February is LGBT history month here in the UK. This year we're going to join in the celebration at the Reading group by choosing a book that in one way or another says something about lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender history.
That's a gloriously broad, rainbow-coloured spectrum, I know – encompassing anything from The Symposium to Brokeback Mountain, anyone from Genet to Jeanette Winterson to Alan Hollinghurst. It could be a book that helps us feel pride that we have progressed far enough as a society to embrace equal marriage rights, or one that reminds us that for many, the struggle goes on. Or, more simply, it could just be camp and fun. The choice is yours – with a little help from the Reading group's famous sorting hat …
To get the ball rolling, we're giving away 10 copies of Neil McKenna's wonderful Fanny and Stella, a new history of the sensational trial of Ernest Boulton and Frederick William Park – known to friends as Fanny and Stella – who in 1871 were arrested while wearing women's clothing and charged with "conspiring and inciting persons to commit an unnatural offence". It's a gripping and shocking account, frequently tragic, but ultimately triumphant – not least because the book itself marks a final vindication and victory for the two heroes, describing them with the eloquence, good humour and the dignity they have so long deserved. A treat, in other words. The first 10 people from the UK to post an "I want, please" below the line will get a copy. Although, don't forget to email ginny.hooker@guardian.co.uk afterwards, letting us know your address and your user name. We can't track you down ourselves!
In the meantime, there's still plenty more Sylvia Plath to come …
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