My research is on an old local bookstore called Outright Books for the Queer Studies course at ODU. Not only is this a requirement for the semester, but we are ultimately giving back to the community for the Queer Walking Tour. Here is what I gathered about Outright Books so far, Outright Books was established on September 4th, 1991 at 485 S Independence Blvd, Virginia Beach, VA. Besides books Outright sold magazines, jewelry, original artwork, cards, and gifts. They even had discussion/Book Groups on alternating Tuesdays. You could also recycle your old gay and lesbian books or magazines there. They also had a café inside called the Rainbow Café. This is all I know so far about my location, and I do plan to get in contact with the owner who apparently (and lucky for me) still lives locally.
So why I am interested in this location? Well, I found it fascinating that a gay and lesbian bookstore once existed in this area. I have never been to a bookstore that was exclusively queer, so that is what most stood out to me. I wanted to research something that I have never really experienced, so I could appreciate the history more. If I were to go to Barnes and Noble now, there is like one or maybe even two bookcases filled with LGBT+ books. I would imagine having a full queer bookstore would be affirming because not only could someone imagine themselves in the books being sold. They also read about people who contributed to the conversations about struggles. It’s also a different scene than clubbing or bars. So that is why Outright Books stood out to me as a research project.
Most of my research has been done by browsing archives of Our Own, and it’s been a little tough. However, I got a lead that the owner still lives locally, so I plan on getting in touch. I think that will make research a lot easier. This is my first archival research blog, so please bear with me. I am excited to bring forth whatever information I gather.