QueerIST is an LGBTQIA+ focused youth collective (Lesbian, Gay, Bi, Trans, Queer, Intersex, Ace people, and other sexuality and gender minorities) based in Lisbon, Portugal with the mission to promote discourse and spread information on queer topics, both to people inside and outside the queer community, fostering the inclusion of its members and working to reduce discrimination due to sexuality or gender. It is a student-led society out of the IST engineering faculty in the University of Lisbon, engaging not only the local faculty but also the wider youth community in Lisbon. The cultural initiatives at QueerIST have included weekly curation of queer recommendations in books, films, music, and art; film showings, collaborations with the local queer film festival, production of a youth queer podcast, book sharing events, and the creation of a community-led specialized queer library, the QueerIST Library.
Ricardo Maçãs is the lead librarian in a non-professional volunteer capacity at the QueerIST Library.