June is, of course, Pride Month, a time to celebrate what it means to be LGBTQIA+. Though, really, we should be celebrating these things year round, Pride is still a good time to get together, take part in marches, party if that’s more your thing, and of course…read queer books! Over at Divination Hollow, it’s our annual Pride in Horror Month, and we have plenty of queer stuff there for you to dig into, but today on this blog, I wanted to highlight some of the queer nonfiction I think everyone should read.
Queer Nonfiction Everyone Should Read
Bi: The Hidden Culture, History, and Science of Bisexuality
Julia Shaw
Genre: History / Science / Sexuality
Age: Adult
Format: Hardback
Published: 1st May, 2022
Review Soon on Divination Hollow
You should read this because bisexuality is often overlooked, but Shaw has pulled together an incredible amount of information in a way that’s accessible as much as it’s informative. Whether you’re bi yourself, curious, have a bi loved one or want to be an ally to bi folks, there’s plenty here to help you understand bisexuality more.
Gay Britannia: Celebrating LGBTQ+ History in Britain
Genre: History / Biography
Age: Adult
Format: Audiobook
Published: 20th June, 2019
Review
You should read this because this is an excellently put together audio collection of British LGBTQ+ stories, with interviews and discussions pulled from BBC Radio. It’s got interviews with activists and celebrities, history about LGBTQ+ life in Britain and more. At the time I listened to this, there wasn’t a whole lot out there focusing on British queer history. It’s getting better, but this is still incredibly valuable and informative.
Gay Aliens and Queer Folk: How Russell T Davies Changed TV
Emily Garside
Genre: History / Entertainment
Age: Adult
Format: Hardback
Published: 21st September, 2023
Review
You should read this because this could also be called “literally anything by Emily Garside”. Emily writes a lot of queer stuff, and honestly everything I’ve read by her (including her excellent Substack) is just a joy to read. You should also pick up her latest – Rainbow Wales. And speaking of Wales…
A Little Gay History of Wales
Daryl Leeworthy
Genre: History
Age: Adult
Format: Paperback
Published: 22nd January, 2020
Review
You should read this because we may be a small country, but we have some fascinating queer history! Queer history is incredibly hard to piece together, especially as you go back further in time – there’s a reliance on things like police reports and coded letters, and it all cumulates in specific queer histories coming to light. Leeworthy has done an incredible job with getting as wide a range as possible throughout Wales’ history here.
Transitions: Our Stories of Being Trans
Genre: Essays
Age: Adult
Format: ebook
Published: 17th May, 2021
Review
You should read this because books like these are incredibly important! We need people’s voices, we need their stories preserved and that goes for celebrities and activists in things like Gay Britannia to new writers putting words to page. We’re able to tell our own stories in ways queer folks couldn’t in the past, and that’s to be celebrated and encouraged.
The Transgender Issue: An Argument for Justice
Shon Faye
Genre: Politics / Feminism / Activism
Age: Adult
Format: ebook
Published: 2nd September, 2021
Review
You should read this because although I think everyone should read every book on this list, if you’re deciding which one to pick up first or can only get one right now, it should be this one. Trans people have faced relentless attacks for a long, long time, and any allyship can either start with or be enhanced with education. This is an excellent book for people to educate themselves and to start truly understanding what can be done to help.
The Book of Pride: LGBTQ Heroes Who Changed the World
Mason Funk
Genre: History / Biography / Politics
Age: Adult
Format: Audiobook
Published: 21st May, 2019
You should read this because it’s another one featuring stories from queer folks in their own words – focusing on queer elders, the very folks who fought tirelessly so people could live more openly and as themselves. As the title suggests, these are people who changed the world, and their stories are so incredibly important.
If you have any more suggestions, feel free to throw them my way!
Unwrapping Words 