The 2026 theme for LGBT+ History Month aims to highlight the contributions of LGBT+ people, both historically and today, and to raise awareness of the individuals behind them.
Just in time for LGBT+ History month, we warmly invite Oxford researchers to explore and give feedback on two databases Sex & Sexuality and LGBTQ+ Life in America (see the VHL Blog post for more information).
Sex & Sexuality is an online resource providing access to key archival material related to human sexuality from leading archives across the world. It will be useful to students and researchers in gender / sexuality studies, history, sociology, anthropology, and medicine.
Please be aware that this resource contains material of a sexually explicit nature. Content includes, but is not limited to, descriptions and imagery of sexual violence; non-consensual sexual activity; sexual activity including minors; surgery and suicide.
The trial ends on 28 February 2026.
From papers of leading sexologists to LGBTQI+ personal histories, Sex & Sexuality allows researchers to explore changing attitudes to human sexuality, gender and sexual behaviour. Geographic coverage is primarily in the United States, but also includes archival material from the UK and Australia.
Module I is sourced solely from the Kinsey Institute Library and Special Collections, making available the papers of the first three institute directors (including Dr Alfred C. Kinsey), papers and research files of sexologists and researchers, publications and ephemera from the Institute and other organisations and advocacy groups, as well as correspondence and queries from members of the American public.
Module II is sourced from US, UK and Australian archives, and focus on personal experiences and self-expression. It includes personal histories, as well as accounts of grass-roots organisations and activism from the late 19th Century to the present day. Resources include official records of pressure groups and community organisations, diaries and correspondence, photographs, objects, erotic fiction, papers of noted sexologists and more.
Feedback should be sent to bethan.davies@bodleian.ox.ac.uk and isabel.holowaty@bodleian.ox.ac.uk.
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