A queer lit summer reading list

+ Southern Baptists weren't always against abortion US Edition - Today's top story: Summer reading: 5 books on the joys and challenges of LGBTQ teen and young adult life [View in browser]( US Edition | 18 June 2022 [The Conversation]( I was 8 years old when I first realized that human sexuality wasn't so simple. It was March of 1982. Soul singer Teddy Pendergrass had just gotten into an accident in his Rolls Royce that left him paralyzed. A transgender woman was his passenger. An issue of Jet magazine with an article about the crash sat atop a glass table at the home of my father's friend. They seemed to be in disbelief that a masculine singer like Pendergrass might have had a relationship with a woman who was born a man. It turns out sexuality is seldom a straightforward matter, and the young adult fiction books that Jonathan Alexander, a scholar of queer literature at the University of California, Irvine, recommends for LGBTQ Pride month all explore [the complexities of human sexuality](. This week we also liked articles about [Mike Pence’s shining moment](, [the grassroots mojo of Starbucks workers]( and [Tumblr’s rise, fall and rebirth](. Jamaal Abdul-Alim Education Editor The past decade has seen a flurry of young adult fiction written from a queer perspective. Aurelie and Morgan David de Lossy / Getty Images [Summer reading: 5 books on the joys and challenges of LGBTQ teen and young adult life]( Jonathan Alexander, University of California, Irvine A scholar of queer literature takes a closer look at five books that are pushing the envelope on society’s understanding of LGBTQ life. Two political conservatives, Greg Jacob, former counsel to Vice President Mike Pence, and Michael Luttig, a retired judge who was an adviser to Pence, testified to the House select committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol attack . AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite [Jan. 6 committee hearings show what went right, not just what went wrong]( Jennifer Selin, Wayne State University Coverage of the House Jan. 6 hearings focuses on what went wrong that led up to Trump supporters’ laying siege to the US Capitol. A government scholar looks at what went right, both then and now. Attendees pray during a worship service at the Southern Baptist Convention’s annual meeting in Anaheim, California, on June 14, 2022. AP Photo/Jae C. Hong [The history of Southern Baptists shows they have not always opposed abortion]( Susan M. Shaw, Oregon State University A scholar writes about how the Southern Baptist Convention’s views on abortion changed during the 1980s, when a more conservative wing seized control of the denomination. - [Mike Pence’s actions on Jan. 6 were wholly unremarkable – until they saved the nation]( Lindsay Chervinsky, Southern Methodist University The vice president has said he looks forward to meeting the framers of the Constitution in heaven. That is not the mindset of someone with short-term vision. - [At last, COVID-19 shots for little kids – 5 essential reads]( Amanda Mascarelli, The Conversation The FDA’s authorization of COVID-19 shots for children ages 6 months to 4 years will bring relief for millions of parents. Pending CDC endorsement, shots for this group will be available within days. - [Grassroots mojo and 4 other reasons Starbucks workers have been so successful unionizing]( John Logan, San Francisco State University Starbucks Workers United has already organized 146 locations in about six months. While that’s a fraction of Starbucks’ 9,000 US stores, it’s one of the most successful labor campaigns in decades. - [Tumblr’s enduring appeal reveals the potency of the web’s cultural memory]( - [Babies don’t come with instruction manuals, so here are 5 tips for picking a parenting book]( - [Coastal gentrification in Puerto Rico is displacing people and damaging mangroves and wetlands]( - [How math and language can combine to map the globe and create strong passwords, using the power of 3 random words]( - [Decades of research document the detrimental health effects of BPA – an expert on environmental pollution and maternal health explains what it all means]( - [Elder abuse comes in many forms – appropriate Adult Protective Services referrals can help reduce mistreatment]( - - About The Conversation: We're a nonprofit news organization dedicated to [helping academic experts share ideas with the public](. We can give away our articles thanks to the help of foundations, universities and readers like you. [Donate now to support research-based journalism]( [The Conversation]( You’re receiving this newsletter from [The Conversation]( 303 Wyman Street, Suite 300 Waltham, MA 02451 [Forward to a friend]( • [Unsubscribe](