Queer Reads Library

Queer Reads Library (QRL) is a collection of books and independently published zines centred around queer narratives and themes. The Library brings together a selection of ‘queer reads’ for members of the public to engage with. In the spirit of openness and dialogue, Queer Reads Library serves as a testament to queer friends living in all societies, who still share their images and stories amidst dangerously increasing tides of transphobia and homophobia. Established in 2018, QRL is a collaboration between friendship. QRL is formed by Beatrix Pang @smalltunepress, Rachel Lau @racholauart and Kaitlin Chan @kaitlinmchan.

Queer Reads Library, Queer Reads Lexicon II, Queer Reads Library, 2023 © Queer Reads Library

This publication serves as the record of the third "Queer Reads Lexicon” workshop organised by “Queer Reads Library” in London. Invited Chinese queer friends speaking in Cantonese or Mandarin, to contribute their knowledge of queer terms based on different dialects, cultural backgrounds, and upbringings. During the workshop, we discussed and touched upon taboo terms that have been deleted or censored in the contemporary internet environment.

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Queer Reads Library, Fill in the Blanks: Queer print culture in Hong Kong, Queer Reads Library, 2023 © Queer Reads Library

"Fill in the Blanks: Queer print culture in Hong Kong" is an illustrated research report from a research incubation with WMA (Hong Kong) during July-August in 2022, where we gathered printed matter from independent community organizers, artists and academics, also hosted a number of discussions and dialogues on themes around LGBTQ+ self-publishing future in Hong Kong.

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"Queer Reads Lexicon" zine is the first issue to collect queer words primarily from the languages of Cantonese, Mandarin, and English, with a focus on Chinese and Asian queer communities across the globe. This project will be continuously updated to highlight queer existences in contemporary Asia. Through this archive, we hope to document and present the landscape of contemporary Chinese and Asian queers through their explorations, lives, cultures, and languages.

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