NEW ENCYCLOPEDIA OF GAY, LESBIAN, BISEXUAL, TRANSGENDER,
AND QUEER (GLBTQ) CULTURE GOES ONLINE TODAY - MAKING PREVIOUSLY HARD TO FIND INFORMATION ACCESSIBLE TO EVERYONE

glbtq.com Includes More Than 900 Entries, Plus Hundreds of Historical Photographs and Illustrations Showcasing the Contributions GLBT People Have Made in the Arts and Literature

LOS ANGELES (March 3, 2003) -- Scholars, academic researchers and experts in the arts and literature have created an encyclopedia of facts and information about gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, and queer (glbtq) culture. The new glbtq encyclopedia goes online today at www.glbtq.com.

Written for anyone with an interest in glbtq culture and the lives of glbtq people, glbtq.com is a free encyclopedia containing more than one million words in 900-plus entries. Many of the encyclopedia's entries are illustrated with more than 200 historical photographs and illustrations collected from some of the most renowned archives and libraries in the world.

Contributors range from Douglas Blair Turnbaugh, representative to the U.S.A. and Membre Conseiller of the Conseil International de la Danse/UNESCO; to 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; and Carla Williams, Blues aficionado and Sante Fe-based photographer.

"The glbtq encyclopedia project really has been a personal passion of mine," said Andrew "Wik" Wikholm, president and producer of glbtq.com who also founded the popular gayhistory.com. "This undertaking was only possible through the tireless work of many of the pioneers in the emerging field of glbtq studies."

"We are very fortunate to have many of the leading experts in glbtq studies serve on our editorial staff and on our Board of Editorial Consultants," said Wikholm, adding, "It has been quite gratifying to see more than 260 professionals, scholars and experts submit their signed entries for inclusion in the glbtq encyclopedia."

Interest In glbtq Studies Is Growing

"The glbtq encyclopedia breaks new ground in glbtq studies," said General Editor Claude J. Summers, Ph. D., William E. Stirton Professor Emeritus in the Humanities at the University of Michigan-Dearborn. "Much of the information that is available in the encyclopedia was almost impossible to find 25 years ago. Even in recent years, as interest in glbtq culture has grown, this information was only accessible to scholars and specialists. With glbtq.com, anyone, anywhere, can share in the wealth of information that has been amassed about glbtq culture."

glbtq was created for ease of use. Each major topic is introduced by a survey entry which includes a related-entries section that leads to entries of more specific interest. With this feature, visitors can review a range of topics and then quickly zoom in on specific subtopics. This makes the glbtq encyclopedia an attractive educational tool for students, professors and other researchers who demand in-depth information. The glbtq Web site also encourages collaboration and debate in discussion boards organized around specific interests.

A Research Tool On University Campuses

"With glbtq.com, we now have an authoritative resource that will be invaluable to scholars, to college students, and to university professors who will use the glbtq encyclopedia in their courses, as well as to those with even a casual interest in glbtq culture" said Judith Scherer Herz, professor, Concordia University, Montreal. "The ethnic, racial, geographic, and cultural diversity of the entries is impressive. The glbtq encyclopedia is comprehensive, focused, and imaginative."

Board of Editorial Consultants

Members of glbtq's Board of Editorial Consultants, who serve as advisors to General Editor Summers, include: Tee A. Corinne, an accomplished photographer and writer about lesbian art and artists; Mark McLelland, a post-doctoral research fellow at the Centre for Critical and Cultural Studies at the University of Queensland, Australia; Gary Morris, editor and publisher of Bright Lights Film Journal (brightlightsfilm.com); Thomas L. Riis, Director of the American Music Research Center and Professor of Music at the College of Music at the University of Colorado/Boulder; Patricia Simons, associate professor of the History of Art and Women's Studies at the University of Michigan; and Patricia Juliana Smith, Assistant Professor of English at Hofstra University.

About glbtq.com

glbtq was founded with a single objective: to build the most comprehensive, accessible, and authoritative encyclopedia of glbtq culture. The company's business offices are located in Chicago. The executive and editorial staff include: General Editor Dr. Claude J. Summers, William E. Stirton Professor Emeritus in the Humanities at the University of Michigan-Dearborn; Copy Editor Dr. Ted-Larry Pebworth, Professor Emeritus of English at the University of Michigan-Dearborn; and President and Producer Andrew "Wik" Wikholm, a seasoned IT professional and an accomplished writer whose articles have appeared in dozens of publications.