Jackson Public Library will host a “Ask a transgender person anything” event on Sunday, October 6 at 7:00 p.m. Sponsored by ACLU NH, this is an opportunity to have an open, respectful conversation with your transgender neighbors! This event series began two years ago, and has toured to well over a dozen libraries, schools, and churches across the state, educating the general public about what it means to be a transgender person in New Hampshire. The event will begin with our panelists sharing a little bit about themselves, then the rest of the evening will be a moderated conversation between panelists and audience.
Book discussions begin this week
Most of the libraries participating in One Book One Valley will host a book discussion of Becoming Nicole by Amy Ellis Nutt. This week, Bridgton Public Library, Effingham Public Library, and Charlotte Hobbs Memorial Library will hold discussions. For a full schedule of discussions, including locations, see https://onebookonevalley.org/events/
If you’re hosting your own discussion of Becoming Nicole, our Project Humanist Alex Myers has prepared a great discussion guide: https://onebookonevalley.files.wordpress.com/2019/07/becomingnicoleqs.docx
Banned Books Week
This week, libraries and bookstores around the country mark Banned Books Week. This is not a call to ban books, but just the opposite: a reminder that censorship limits access to information and multiple viewpoints.
Five of the top eleven challenged books reported to the American Library Association in 2018 have LGBTQIA++ themes.
Gender 101
As part of One Book One Valley 2019, the Madison Library will host a talk by Alex Myers on Thursday, September 26 at 7:00 p.m. in the John F. Chick Room at the Madison Library, 1895 Village Road, Madison, NH.
What is gender? Why does it matter? This program will explore the concept of gender identity, explain the differences between biological sex and gender, gender identity and gender expression, as well as gender and sexual orientation. Participants will have the chance to ask questions about transgender and non-binary identities and do a series of short writing exercises that will get them to examine and understand their own gender identity.
Alex Myers, Barton Evans and H. Andrea Neves Instructor in Humanities at Phillips Exeter Academy, is One Book One Valley’s Project Humanist, providing expert advice for our project, and ensuring intellectual content and historical context are represented. Alex been out as transgender since 1995. He was the first openly transgender student at Phillips Exeter and Harvard University. Since coming out, he has worked as an educator and advocate for transgender rights. Alex visits around 20 schools a year to help them develop policy, practices, and facilities that support transgender students.
This program is sponsored by a grant from NH Humanities, and is free and open to the public. Call 367-8545 for more information.
