Books with gay characters

Consider giving them this book to read and let it open the conversation for you. That’s exactly how the two main characters in this book feel. There are so many mainstream books that are not essentially in the 'gay' genre, with great, strong lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender characters and story lines.

These books inspire us, give us hope and show that our literary worlds can and should!

Books with LGBTQ+ Characters :

This is what makes the current wave of book bans targeting queer books even more dangerous. This book is sure to inspire you to live authentically, regardless of what others say. Exploring your own identities or trying to explain who you are to friends or family?

There have been few experiences more powerful for me as an author than visiting high school and college classrooms and hearing queer students reflect on how meaningful it was to see their lives and stories on the page. The book also explores themes of desire and belonging.

In this poetic novel, a son writes a letter to his mother, who cannot read. A lesbian and a gay man drift in and out of each other’s lives over the course of the years spanning from college through adulthood. But this largely corporate visibility during Pride month, known as rainbow washingshouldn't be a day limited engagement, especially as our rights are under attack.

This tough but tender novel is about understanding yourself and queerly demanding to be heard. The book explores coming out to family, medical trauma that comes as existing as a visible trans person and coming out as asexual. It explores his love for her and unpacks the deepest secrets of masculinity, race and class.

This new story is a fresh take on the book that inspired so many of us. In this beautiful memoir, readers follow a queer Muslim immigrant coming to understand her own identity and sense of gender. Add them all to your own TBR list, or pick up a handful as the perfect gift for the book-lover in your life.

We've been independently researching and testing products for over years. Instead of just reading gay books during Pride, challenge yourself to expand the diversity of books you read all year long. From obscure novels to modern bestsellers, these books offer a powerful and diverse representation of the queer experience.

As an out author of fiction and nonfiction books, it is an unnerving time to be writing books about queer and trans lives and experiences. And once you're done here, head on over to the GH Book Club to check out even more feel-good reads.

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Actor Elliot Page recounts his journey to understanding his gender in this New York Times bestseller. Discover the top 10 must-read books with gay main characters! If you buy through our links, we may earn a commission. In college, Bechdel comes out as a lesbian, at which time she realizes that her father was also gay.

Additional reporting by Lizz Schumer. This book is full of intimate stories of his experience starring in the movie Junogoing to a queer bar for the first time, coming out as transgender and the backlash he experienced in Hollywood.