Queer books are great to read all year round!
Live Vibes for I Am Everything In Between with Sydney Sunderland
Get right into the live vibe of this event from Pride Month at Courtenay library with author Sydney Sunderland. I Am Everything In Between highlights kids who don’t fit into stereotypical gender ideals. The book is published by Rebel Mountain Press in Nanoose.
Find it in the library catalogue, see more info from Rebel Mountain, and find it in your local bookstore!
Visiting Notting Hill for a Queer Romcom
Sooke Librarian Nathalie interviews Victoria-based author Hayden Stone. He is definitely a book-ish person and talks about favourite real-life bookshops along with the fictional one he created for his character Aubrey. You can find his queer romance book An Unexpected Kind of Love for sale or in our catalogue. (Apparently it has a lot of kissing and steamy bits.)
Meryl Wilsner on Queer Romance
Author Meryl Wilsner reads from and discusses their novel Something to Talk About back in June for Pride month. The book follows Jo and Emma in a what starts as a Hollywood rumour and looks like it might become a relationship. Meryl answers questions from the zoom audience as well.
