The Gay Agenda

A joyful celebration of the LGBTQ+ community's development, history, and culture, packed with facts, trivia, timelines, and charts, and featuring 100 full-color illustrations.

Compiled and designed by queer power couple and illustrators extraordinaire, Ashley Molesso and Chessie Needham, founders of the popular Brooklyn stationery company Ash + Chess, The Gay Agenda is an inviting and entertaining guide that pays tribute to the LGBTQ+ community. Filled with engaging descriptions, interesting facts, helpful features-such as historical queer icons and events and LGBTQ+ acronym definitions-this fabulous compendium illuminates the transformation of the community, highlighting its struggles, achievements, landmarks, and contributions. It also salutes iconic members of the LGBTQ+ community-the celebrities, politicians, entrepreneurs and ordinary citizens who have made a notable impact on gay life and society itself.

The Gay Agenda is a nostalgic look back for older generations, an archive for younger people, and a helpful introduction for those interested in learning more about the community and its contributions. From James Baldwin and Emma Goldman to Marsha P. Johnson and Jodie Foster; the Pink Triangle and the Rainbow Flag to Stonewall and the AIDS crisis; Matthew Shepard and Pulse Nightclub to Sodomy Laws and Obergefell; Drag and Transitioning to The L Word and The Kinsey Scale, Freddie Mercury and Ellen Degeneres to Laverne Cox and David Bowie, this magnificent digest is a keepsake honoring all LGBTQ+, and the ongoing fight to gain-and maintain-equality for all.

About the Author

Ash + Chess is a cute stationery company run by partners Ashley Molesso and Chessie Needham, based out of Brooklyn, NY. They create greeting cards and art prints that are sarcastic, edgy, and fun. They are known for using bold, retro color palettes, and they often use their artwork to make a political statement. Their company made its debut at the National Stationery Show in May 2017, and since then, over 60 retailers throughout the United States, Canada, Europe, and Asia sell their art and stationery. In the short time that they have been in business, Ash + Chess have worked on many collaborations including artwork for Belletrist, a book club run by actress Emma Roberts and Karah Preiss; book illustrations for Harper Collins and Workman Publishing; t-shirt designs for The Style Club x Forever 21; and exclusive designs and patterns for Plaza Style, a Japanese retail brand.