During the past 20 years, the emerging field of glbtq studies has uncovered an enormous amount of previously unexplored information about gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, and queer (glbtq) culture. The glbtq encyclopedia, the largest, most comprehensive encyclopedia of glbtq culture in the world, makes these discoveries accessible to everyone with an interest in glbtq people, issues, and cultures.

2     Can you describe glbtq’s target audience?

Anyone interested in glbtq issues and cultures will benefit from the glbtq encyclopedia. The Web site includes many features that support learning and research — making the glbtq encyclopedia especially useful for students and researchers. University faculty also find that the encyclopedia’s entries serve well either as primary or adjunctive texts in the courses that they teach.

3     What will visitors find when they explore the glbtq encyclopedia?

Visitors will find nearly 2000 signed entries in three departments: Literature, The Arts, and the Social Sciences. There is also a popular discussion board system organized around areas of specific interest.

4     How have glbtq studies programs contributed to the glbtq encyclopedia?

Many of the encyclopedia’s contributors are involved in Gay and Lesbian Studies, Women’s and Gender Studies, and Queer Studies programs. In fact, the General Editor, Professor Claude J. Summers, was a pioneer in glbtq studies when the field first emerged as an area of academic inquiry.

5     Has the academic community embraced the glbtq encyclopedia?

Yes. Contemporary academic work in the Arts, the Humanities, and the Social Sciences continues to be concerned with multicultural issues. The glbtq encyclopedia uniquely meets the need for a comprehensive, authoritative source of information about glbtq culture and is often assigned or recommended to students by their professors and instructors.

6     Who is the editor of the glbtq encyclopedia?

The General Editor is Dr. Claude J. Summers, William E. Stirton Professor Emeritus in the Humanities, University of Michigan-Dearborn. Professor Summers is a prolific writer and editor whose books include Christopher Isherwood (1980), E. M. Forster (1983), Gay Fictions/Wilde to Stonewall (1990), and the Lambda Literary Award-winning Gay and Lesbian Literary Heritage (1995).

7     Who wrote the glbtq encyclopedia?

A diverse group of more than 340 experts and specialists have contributed signed entries to the glbtq encyclopedia. The number of contributors continues to grow as new entries are added.

8     How are entries selected?

The first step in the creation of each department of the encyclopedia is the compilation of a table of contents, which Professor Summers develops in consultation with the encyclopedia’s Board of Editorial Consultants. As work progresses, entries are added as needed to adequately report on each major topical area within the department. However, the selection process never really ends. Over time, new entries are added to meet the needs expressed by our visitors and to reflect the evolution of glbtq culture.

9     When did work begin on the glbtq encyclopedia?

The glbtq project officially began in June, 2000.  www.glbtq.com launched on March 3, 2003.

10     What features make the glbtq encyclopedia stand out as a resource?

Most encyclopedias are useful A to Z reference works, but the glbtq encyclopedia goes one step further. On www.glbtq.com, each major topic is introduced by a survey entry which includes a related entries section that leads to entries of more specific interest. This makes the glbtq encyclopedia more useful as an educational tool than a simple A to Z reference and encourages thorough exploration.

The site's discussion boards boards also encourage the kind of collaboration and debate that helps propel the evolution of glbtq studies.

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