June is Pride Month for the LGBTQIA+ community, and believe me, we need it. Yes, “we.” I am the A in the acronym, which stands for asexual (not ally, a common misconception that erases asexual people). With heterosexuality celebrated every day of every year for the past two thousand years or more, those of us on the LGBTQ+ spectrum need and deserve a month to be proud of who we are, love ourselves for who we are, celebrate ourselves for who we are, and to be unapologetic about it.
We need this month.
We need community.
We need true allies.
We need books!
Books written by LGBTQ+ authors and/or with LGBTQ+ characters are the most challenged and banned books EVER. That’s not an exaggeration. LGBTQ+ content dominates each year’s list of the Top 10 Most Challenged Books curated by the American Library Association, along with books about racism and books about BIPOC people. In 2019, 8 of the 10 titles that made the list had LGBTQ+ content or characters in them. In 2020, the word/phrase most used in censorship reports was “LGBTQIA+.” This is only getting worse, but it won’t stop kids or readers from reading whatever the hell they want to read!
I support the LGBTQIA+ community.
I support LGBTQIA+ authors.
I support LGBTQIA+ books.
Let’s celebrate the freedom to love our way and the freedom to read!
This post is packed with LGBTQIA+ book recommendations for you to add to your TBR list, read, review, recommend to others, gift to loved ones, share with young readers, donate to Little Free Libraries, and request at your local library.
There’s so many books that I didn’t have space for blurbs or short descriptions. I organized the titles into groups based on where they fall on the LGBTQIA+ spectrum and used Bookshop’s widgets that you can scroll through. Then you click on the covers of the titles that catch your eye and read more about them on Bookshop.
***This is not an exhaustive list but rather a starting point.***
Enjoy!
First, I have to shout out this great non-fiction book:
Rainbow Revolutions: Power, Pride, and Protest in the Fight For Queer Rights
My Review: This book is fabulous. This is a history of queer rights that was needed and is needed. I learned knew things and expanded my knowledge on others. There’s so much here that’s not readily known, and for a reason, because it was history that had been buried on purpose or it was taboo to discuss.
For instance, we all know about Hitler’s terrifying reign in which Jewish people, Polish people, people of color, people with disabilities, and queer people were targeted. While the fact that queer people were targeted is mentioned (most of the time), it’s never really discussed. Like how 5,000-15,000 men were sent to concentration camps for being gay, and when the war ended and the camps closed, they weren’t often freed but sent straight to prison for being (or assumed) gay. They are “forgotten victims of the Nazis.”
This book covers a lot including the Stonewall Riots, the AIDS crisis, voguing, the rainbow flag, Pride marches, the LGBTQ+ acronym, prominent figures, and more.
LGBTQIA+ BOOK RECOMMENDATIONS:
L (Lesbian):
G (Gay):
B (Bisexual):
T (Transgender):
Q (Queer):
I (Intersex):
A (Asexual):
P (Pansexual):
BOOK BANNING NEWS UPDATE:
That's quite the list. Wow.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Liz! It took quite a bit of work.
ReplyDeleteThat's an impressive list of books you've made, Chrys. I live in Idaho and have to shake my head at the parents who try to ban LGBTQIA+ books from schools. I find it ridiculous and intolerant. I've talked to my kids about the meaning of the different letters, and openly talk about the people in our lives--like how Laura is now Brian and goes by He, and yes, he is still married to Amber and Amber still loves him. I tell them about my old church youth pastor who stepped down from his role the day he came out as gay, and the way my parents were horrified because "He's supposed to be a Christian!" I've explained being gay isn't a choice. I explain that Captain Jack Harkness from Doctor Who likes both men and women, human or not. I've talked to my age-appropriate daughter about safe sex and precautions, and how it's perfectly okay not to want sex at all, because some people don't.
ReplyDeleteI try to do my part so that hopefully the next generation is more accepting than the one that came before me.
That is amazing, Loni. I applaud you. If I ever have or care for children, I hope to have the same conversations with them as you have with your kids. You’re doing amazing. ❤️
ReplyDeleteWhat a festive month indeed! :)
ReplyDeleteIt sure is, Damyanti. A well-deserved festive month. 🥳
ReplyDeleteAnother fantastic compilation of books!
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed Red, White & Royal Blue. It's been a while since I read it, but I remember having a hard time putting it down.
Quite a few of these other titles are sitting on my bookshelves, waiting very patiently for me to pick them up.
Quite the extensive list. I actually have a few of these. I’m not for censorship, and that’s what this is.
ReplyDelete@M.J., Red, White, & Royal Blue is a book I plan/hope to read soon.
ReplyDelete@Toi, thank you for your comment. I agree. Book banning is a kind of censorship, which should be illegal. No one, not a government official or politician or school or judge, should be allowed to ban books.
ReplyDeleteHi Chrys - apologies for taking quite so long getting here ... I'm really grateful for this list and your brief overview summaries, also I enjoyed the comments and other thoughts.
ReplyDeleteWe've just introduced a 50p coin here - that was going to be for collectors, but the Royal Mint has decided to bring it into legal tender ...
If you're interested and would like to look it is here:
https: //www.ianvisits.co.uk/articles/five-million-commemorative-pride-50p-coins-going-into-general-circulation- 55293/
I've de-linked it ... but means you can look if you'd like to ...
I do hope all is peaceful for you both ... take care and all the best to you and your mother - Hilary
Thank you for your comment, Hilary!
DeleteOh my gosh! I really want one of those coins. Amazing! Thank you for sharing that with me!
The people who censor/ban books still don't get that preventing kids and teens from reading these books often just makes them want to read those books even more. I remember when I was a kid, Judy Blume's books were often banned, which is why I read as many of them as I could find.
ReplyDeleteI recently read a teen horror novel called My Dearest Darkest, and it focuses on two teenage girls who go to a boarding school and end up falling for each other. It was a really good book, not only because of how the author, Kayla Cottingham, depicted their relationship but also because the plot seriously scared me. (It wasn't the romantic relationship that scared me; it was all the scary things that happened to the teens and their friends in this book that freaked me out.)
Exactly. That's what happens when you place rules on kids/teens...they want to break them.
DeleteI don't usually read horror stories, but that one sounds interesting. Thanks for the rec!