LGBTQ+ Sports and Recreation Research Guide

Detail from Calvert Lithographing Co. [Bicycle Race Scene]. Detroit, MI: The Calvert Litho. Co, ca. 1895. Image. Prints and Photographs Division.

Table of Contents

LGBTQ+ Resources by Format:

• Databases
• Periodicals and Journals
• Selected Print Resources:
  • General Reference
  • Famous Figures

Compiled by Bob Dardano, Collection Development Office, and Meg Metcalf, Humanities and Social Sciences Division, Library of Congress

The Library of Congress has an extensive collection of material related to sports and recreation, both in historical and contemporary contexts. The Library collects materials in all formats, languages, and time periods that explore a broad range of subjects including works related to or about sports in general, specific sports or movements within sports, and specific athletes. These works generally class in GV but can be found scattered throughout the subject areas of the entire Library of Congress classification system. Gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender athletes and themes are represented in these collections and the ollection of titles featured in this guide is but a subset of that material. Most of the athletes represented here are contemporary; it is more difficult to apply modern concepts of sexual identity to those who lived decades ago and for whom “coming out” was not a reality. A wide range of sports is represented here. These publications, and others in the Library’s vast collection, can be used to research any aspect of the history and experience of gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender athletes, and the history and social significance of homosexuality in sport, both in the United States and around the world.