Q Licht, a student at Scotts Valley High School began a Girl Scout Project called the “Purple Sticker Project” in 2020 when he was a freshman in high school. Q writes on his website, “I originally got the idea for this project after noticing several bookstores I visited did not have a lot of books with positive LGBTQIA+ representation until I visited Copperfield’s Books in Petaluma, California where they did integrate and highlight books with positive LGBTQ+ representation. I wanted to make a difference in my community by putting a system in place that could make school libraries more like Copperfield’s books.” The result was working with the school librarian at Soquel High School to place square purple stickers on LGBTQ+ books and creating an ongoing list of media all organized a website: https://sites.google.com/scottsvalleyusd.org/thepurplestickerproject

During a similar time frame, Rob Darrow, the LGBTQ+ Support Consultant for the Santa Cruz COE and a member of the Santa Cruz Safe School Project (SSP) heard from educators around the state about the need for a recommended LGBTQ+ booklist organized by grade level and aligned to state curriculum standards and frameworks. Following an LGBTQ+ Town Hall webinar in October 2021 sponsored by the SCCOE, Dr. Darrow talked with Q about the idea of extending the Purple Sticker Project to identify the top 40 LGBTQ books, and to have the project become part of the SCCOE website after he graduates in 2023.

To further add to the idea, the Queer Youth Task Force invited Q to complete a summer internship with help from adult volunteer Andrea Damon to further the Purple Sticker Project. Further incentive was added when the speaker at the LGBTQ+ Town Hall in October donated his stipend back to the SCCOE to further an LGBTQ+ project and the Purple Sticker Project. In addition, Bookshop Santa Cruz ran a promotion in October that raised funds for the Santa Cruz COE to purchase LGBTQ+ books for schools.

The LGBTQ+ Book Selection Task Force, composed of 16 people including public and school librarians, educators and book lovers, met from February to May to select the top 10 recommended LGBTQ+ books that every school library should purchase. The selection criteria included that the main character must be part of the LGBTQ+ community and positively represented, well written and complex storyline, represent different genders, ethnicities and sexual orientations, and was published in the past 10 years.

• Jessica Brooks ( she/her ), Teacher Librarian, Branciforte Middle School, Santa Cruz City Schools.

• Jacqueline Danziger (she/they ), Librarian, Santa Cruz Public Libraries, Felton Branch.

• Andrea Damon (she, her), MSW student CSUMB / Group facilitator, Transfamilies Support Team, Book Lover.

• Rob Darrow (he, him), SCCOE / Safe Schools Project / LGBTQ Support Consultant / Former School Librarian.

• Angela Gates (she, her), Teacher Librarian, Soquel High, Santa Cruz City Schools,

• Beth Griffo (she, her) , Children’s Librarian, Watsonville Library.

• Debra Leal (she, her), Rolling Hills Middle School Library Technician, Pajaro Valley USD.

• Q Licht (he, him), Student, Scotts Valley High, Originator of Purple Sticker Project.

• Ivan Llamas (he, him), Santa Cruz Public Libraries, Librarian, Felton Branch.

• Jackie Lyons (she, her), Santa Cruz Public Libraries, Branch Librarian.

• Ivy Quirk (she, her), Bookshop Santa Cruz, Head Children’s Book Buyer.

• Stephanie Sumarna (she, her), SCCOE, EdTech and Innovation Coach.

• Jen Willoughby (she, her), Instagram: @DiversifyYourStackSC, local philanthropist and book lover, Former School Counselor with PVPSA.

• Jillian Wilson (she/her), Young Adult Services Librarian, Watsonville Public Library.