We invite you to celebrate Pride Month by exploring the works of 2SLBGTQQIA+ writers and activists. Below you will find a selection of books that reflect the diverse experiences of the 2SLGBTQQIA+ community.
Non-Fiction
All Boys Aren’t Blue by George M. Johnson
In a series of personal essays, prominent journalist and LGBTQIA+ activist George M. Johnson explores his childhood, adolescence, and college years in New Jersey and Virginia. From the memories of getting his teeth kicked out by bullies at age five, to flea marketing with his loving grandmother, to his first sexual relationships, this young-adult memoir weaves together the trials and triumphs faced by Black queer boys.
Queer, There and Everywhere: 23 People Who Changed the World by Sarah Prager,Zoe More O’Ferrall (Illustrator)
Queer author and activist Sarah Prager delves deep into the lives of 23 people who fought, created, and loved on their own terms. From high-profile figures like Abraham Lincoln and Eleanor Roosevelt, to the trailblazing gender-ambiguous Queen of Sweden, and a bisexual blues singer who didn’t make it into your history books, these astonishing true stories uncover a rich queer heritage that encompasses every culture, in every era.
A Short History of Trans Misogyny by Jules Gill-Peterson
Gill-Peterson historicizes violence towards trans women through a global lens in the context of colonialism, asking why trans femininity carries so much power in the cultural consciousness of Western empire. A notable new intervention.
Sister Outsider: Essays and Speeches by Audre Lorde
A collection of fifteen essays written between 1976 and 1984 gives clear voice to Audre Lorde’s literary and philosophical personae. These essays explore and illuminate the roots of Lorde’s intellectual development and her deep-seated and longstanding concerns about ways of increasing empowerment among minority women writers and the absolute necessity to explicate the concept of difference—difference according to sex, race, and economic status. The title Sister Outsider finds its source in her poetry collection The Black Unicorn (1978). These poems and the essays in Sister Outsider stress Lorde’s oft-stated theme of continuity, particularly of the geographical and intellectual link between Dahomey, Africa, and her emerging self.
Are you my Mother? by Alison Bechdel
Alison Bechdel’s Fun Home was a pop culture and literary phenomenon. Now, a second thrilling tale of filial sleuthery, this time about her mother: voracious reader, music lover, passionate amateur actor. Also a woman, unhappily married to a closeted gay man, whose artistic aspirations simmered under the surface of Bechdel’s childhood . . . and who stopped touching or kissing her daughter good night, forever, when she was seven. Poignantly, hilariously, Bechdel embarks on a quest for answers concerning the mother-daughter gulf.
Before We Were Trans by Kit Heyam
Before We Were Trans illuminates the stories of people across the globe, from antiquity to the present, whose experiences of gender have defied binary categories. Blending historical analysis with sharp cultural criticism, trans historian and activist Kit Heyam offers a new, radically inclusive trans history, chronicling expressions of trans experience that are often overlooked, like gender-nonconforming fashion and wartime stage performance.
Others Of My Kind: Transatlantic Transgender Histories by Alex Bakker
Drawing on letters, pictures, and correspondence between trans people on both sides of the Atlantic in the mid-20th century, this book documents the early emergence of transgender community in the wake of World War II and the destruction of Hirschfeld’s archives and Sexology Institute. Helpful to understand the development of transsexuality as an identity and trans solidarity as a movement.
Out North: An Archive of Queer Activism and Kinship in Canada by Craig Jennex and Nisha Eswaran
The ArQuives, the largest independent LGBTQ2+ archive in the world, is dedicated to collecting, preserving, and celebrating the stories and histories of LGBTQ2+ people in Canada. Since 1973, volunteers have amassed a vast collection of important artifacts that speak to personal experiences and significant historical moments for Canadian queer communities. Out North: An Archive of Queer Activism and Kinship in Canada is a fascinating exploration and examination of one nation’s queer history and activism, and Canada’s definitive visual guide to LGBTQ2+ movements, struggles, and achievements.
A Two-Spirit Journey: The Autobiography of a Lesbian Ojibwa-Cree Elder by Ma-Nee Chacaby
A Two-Spirit Journey is Ma-Nee Chacaby’s extraordinary account of her life as an Ojibwa-Cree lesbian. From her early, often harrowing memories of life and abuse in a remote Ojibwa community riven by poverty and alcoholism, Chacaby’s story is one of enduring and ultimately overcoming the social, economic, and health legacies of colonialism.
The Remedy: Queer and Trans Voices on Health and Health Care by Zena Sharman
The Remedy invites writers and readers to imagine what we need to create healthy, resilient, and thriving LGBTQ communities. This anthology is a diverse collection of real-life stories from queer and trans people on their own health-care experiences and challenges, from gay men living with HIV who remember the systemic resistance to their health-care needs, to a lesbian couple dealing with the experience of cancer, to young trans people who struggle to find health-care providers who treat them with dignity and respect. The book also includes essays by health-care providers, activists, and leaders, with something to say about the challenges, politics, and opportunities surrounding LGBTQ health issues. The Remedy is a must-read for anyone passionately concerned about the right to proper health care for all.
Fiction
On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong
In poetic prose, Ocean Vuong writes a letter to his mother who cannot read. He paints a portrait of his family with roots in Vietnam and war, talks through his feelings about being the son of Vietnamese immigrants, and shares intimate stories about his first love and heartbreaking losses.
Like a Love Story by Abdi Nazemian
Like a Love Story takes place in 1989 New York City, following three teens—a closeted Iranian immigrant, an aspiring fashion designer, and an openly gay photographer—who find themselves in a love triangle that threatens all their bonds.
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid
When magazine reporter Monique Grant is summoned by aging and reclusive Hollywood movie icon Evelyn Hugo, she’s determined to use this opportunity to jump-start her career. Evelyn is finally ready to tell the truth about her glamorous and scandalous life, which includes tales of ruthless ambition, unexpected friendship, and a great love she’s kept secret for decades. Monique begins to form a real connection to the legendary star, but as her story nears a conclusion, it becomes shockingly clear why Evelyn chose her.
The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller
This retelling of a legendary Greek epic gives us the story of the Trojan War as told from the perspective of Patroclus. The Song of Achilles explores the true nature of his relationship—since the beginnings of their childhood friendship—with the great warrior Achilles, and their rarely-spoken-about romance.
Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Saenz
When two teenage loners—an angry teen with a brother in prison and an annoying know-it-all—meet at a swimming pool, they initially decide they have nothing in common, but it isn’t long before they develop a bond that changes both of their lives.
Felix Ever After by Kacen Callender
Felix Ever After tells the sweet and moving story of a transgender teen coming to terms with self-discovery while also falling in love for the first time. (P.S: You will want to keep the tissues handy for this one).
The Boy With a Bird In His Chest by Emme Lund
Emme Lund’s magical, allegorical debut is all about Owen, a boy who spends his life hidden away due to the chatty bird named Gail living in his chest. But when he’s forced to flee home to live with his uncle and cousin, he finds a family who not only accepts the bird in his chest but embraces every part of him fully. There, Owen learns how to live fully and openly.
Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli
Simon Spier is a sixteen-year-old high school junior who isn’t openly gay and would rather avoid unnecessary drama. His life becomes complicated when a classmate discovers the secret emails he’s been exchanging with “Blue,” an anonymous boy from school he’s slowly falling for. Threatened with having his sexuality exposed, Simon is blackmailed into helping the class clown win over one of Simon’s friends. At the same time, tensions begin growing within his close friend group, and Simon’s connection with Blue becomes more meaningful and romantic. As the pressure builds, Simon must learn to be honest with himself and others, risking embarrassment, heartbreak, and change in order to find happiness and love.
Red, White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston
Alex Claremont-Diaz, the charming and ambitious son of the first female U.S. president, is often treated like American royalty. But his long-running feud with Prince Henry of Britain becomes an international scandal after a public confrontation at a royal wedding makes headlines. To repair relations between the two countries, Alex and Henry are forced to pretend they’re close friends for the media. As they spend more time together, their fake friendship unexpectedly turns into a secret romance. While Alex’s mother campaigns for reelection, the two must navigate political pressure, public expectations, and the risks their relationship could pose to both their futures. Along the way, Alex is forced to confront questions about identity, duty, love, and what kind of legacy he wants to leave behind.
Children’s Books
Pringle and Finn by Paul Castle
Follow Pringle and Finn, two penguins with big hearts, as they deliver wedding cakes to their friends in the animal kingdom. Each cake tells a story, and each wedding offers a challenge that Pringle and Finn must face together. Pringle & Finn is an enduring tale about love, diversity, and the importance of working as a team.
When Aidan Became A Brother by Kyle Lukoff, Kaylani Juanita
When Aidan was born, everyone thought he was a girl. His parents gave him a pretty name, his room looked like a girl’s room, and he wore clothes that other girls liked wearing. After he realized he was a trans boy, Aidan and his parents fixed the parts of life that didn’t fit anymore, and he settled happily into his new life. Then Mom and Dad announce that they’re going to have another baby, and Aidan wants to do everything he can to make things right for his new sibling from the beginning–from choosing the perfect name to creating a beautiful room to picking out the cutest onesie. But what does “making things right” actually mean? And what happens if he messes up? With a little help, Aidan comes to understand that mistakes can be fixed with honesty and communication, and that he already knows the most important thing about being a big brother: how to love with his whole self.
Julián is a Mermaid by Jessica Love
While riding the subway home from the pool with his abuela one day, Julián notices three women spectacularly dressed up. Their hair billows in brilliant hues, their dresses end in fishtails, and their joy fills the train car. When Julián gets home, daydreaming of the magic he’s seen, all he can think about is dressing up just like the ladies in his own fabulous mermaid costume: a butter-yellow curtain for his tail, the fronds of a potted fern for his headdress. But what will Abuela think about the mess he makes — and even more importantly, what will she think about how Julián sees himself? Mesmerizing and full of heart, Jessica Love’s author-illustrator debut is a jubilant picture of self-love and a radiant celebration of individuality.
From the Stars in the Sky to the Fish in the Sea by Kai Cheng Thom
A children’s picture book that incorporates lush visual storytelling with poetic language to tell the tale of a magical gender variant child who brings transformation and change to the world around them with the help of their mother’s love. This unique children’s book honors timeless fairy-tale themes while challenging gender, racial, and body stereotypes.
My Shadow is Purple by Scott Stuart
My Dad has a shadow that’s blue as a berry, and my Mom’s is as pink as a blossoming cherry. There’s only those choices, a 2 or a 1. But mine is quite different, it’s both and it’s none. A heartwarming and inspiring book about being true to yourself and moving beyond the gender binary, by the bestselling author of My Shadow Is Pink.
