Readers know how powerful books can be. They know how the pages of a story can transport us into the experience of others, help lead us to a deeper understanding of the humanity of all of us, and open our eyes to the world around us.
Books that celebrate and represent those from the LGBTQ community are a crucial element for making a more equal world for all of us and everyone can benefit from adding representation and diversity to the bookshelves of our homes, for both adults and children.
We’ve got a pretty expansive list here of LGBTQ books for children and adults, with a particular emphasis on books with authors of color, since those with Black and Brown skin have been crucial pioneers in the movement for gay rights.
A NOTE ON LINKS: As much as possible, we have included links to books at Boswell Books in Milwaukee. If the book was not listed on their website, we chose to look at Black-owned bookstores that can ship the book to you. Only when that failed, did we use an Amazon affiliate link and those will be designated with an *asterisk.
Did we miss one of your favorites? Please let us know and we can add it!
LGBTQ Books for Children
Authors of Color are in BOLDFACE
- Stonewall: A Building. An Uprising. A Revolution by Rob Sanders and Jamey Christoph
- I am Jazz by Jessica Herthel, Jazz Jennings, and Shelagh McNicholas
- Sex is a Funny Word by Cory Silverberg
- What Makes a Baby by Cory Silverberg
- Uncle Bobby’s Wedding by Sarah S. Brannen
- Sparkle Boy by Leslea Newman
- Julian is a Mermaid by Jessica Love
- Introducing Teddy by Jessica Walton
- Jacob’s New Dress by Sarah Hoffman and Ian Hoffman
- Jacob’s Room to Choose by Sarah Hoffman and Ian Hoffman
- Annie’s Plaid Shirt by Stacy B Davids
- What Was Stonewall? by Nico Medina
- My Two Moms Recipe Book: Create Your Own Cookbook for Lesbian Couples with Kids
- Pride: The Story of Harvey Milk and the Rainbow Flag by Rob Sanders
LGBTQ Books for Middle-Grade Readers
Authors of Color are in BOLDFACE
- George by Alex Gino
- The Moon Within by Aida Salazar
- Hurricane Child by Kheryn Callender
- The Witch Boy by Molly Knox Ostertag
- One True Way by Shannon Hitchcock
- Gracefully Grayson by Ami Polonsky
- Lily and Dunkin by Donna Gephart
- See You at Harry’s by Jo Knowles
LGBTQ Books for Young Adults
Note: Keep in mind that many books that are designated as being for Young Adults (YA) are fantastic reads for adults too!
Authors of Color are in BOLDFACE
- The Stars and the Blackness Between Them by Junauda Petrus
- Pride: A Pride and Prejudice Remix by Ibi Zoboi
- I Wish You All the Best by Mason Deaver
- You Should See Me in a Crown by Leah Johnson
- The Love and Lies of Rukhsana Ali by Sabina Khan
- The Music of What Happens by Bill Konigsberg
- Vanilla by Billy Merrell
- And She Was by Jessica Verdi
- All Out: The No-Longer-Secret Stories of Queer Teens Throughout the Ages by Saundra Mitchell
- Simon vs. The Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli
- If I Was Your Girl by Meredith Russo
- It’s Not Like It’s a Secret by Misa Sugiura
- None of the Above by I. W. Gregorio
- When the Moon Was Ours by Anna-Marie McLemore
- The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller
- Let’s Talk About Love by Claire Kann
- Beyond Magenta: Transgender Teens Speak Out by Susan Kuklin
- Rethinking Normal: A Memoir in Transition by Katie Rain Hill
- Drama by Raina Telgemeier (graphic novel)
- Heartstopper by Alice Oseman (graphic novel)
- Every Day by David Levithan
- Symptoms of Being Human by Jeff Garvin
- Little and Lion by Brandy Colbert
- The Secrets of Eden by Brandon Goode
- Not Otherwise Specified by Hannah Moskowitz (features main characters of color, but author is not)
- By Any Means Necessary by Candice Montgomery
- Gender Queer: A Memoir by Maia Kobabe (graphic novel)
- The Gravity of Us by Phil Stamper
- Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up With Me by Mariko Tamaki
- What if It’s Us by Becky Albertalli and Adam Silvera
LGBTQ Books for Adults
Note: Keep in mind that many books that are designated as being for Young Adults (YA) are fantastic reads for adults too!
Authors of Color are in BOLDFACE
FICTION
- Red, White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston
- One Last Stop by Casey McQuiston
- Felix Ever After by Kacen Callender
- Patsy by Nicole Dennis-Benn
- Here Comes the Sun by Nicole Dennis-Benn
- A People’s History of Heaven by Mathangi Subramanian
- Kings, Queens and In-Betweens by Tanya Boteju
- Wow, No Thank You by Samantha Irby
- Red at the Bone by Jacqueline Woodson
- Go Tell it On the Mountain by James Baldwin
- When Katie Met Cassidy by Camille Perri
- The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid
- The Knockout Queen by Rufi Thorpe
- Lot: Stories by Bryan Washington
- Rubyfruit Jungle by Rita Mae Brown
- All My Mother’s Lovers by Ilana Masad
- Real Life by Brandon Taylor
- Romance in Marseille by Claude McKay
- The Vanished Birds by Simon Jimenez
- Something to Talk About by Meryl Wilsner
- The Sunlight Pilgrims by Jenni Fagan
- How to Survive a Summer by Nick White
- Juliet Takes a Breath by Gabby Rivera
- Tell the Wolves I’m Home by Carol Rifka Brunt
- The Paying Guests by Sarah Waters
- Cantoras by Carolina De Robertis
- Build Yourself a Boat by Camonghne Felix
- Full Disclosure by Camryn Garrett
- An Unkindness of Ghosts by Rivers Solomon
- Under the Udala Trees by Chinelo Okparanta
- Happiness, Like Water by Chinelo Okparanta
NON-FICTION
-
Trans Kids and Teens: Pride, Joy, and Families in Transition by Elijah C Nealy
- We Are Everywhere: Protest, Power and Pride in the History of Queer Liberation
- We Have Always Been Here: A Queer Muslim Memoir by Samra Habib
- When They Call You a Terrorist: A Black Lives Matter Memoir by Patrisse Khan-Cullors & Asha Bandela
- The Stonewall Reader
- Color Outside the Lines: Stories about Love
- Bad Feminist by Roxane Gay
- Stonewall: The Definitive Story of the LGBTQ Uprising That Changed America
- Untamed by Glennon Doyle
- All Boys Aren’t Blue by George M. Johnson
- Sissy by Jacob Tobia
- How We Fight for Our Lies by Saeed Jones
- Sister Outsider by Audra Lorde
- Here For It by R. Eric Thomas
- In The Dream House by Carmen Maria Machado
- Black Like Us: A Century of Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual African American Fiction
- The Rules Do Not Apply by Ariel Levy
- Gender Outlaw by Kate Bornstein
- Becoming Nicole by Amy Ellis Nutt
- Unbound: Transgender Men and the Remaking of Identity by Arlene Stein
- Boy Erased by Garrad Conley
-
And Then I Got Fired: One Transqueer’s Reflections on Grief, Unemployment & Inappropriate Jokes About Death by J. Mase, III
-
I Can’t Date Jesus: Love, Sex, Family, Race, and Other Reasons I’ve Put My Faith in Beyoncé by Michael Arceneaux
- No Ashes in the Fire by Darnell L Moore
