The LGBT Community Center’s Second Tuesday lecture series welcomes Chloe O. Davis, author of The Young Readers’ LGBTQIA+ Dictionary of Lingo and Colloquial Phrases, on Monday, May 13, at 6:30 PM. Chloe will be joined in conversation by actor-writer-comedian Amanda Bruton.

On The Queens’ English: The Young Readers’ LGBTQIA+ Dictionary of Lingo and Colloquial Phrases

This playful, richly illustrated visual dictionary is the perfect book for anyone who has ever wondered about the origin of phrases like “boi,” “drag,” or “demisexual,” the history of the word “queer,” and the wonderfully diverse, wide-ranging histories that have contributed to LGBTQIA+ culture and vocabulary.

Drawing from traditions as divergent as the ancient poet Sappho to the underground ball scene of the 1980s, from the Stonewall Riots to RuPaul’s Drag Race, this glossary is a colorful compendium—and a celebration of every king, queen, butch, femme, trans, folx, and enby who has shaped the history, identity, and limitless imagination of queerness.

This event will take place in person at The LGBT Community Center, 208 West 13th Street, NYC, 10011.

The Bureau of General Services—Queer Division will be on hand to sell copies of The Queens’ English: The Young Readers’ LGBTQIA+ Dictionary of Lingo and Colloquial Phrases (Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, April 30, 2024, hardcover, $19.99) by Chloe O. Davis. To reserve a copy please email contact@bgsqd.com with “please reserve a copy of The Queens’ English for May 13th” in the subject line.

Thank you for supporting the Bureau by purchasing books from us!

Chloe O. Davis is an author who works in the entertainment industry in New York. A graduate of Hampton University and Temple University, she has centered her creative platform on amplifying the narratives of Black culture and heightening the awareness of the LGBTQIA+ community. Davis’s work as a dancer, actor, and creative has allowed her to travel to all fifty states and internationally where she has spent fifteen years researching, writing, and creating The Queens’ English: The LGBTQIA+ Dictionary of Lingo and Colloquial Phrases.

Amanda Bruton is an NYC based actor-writer-comedian. She has said words on several TV shows including FBI, Manifest, OITNB and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. She is currently writing and developing the comedic podcast, Preggo My Lesbo, about her journey to becoming a queer parent. Amanda’s original sketch comedy character, Connie “Big Ballz” Bumbaloni has over 25K followers on TikTok which means she is fractionally famous in some parts of Jersey. @theamandabruton