UNC alumni create calendar to benefit bullied LGBT teens

Two Tar Heels just made September and November a little sexier.

Megan Perez and Josiah Drewry, both UNC alumni, are making headlines after posing as male models in a 2012 calendar meant to challenge the stereotypes of what the typical librarian looks like.

The calendar — called “Men of the Stacks” — features pictures of male librarians ranging from completely naked (with the help of a book, of course) to clothed in a jacket and motorcycle goggles.

Proceeds from calendar sales, estimated at $17,600, go directly to the It Gets Better Project, a non-profit organization that gives positive messages to LGBT teenagers who are bullied.

Perez, Mr. November and project coordinator, said the calendar was inspired by another calendar of librarians called the Tattooed Ladies of the Texas Library Association.

Perez said he and Trevor Dawes, Mr. August, saw the calendar and joked about making a the male version of the calendar.

“We thought, ‘Yeah, that’s cool… but where are all the men?’” Perez said.

Drewry, Mr. September, said there wasn’t a formal photo shoot for the calendar.

He said the 12 male models submitted photos of themselves, interpreting the idea as they wished.

Drewry said he thinks the men pictured in the calendar chose the It Gets Better Project because it’s well known and promotes diverse lifestyles.

“Everybody grows up and faces various difficulties, and once they grow up they realize they should celebrate themselves,” Drewry said.

He said the calendar is about celebrating diversity because it features 12 different men with different backgrounds who are all intelligent and attractive in their own way.

Since the calendar went on sale Sept. 27, the website has received hits from around the world, including Poland, Finland, China, Singapore and South Korea, Perez said.

Web designer Sarah Kahn, an alumna of the UNC School of Information and Library Sciences, said the website has been a great tool to generate publicity.

“I have seen the slide show of the men on the Internet a lot,” she said.

Perez said the team didn’t use a traditional marketing campaign, but instead launched an extensive social media campaign.

He said he created a Facebook fan page, blogged about it and shared the website with all of his friends.

“The first month was pretty crazy.”

Contact the University Editor at university@dailytarheel.com.