On Friday September 5, during the 2025 Leiden Pride, Mayflower Bookshop will focus on the impact of the AIDS epidemic on the LGBTQ+ community and their literature during the 1980s and 1990s.

This epidemic had a devastating and still tangible impact on the lives of many, as countless people lost loved ones to the disease while governments responded inadequately or, at times, barely at all, reducing LGBTQ+ individuals to the status of second-class citizens. Looking back, this period is often remembered with a sense of grief, anger, and sorrow.

Yet, the AIDS epidemic also led to a strengthened sense of solidarity within the LGBTQ+ community. It brought people together despite their differences, united in the fight for a better world. Literature from and about the AIDS epidemic bears witness to this coalition-building and shows us how the LGBTQ+ community can stand together, even when the political climate seems turned against them.

Looi van Kessel PhD, expert on American queer literature at Leiden University, will explore how these stories reveal the resilience of the LGBTQ+ community and reflect on how collective action and storytelling continue to shape the community today.

Lecture in Dutch: Friday September 5, 20:15. Admission: free. Mayflower Bookshop, Breestraat 70, Leiden.