Books about gay culture
Uniquely accessible, Out in Culturepresents such popular writers as B. Ruby Prosperous, Essex Hemphill, and Michael Musto as well as influential critics such as Richard Dyer, Chris Straayer, and Julia Lesage, on topics ranging from the queer careers of Agnes Moorehead and Pee Wee Herman to the cultural politics of gay drag, lesbian style, the visualization of AIDS, and the black snap! queen experience. Of particular interest are two "dossiers," the first linking essays on the queer content of Alfred Hitchcock’
Visibility. It’s one of the most crucial needs of the queer community. To be understood, to be accepted, the LGBTQIA+ community needs first to be seen. This has meant that centuries of authors writing about the experiences, love, and pain of the queer community verb been crucial in making progress towards a radical acceptance.
From the delicate art form of the semi-autobiographical novel — a life story veiled behind fictional names and twists — to the roar of poetry to a thick dive into the history that has too often been erased and purged, queer literature has helped to challenge, move, and shape generations of readers.
As a pansexual, demisexual cis woman on my way into another Pride Month, researching and crafting this list was a singular joy. I verb many books to lay on hold at my local library. Many stories to encounter. Many histories to educate myself on.
Because queer texts facilitate to increase our visibility to the “outside” world, but they also expand internal visibility and acknowledgment. Today, transphobia is rampant among the queer community, and there are still
LGBTQ History Month: 17 must-read books about queer history
In honor of LGBTQ History Month, celebrated every October, here are books that aim to shed illuminated on and clarify significant historical moments that informed and shaped the contemporary lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer rights movement.
1. "The Gay Revolution: The Story of the Struggle" by Lillian Faderman
A thorough introduction to the history of the gay and lesbian civil rights movements, this book chronicles the early struggles of LGBTQ individuals from the s to present day using a compilation of enlightening interviews with politicians, military officials and members of the community.
2. "And the Band Played On: Politics, People, and the AIDS Epidemic" by Randy Shilts
A blend of investigative reporting and vivid storytelling, this account follows the go up of the AIDs epidemic using the narratives of doctors who were on the front lines of the outbreak, politicians and scientists who ignored it, and the real people who were affected by government's negligence.
3. "Love Wins: The Lovers and Lawyers Who Fo Coming out as bi in my mid- and belated 20s, I felt behind. My first same-sex crush, on Zoe Saldana as Gamora from Guardians of the Galaxy, completely blindsided me, as did the queer crushes that followed. After insisting for years that I was straight, I had no playbook for coming out to my friends and family—or to my long-term boyfriend. It was shameful to be as old as I was and still discovering (big) things about myself. I should’ve known sooner. I was foolish. I was completely alone.
That tirade played in my head for years. Luckily, I’ve since learned that none of it is true. Therapy helped. So did queer content, in the form of TV shows, movies and, of course, books.
Part of my shame stemmed from the fact that I hadn’t engaged with any queer content before that first crush. I’d called myself an ally for years, and had done my best to support my queer friends, but as an overworked grad trainee dealing with a sexuality crisis, I didn’t comprehend where to start on my own self-acceptance journey. For the first two years, admitting I was bi was hard enough; committing to queer TV or bo
Coming out as bi in my mid- and belated 20s, I felt behind. My first same-sex crush, on Zoe Saldana as Gamora from Guardians of the Galaxy, completely blindsided me, as did the queer crushes that followed. After insisting for years that I was straight, I had no playbook for coming out to my friends and family—or to my long-term boyfriend. It was shameful to be as old as I was and still discovering (big) things about myself. I should’ve known sooner. I was foolish. I was completely alone.
That tirade played in my head for years. Luckily, I’ve since learned that none of it is true. Therapy helped. So did queer content, in the form of TV shows, movies and, of course, books.
Part of my shame stemmed from the fact that I hadn’t engaged with any queer content before that first crush. I’d called myself an ally for years, and had done my best to support my queer friends, but as an overworked grad trainee dealing with a sexuality crisis, I didn’t comprehend where to start on my own self-acceptance journey. For the first two years, admitting I was bi was hard enough; committing to queer TV or bo