Sexual Diversity Encyclopedia

By: Charles Bowen In the lifetime of any middle-age reporter or editor, we have seen news coverage of homosexuality go from non-coverage to hyper-coverage to the curious sort of don't-ask-don't-tell reporting of today.

Like most of our readers, we journalists lost our shyness a decade ago when it comes to discussing gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender issues. After all, we spent much of the 1990s cultivating a cool political correctness about tolerance.

But as is often the case, in the pursuit of diversity, we've sometimes settled for simply diverting our gaze. Few heterosexuals have devoted much time to actually learning about gay culture, content instead merely to raise the peaceful flag of live-and-let-live.

Journalists can't do that, of course. Proper news coverage requires background research. And when the subject of your story revolves around homosexuality, the newsroom's library might not help much.

Fortunately, the Web has got you covered. A resource called Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer Encyclopedia is the kind of serious reference work for which editors and reporters are always searching. The site enables you to search by keyword, or to move through one of a number of thematic sections, such as literature or the arts. Each section contains an alphabetical subject guide and a popular topics section.

Of particular interest is a Spotlight section that features current topics of interest. At this writing, for instance, Spotlight contained a long essay on lesbian photography before Stonewall. Another feature covered Jewish-American gay and lesbian literature over the past century.

The site also has a lively, monitored discussion area, featuring commentaries on literature, a suggestion box and feedback on technical issues related to the site. Finally, the site has a list of all contributors to the project, with links to each of their entries.

To examine the resource online, visit http://www.glbtq.com, where a navigation bar along the left side has links to its pages devoted to arts, literature and discussion boards. Each entry in the Arts and Literature sections of the encyclopedia have alphabetical and topical indexes to aid navigation and research.

The encyclopedia's Literature and Arts Departments feature more than one million words in more than 900 entries. Entries are accompanied by hundreds of illustrations and photographic images that showcase the lives and contributions of thousands of people who have influenced society through literature and the arts, including film, dance, fashion and sports.

Also in the left column is a search box. To use it, enter a word or phrase in the text entry box, select either Encyclopedia or Discussion as your target for the search and click the Go button. Searches are not case sensitive. The engine searches for every word entered in the box.

Messages on the discussion board of the site can be read by all visitors, but only members may post notes. Membership in the site is free and the signup form is reached at the bottom of the left column on any page in the site.

Other considerations for using GLBTQ in your writing and editing:

1. Founders of the site are University of Michigan-Dearborn professors emeritus Claude J. Summers and Ted-Larry Pebworth.

2. Watch for expansion of the site. Developers say the encyclopedia will grow to include departments that explore the many contributions made in history and the social sciences, as well as health and science.

3. More than 260 artists, academics, independent scholars and practicing professionals have contributed signed entries to the GLBTQ encyclopedia. Contributors range from Shaun Cole, curator of designs at the Victoria and Albert Museum, London; to Edward Sullivan, chair of New York University's Department of Fine Arts; to Carla Williams, Blues aficionado and Santa Fe-based photographer.

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