Physical Book Burning, Digital Book Burning and the Survival of LGBTQ+ Historical Knowledge

A lecture by Gerard Kosovich (Public Historian and Book Dealer) organised by the Centre for Women's, Gender and Sexuality Studies.

LGBTQ+ knowledge was suppressed by the Nazi Regime in Germany in the 1930s and is under attack by the MAGA regime in the United States today. State-sponsored erasure of queer and trans history is reflected in the flames of book burning in both eras—physical in the past, digital in the present. In this illustrated talk, American queer public historian Gerard Koskovich draws on 45 years of experience in the field to assess why the queer and trans past matters, why this heritage is a target for technofascism, and how scholars and community members are fighting back to ensure the survival of LGBTQ+ historical knowledge.

About the speaker:
Gerard Koskovich is a public historian and book dealer. A founding member of the GLBT Historical Society in San Francisco and a member of the Centre d’Archives LGBTQI+ in Paris, he has been active in the movement to create LGBTQ+ archives and museums for more than four decades.
Koskovich has curated numerous exhibitions and has presented and published widely in English and French, most recently with a focus on the history of queer history as a cultural practice; on LGBTQ place-based history and intangible cultural heritage; on the work of early-20th-century homosexual and transgender emancipation pioneer Dr. Magnus Hirschfeld; and on the history of San Francisco’s Castro District. 

Please let us know if you have any access requirements, such as ISL/English interpreting, so that we can facilitate you in attending this event. Contact: frankg@tcd.ie