10 Books with Great Queer Representation

Published on 1 June 2023 at 13:31

Happy Pride Month!

 

Many barriers have stood in the way of LGBTQ2IA+ representation in the media. Historically, queerness in Western countries has been often been treated as criminal, taboo, underground, or devilish, limiting our ability to name queer identities or live openly. In the United States, for example,  same-sex relationships were only decriminalized on a federal level in 2003, but many other queer identities and aspects of queer culture continue to face legal challenges in a variety of states. Media representation has been slow to follow, perhaps in part, due to the enduring effects of the Hays Code, a self-imposed moral code that governed the entertainment industry from 1934-1968. This code strictly limited the kinds of people that could be represented in film and television. Similarly, the Comic Book Authority censored the comic book industry through the Comics Code of 1954. These morality codes heavily impacted queer representation in entertainment and the legacy continues today.

 

In recent years, we've seen a rise in books with LGBTQ2IA+ representation being challenged or removed from bookshelves. Because of the limitations put on LGBT+ representation in the past, much of the openly queer literature available to readers is new. This presents an interesting problem. Most of these books have not been around long enough to be considered classics or two be used as teaching tools, so they are often not available in online libraries which tend to focus on classics and books that have outlived their copyright. If you live in an area with more liberal leanings, you may be able to find queer books curated at your local library, but if not, where do you go? It's a tricky question with a tricky answer, but I'll try to unpack it in the list below, where I share 10 book with queer representation and places you can find them.

Image Description: A tall bookshelf is filled with books organized by color. The books form a rainbow of color. In the bottom, right corner, a woman reaches high above her head to select a yellow book from the shelf. Her back is turned and she has long, straight black hair that is styled half-up and half-down. She is wearing a mustard colored top.

Photo Credit: Agustin Gunawan/Unsplash via Webador

10 Books with Great Queer Representation

  1. Fairest (Meredith Talusan): A memoir about a transgender girl with albinism who immigrates from the Philippines to the United States. The book explores race, class, and sexuality as well as the changes in perception and identity that come with immigration. Use Open Library or Google Books to search for the book near you or buy it here. Visit the author website here.
  2. From the Notebooks of Melanin Sun (Jacqueline Woodson): Set in Brooklyn, NY, this book follows a thirteen-year-old Black boy who lives with his single mother. His home life is rocked when his mother introduces him to the White woman she is dating. Read the book here or buy here. Learn about the author and the book on the author's website here.
  3. Fun Home (Alison Bechdel): Described as a tragicomic, this graphic novel is told from the perspective of the lesbian daughter of a closeted gay man. Their family runs a funeral parlor which feeds the story's dark comedy. Read the book here or buy here.
  4. Giovanni's Room (James Baldwin): One of the older books on this list, this book is about an American man living in Paris who has an affair with another man while his fiancee is away. Her return sets tragedy in motion. Read the book here, listen here, or buy here.
  5. Rainbow Milk (Paul Mendez): In this book, the protagonist, Jesse, reckons with being a gay, Black immigrant from Jamaica as he navigates his new life in London and his escape from the restrictive religious community in which he was raised. A comparatively new book, it's difficult to find in the free online libraries. Try using Google Books to find the library nearest you that carries the book or buy here.
  6. Sissy: (Jacob Tobia): Sissy: A Coming-of-Gender Story is a memoir about the author's experiences as they came to understand and accept themself as non-binary. Use Open Library to find the a library near you or buy here. Learn more on the author's website.
  7. Sister Outsider (Audre Lorde): Read Sister Outsider here or buy here. Learn about the author and The Audre Lorde Project here.
  8. Tell Me Again How a Crush Should Feel (Sara Farizan): Read here or buy here.
  9. The Art of Being Normal (Lisa Williamson): Two transgender friends navigate high school rumors, face coming out, and redefine normal in this formative book for young adults. Read here, listen here, or buy here.
  10. Two Boys Kissing (David Levithan): About two seventeen-year-olds on a mission to break the Guinness Book of World Record for kissing, Harry and Craig aim to kiss for 32 hours. Read here, listen here, or buy here.

 

As you can see from the list above, Google Books, Open Library, and Internet Archive are all very useful resources. When you search a title on Google Books, you'll find a list of libraries near you that carry that particular text. The Internet Archive has a massive collection of books stored in their online library, and is a great place to start if you are trying to find a title online. As part of the Internet Archive, Open Library hosts a wide range of books and will show you where to find titles that aren't part of their library. If you prefer audiobooks, the Internet Archive's audiobook section works similarly to Open Library. It both hosts audiobook titles and catalogs titles from other libraries that may be available. Another great feature of the Archive is accessibility! It hosts titles with large print and other features for people with print-related disabilities.

 

I hope this list inspires you to read queer books with PRIDE!

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