Quist - Today in LGBTQ History
Explore LGBTQ history and link to learning resources.
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Quist - Today in LGBTQ History
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A Lot or a Little?
The parents' guide to what's in this app.
What Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that Quist - Today in LGBTQ History is a reference app for learning about the LGBTQ community's history around the world. It's filled with stories about major historical events, equal rights milestones, and LGBTQ individuals' contributions to society and culture (such as great advances in science, literature, media, and technology). Most stories are overwhelmingly positive, supportive, and informative. The free version of the app has a banner ad across the bottom of the screen, which can contain iffy content (for example "Dammit, I'm a unicorn!"); users can remove by paying $4.99. Though most in-app and linked content is generally kid-friendly, some external links are less so and may contain language or other content that's inappropriate for young users.
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What’s It About?
QUIST is a reference app for exploring historic events that involved members of the LGBTQ community. A contraction of "queer history," Quist's developers created the app to build awareness, engagement, and support for the LGBTQ community and the history of the community's struggles. On launch, users see events that occurred today in LGBTQ history; then users can tap that story to view a longer entry and browse other entries from that date. Each entry includes its date, its location (tagged by country), and relevant links. Some links head to profiles on Wikipedia, while others link to videos, outside websites, or commercial sites selling items related to the story (for example, a story about a genderqueer author winning an award includes a link to buy that author's book from Amazon).
In addition to seeing today's events, users can tap to display a navigation bar and explore events by date or browse by country. There's additional information about the app available, and users can link to the developer's website or recommend a new entry for the app via the Contact option. There's also an option to remove ads; the app is free to download and users can pay $4.99 to disable the ads across the bottom of the screen.
Is It Any Good?
Quist is a good first step for learning about LGBTQ history. The volume of stories here might be the app's most powerful message; search any notable date or browse any country's entries and you'll learn about members of the LGBTQ community who were involved in major world events throughout history. There also are many stories about civil rights tragedies and triumphs, including landmark court cases and famous firsts. Interestingly, the developer's website might be an even better resource: There, kids and teachers can learn more about the developers and their work to tell the LGBTQ community's story and honor its champions and allies. You'll also find links to teaching resources, activity ideas, and other high-quality teaching resources that can help teachers navigate how to tell stories that aren't widely known or commonly shared.
Though the volume of stories is great, navigating the app can be unpredictable, making it occasionally hard to take advantage of all that content. It's not always clear where to click, and the stories that remain are inconsistent, as you view one and then move back to a page of search results. More clear, consistent navigation features and a simpler interface would make exploring these stories more enjoyable. Also, keep in mind that the links out to other websites have inconsistent quality. You'll know what you're getting into with Wikipedia, but some external sites include profanity or images that may not be appropriate for kids, which makes it best for use with an adult.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Search for special dates from history, such as your family's birthdays or notable historical dates (such as September 11th or July 4th). What do you find? What surprises you?
Use the map feature to browse entries by country. Which countries have the most entries? What's similar about different countries' stories? What's different?
Some of the content that links from stories goes to sites that sell the items described (such as books from one author and an entrepreneur's consumer product), while some user-generated sites might have language or images that aren't as professional (or profanity-free) as Wikipedia. Talk about your family's rules for online browsing: Make it clear where kids can go solo and where they need to bring an adult.
App Details
- Devices: iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad, Android
- Subjects: Social Studies: cultural understanding, history, timelines
- Skills: Responsibility & Ethics: embracing differences, honoring the community, respect for others
- Pricing structure: Free to try, Paid (Pay $4.99 to remove ads from the bottom of the screen.)
- Release date: October 9, 2013
- Category: Reference
- Topics: History
- Publisher: The Communicationist LLC
- Version: 1.2
- Minimum software requirements: iOS 5.0 or later; Android 2.2 and up
- Last updated: July 12, 2020
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