A fantastic primer for introducing anyone to figures in the pre-Stonewall and modern LGBTQIA+ emancipation movement. The speeches are powerful, succinct, and the art is gorgeous.

My only, very small nitpick, is how a few of the longer speeches were edited down to fit one page. In a few places it felt cut off as momentum was swelling to an emotional point or conclusion.

Overall, a beautifully designed book that reminds us of our history past & present.

This book contains several pieces by both queer people and allies, which, in their majority, made me tear up. I wish I had read this while I was a teenager, too scared to think of myself as anything other than cishet even if I knew from a young age I wasn't.
I only have one criticism is that, even if it had BIPOC voices, it still felt predominantly western.
Overall, I would recommend this to every LGBTQAI+ person and everyone who considers themself an ally.

A beautiful look into some of the speeches that have paved the way throughout the journey LGBT+ activism. All important, all inspiring, all made their mark.

"... it is not difference which immobilizes us, but silence. And there are so many silences to be broken" - Audre Lorde

This was such a thrilling collection of speeches from a wide range of queer voices as well as some allies (I was shocked to see Barack Obama and Hilary Clinton in this book, I'm not gonna lie!)

I will say that this collection features over 50% of queer people in America, so it definitely would have been nice to see a bit more variety. It did feature some people from Australia, the UK, the Philippines and more so I probably shouldn't complain!

There were a variety of speeches from queer icons that I know as well as many that I don't. But now that I've heard about them, I definitely want to read up about them all!

I think a few of my favourite, or the most memorable speeches for me came from Audre Lorde, Olly Alexander, Dan Savage and Terry Miller (from the It Gets Better Project) and, Alison Bechdel! But honestly, there was such a decent variety of speeches that there will definitely be something for everyone!

A huge thank you to the publishers for providing me with an eArc in exchange for my honest review.

A pioneering collection of over 40 empowering and influential speeches that chart the history of the LGBTQ+ movement, Great LGBTQ+ Speeches provides an excellent introduction to the history of the queer movement, charting the 19th century to contemporary issues. The essays are all short and accessible, with a nice introduction given to each individual. Mostly the text is US-centric, although there are some contributors from other countries e.g. the UK, South Africa, Germany, Canada, Australia, and Iceland. I particularly enjoyed the speeches by Harvey Milk and Ian McKellen, which felt incredibly contemporary considering they were delivered decades ago. There are also some speeches delivered by allies, mostly politicians, which I think is reassuring to see those in power who are fighting for this cause. Overall, a very good introduction that I would recommend to others.

The voices: Audre Lorde; Harvey Milk; Munroe Bergdorf; Sir Elton John; Sir Ian McKellen; George Takei; Sylvia Rivera; Bayard Rustin; Elizabeth Toledo; Alison Bechdel; Loretta E. Lynch; Hanne Gaby Odiele; Vito Russo; Tammy Baldwin; Hillary Rodham Clinton; Barak Obama; Senator Karl Heinrich Ulrichs; Robert G. Ingersoll; Theodora Ana Sprungli; Franklin "Frank" Kameny; Sally Gearhart; Harry Hay; Sue Hyde; Mary Fisher; Essex Hemphill; Simon Nkoli; Urvashi Vaid; Eric Rofes; Justice Michael Kirby; Evan Wolfson; Paul Martin; Ian Hunter; Dan Savage and Terry Miller; Rabbi Kleinbaum; Penny Wong; Arsham Parsi; Anna Grodzka; Debi Jackson; Jóhanna Sigurðardóttir; Lee Mokobe; Ban Ki-moon; Geraldine Roman; Cecilia Chung; Olly Alexander.

Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC.
This book is an excellent, diverse collection of speeches made by queer people and some of our allies from across the world. There was a good mix of speeches from various countries (not just the USA, thank god) and from various identities. There are, of course, speeches from well known people like Harvey Milk and Sylvia Rivera, but this book also includes lesser known speeches, like those from lesbian rabbi Sharon Kleinbaum, and Geraldine Roman, journalist and the first openly trans woman to be elected to the Congress of the Philippines. The editors of this book made an effort to understand these speeches not just in light of the times in which they were spoken, but also from a modern perspective as well. I took issue with them saying Anna Rüling ‘can lay claim to the archetype of the problematic lesbian.’ What does that mean? There is no archetype of the problematic lesbian. Lesbians can be problematic, yes, but to say there is an archetype is just pure lesbophobia. However there were speeches included from various other lesbians that somewhat made up for that mistake. I would love to see a sequel, or perhaps an extended edition with even more speeches. Overall 4.5 stars, and I would highly recommend this to anyone looking for queer nonfiction.

This book contains many speeches by those in the LBGTQ+ community. Some of these were given by those that I have heard of, as for example, Harvey Milk or Audre Lord. Many others gave me the opportunity to hear voices that were new to me. Each offered me something to think about. All were given by people who wanted their voices and those of their community to be herd.

This book offers a wide ranging collection. It will be welcomed by those in the LBGTQ+ community as well as those who want to educate themselves. All in all, a good selection and a book that I recommend.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Quarto-White Lion Publishing for this title. All opinions are my own.