Barbara Gittings, for whom an ALA Stonewall book award is named, died on Feb 18 at the age of 75.
Gittings headed the American Library Association’s Gay Task Force to attract more attention to gay literature and urge libraries to provide more information on sexuality and gay issues. “Barbara once told me that when she was young girl, she had to look in the encyclopedia to try find out more about her sexuality. It was her thought that libraries should be encouraged to offer more information to people about sexuality,” said William Kelley, a Chicago lawyer who first attended a national gay-rights gathering with Gittings in the 1960s.
Gittings was awarded the Association’s highest honor of a lifetime membership in 2003. More from Bloomberg.
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