WEST POINT — For West Point native Michael Williams, finding representation of LGBTQ culture in his adolescence was a near impossible task.
Not only was LGBTQ media — books, movies, tv shows, etc — unavailable, he felt showing interest in the community was highly discouraged.
“All I had were the early days of the internet, which wasn’t the best option for someone coming of age and trying to figure themselves out,” Williams said, “The only thing I saw of queer culture was MTV, which was not the most positive portrayal.”
Now 34-years-old and a prolific short film maker, Williams is taking strides in the very community he grew up lost in to ensure similar youth feel they have more representation than he did.
In celebration of Pride month, Williams has launched an awareness initiative with the intent to aid in the representation and education for the LGBTQ community. During the month of June, Williams is giving away pride flags. For each flag given away, he will donate a dollar toward the purchase of LGBTQ history and literature books for children, teens and adults for the Bryan Public Library.
Members of the community can also take a more active role in the fundraiser. Although the pride flags are free, participants can make additional donations or request pride stickers with a donation of $5 or more. Anyone residing outside of the Golden Triangle can donate to the cause or have stickers mailed to them.
The library holds a special place with Williams as he grew up just around the corner, and it is the same place that Jayme Evans steps in for work each day.
After Evans became the full-time Youth Services Librarian, she dedicated her time to setting up special displays each month for various causes.
After being approached, Evans and the library decided to partner with Williams to put out a display and purchase a range of LGBTQ books for the library collection.
With the money raised, Evans hopes to purchase queer books for all sections of the library, specifically the nonfiction, educational and fiction genres.
“Representation matters. I want everyone to be able to come into the library and go, ‘I relate to that book. I can see myself in that book,’” Evans said. “And for so long, books have not been available for every single person and that has just got to stop. You know, it’s very important to be able to come in and pick up something and see yourself.”
With more representation in the community, both Evans and Williams hope members of the LGBTQ community will feel more comfortable being themselves in their own environment and give individuals seeking answers a place to go.
“That’s why I think the queer collection at a local library is very important,” Williams said. “Having a library that celebrates pride and encourages people to discover queer stories, lets people know where they can seek out materials. Visibility is the most important part of all of this for me, and it can do a lot for queer people. It helps them better understand themselves and feel more encouraged to live authentically.
The response to the fundraiser has been overwhelmingly positive from members of the Golden Triangle, Williams said.
During the month of June, Williams intends to raise $500 in addition to the $150 he has promised to donate. Currently, he has raised $265.
Evans has set up two small displays — one in nonfiction and one in young adult — in the Bryan Public Library with queer books, pride flags and pride stickers for the public to take.
To donate go to https://bit.ly/SharePride2022 or contact Michael Williams at (662) 275-3285.
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You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 46 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
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