BOOK REVIEW: Great LGBTQ+ Speeches by Tea Uglow

Great LGBTQ+ Speeches

Tea Uglow

This lovely full coloured reissued and redesgined hardback book shares a range of chronological ordered Queer speeches from across the spectrum of queer, trans and nonbinary life, from across history and across the planet, including work from allies and really heard voices from across the word and political spectrum. Uglow has chosen speeches that echo our advances in liberty and equality but also reflect back the hostile, angry times these speeches were given in.

With insight, sass and glorious rhetoric these speeches shine like beacons, they glow with the power of inspiration, they shake with rage, shudder with righteous anger and shout across time space for us to echo them in our daily testimony, struggle and who we fight to support.

They remind us we are not alone, that things will and do get better and that we are the agents of this change, together. All LGBTQ+ communities, working in step to challenge all prejudice and bigotry.

With riveting personal testimony crafted as inspiration speeches this book gives us a clear look back, not just to Stonewall and the many advances the LGBTQ+ struggle has gained but also back over 150 years of Queer activism, with voices stridently demanding recognition, acceptance and legal recognition and rights in language we recognise as our own. Each of these clarion calls for action have a full page pop art photo design of the speech giver, so we can see the person while we read their words.

There is a huge range of voices here, from well-known Queers from the Rainbow Pantheon of lore to new voices, from new places, across age, class, gender, ethnicity, geography and time, but saying the same thing, ‘ I am me, I am here, I am worthy of respect’ . this is said at Prides, parliaments, rally’s, prisons, on the internet, television and medias in front of huge crowds, at elections, rally’s, funerals and in writings preserved at the time. Reading these speeches back, along with the concise explanation of who, where and when they were made will give you the queer shivers, and remind you that our struggles is one of fighting together, of extraordinary bravery, of doing the right thing, of fighting for those who are different for us, of inclusion, of respect, of intransient, dignified demands to be SEEN and heard.

Peter Tatchell gives us a wonderful foreword setting context clearly and author Uglow reminds us of the importance of political narratives and storytelling, and how we must see ourselves in the stories around us, and how we are taught to ignore the LGBTQ+ histories that swirl around us. In their powerful introduction Uglow also remind us that our struggle is cyclical an unending , unity is standing with our allies and fighting for their entitlement as they fought for us. Great LGBTQ+ speeches reminds us that word matter and when used in the ways shown in this book are the most powerful things we have to share, inspire and empower freedoms.