In this article Amelia Derkatsch, Commissioning Editor for Gender Studies at Palgrave, discusses LGBT History Month and Palgrave’s Gender portfolio.

To me, LGBT History Month presents both the opportunity to celebrate global, social progress towards LGBT+ equality, as well as space to reflect on how much further there is to go. I am very proud to be taking on the role of Commissioning Editor for Gender Studies at Palgrave, publishing cutting-edge social science research in the areas of gender and sexuality.

Scholarly publications have the power to raise awareness of LGBT+ issues and give a voice to the intimate, lived experiences of LGBT people, whilst also reflecting on the wider societal impacts of political, legislative and cultural prejudice. With a view to strengthening the case for equality for the lives of the LGBT+ community, regardless of race, age or class, and importantly, to influence policy-makers in the global fight for universal rights, academia suggests routes forward for positive change, whilst crucially, also learning important lessons from history.

LGBT History Month has been an excellent opportunity to showcase Palgrave’s interdisciplinary outputs and the range of insights from our authors highlights a long and impressive history of publishing on sexuality and its various intersections. From Yvette Taylor’s fascinating exploration of how being a religious young person and a queer-identifying young person needn’t be mutually exclusive, to Jane Traies’s presentation of the gendered, sexist nature of discrimination against lesbians, and to the groundbreaking Palgrave Handbook of Sexuality Education, our authors’ commitment to the lives of LGBT+ people is tireless, rigorous and inspirational!

Amelia welcomes proposals for monographs, edited collections, Palgrave Pivots and major reference works in gender and sexuality: amelia.derkatsch@palgrave.com