11 amazing books every queer person should read

If you're looking for your next read, this list of queer books might just have the one for you.

Books . Written by Beatrice Fanucci.

Split screen of queer books to add to your to-be-read list, including Carmilla, Rainbow Milk, and The Transgender Issue.
Image: Via X - @lynnsbookdiary, @UCLLibraries, @vintagebooks

There’s no time like the present to add some amazing new titles to your never-ending to-read list. If you’re looking for books that explore queer identities and issues, these are some titles you absolutely must read.

Rainbow Milk by Paul Mendez
This coming-of-age masterpiece follows 19-year-old Jesse as he tries to negotiate his identity as a Black queer man against the backdrop of his strict Jehovah’s Witness upbringing. After being kicked out of his house, he moves to London and turns to sex work, music and art to create a life in which he can be his true self. This book is a visceral exploration of race, class, sexuality and religion that everyone should read at least once.

 

The Transgender Issue by Shon Faye
If you’re searching for a new queer book to read but you’re not in the mood for fiction, this might be just what you’re looking for. In this powerful book, author Shon Faye gives an unapologetic account of what it’s like to be trans in an increasingly transphobic society. This landmark work is a manifesto for change and a call for solidarity to begin a healthier conversation about trans lives.

 

Hani and Ishu’s Guide to Fake Dating by Adiba Jaigirdar
This heartwarming love story between two Bengali girls is a true joy to read. It follows a popular girl who comes out as bisexual only to have her identity invalidated by her friends and an overachiever who wishes to become head girl. The pair strike a deal to ‘fake date’, but how long before it starts feeling real?

 

Gender Queer by Maia Kobabe
This one is among the most banned books in the US because of its references to LGBTQ+ sexual experiences, which are vital to the book‘s exploration of gender identity. Author Maia Kobabe, who uses e/em/eir pronouns, recounts em journey of self-discovery. It is also a touching guide on what it means to be non-binary and asexual, which presents a frank discussion of gender fluidity.

 

Carmilla by J. Sheridan Le Fanu
Pre-dating Dracula and written by Irish writer J. Sheridan Le Fanu, Carmilla is the original vampire story imbued with sexual tension and a gothic atmosphere. In an isolated castle deep in the Austrian forest, the protagonist Laura leads a lonely life before her solitude is interrupted by the beautiful and mysterious Carmilla.

 

Love in the Big City by Sang Young Park
A phenomenon in South Korea, this novel is about a gay millennial who desperately tries to escape loneliness in modern society. With his blunt and honest writing style, the author takes readers on a journey to explore the queer scene in Seoul, filling the narrative with humour and raw emotion.

 

Bad Gays: A Homosexual History by Ben Miller and Huw Lemmey
After launching their wildly successful podcast, Miller and Lemmey decided it was time to create this masterpiece, which is “part-revisionist history, part-historical biography”. What distinguishes this work from any other book on LGBTQ+ history is that, instead of focusing on the story of LGBTQ+ heroes, it recounts the lives of the queer villains and baddies that have been left in the past.

 

Ace by Angela Chen
We caught a glimpse of this book in an episode of Heartstopper, as it’s considered one of the most in-depth explorations of what it means to be asexual in a world that’s so focused on sexual attraction. Through interviews, cultural criticism and memoir, Ace: What Asexuality Reveals About Desire, Society, and the Meaning of Sex by Angela Chen offers an accessible and comprehensive guide to navigating the challenges faced by asexual people, from confusion about one’s own identity to negotiating different needs in a relationship.

 

At Swim, Two Boys by Jamie O’Neill
Set in Dublin in the year preceding the Easter Uprising of 1916, At Swim, Two Boys recounts the tender and tragic love story between two young men against the backdrop of a changing nation. Praised as “a work of wild, vaulting ambition and achievement”, Jamie O’Neill’s novel has invited comparisons with literary greats like James Joyce, Samuel Beckett and Charles Dickens.

 

All the Boys Aren’t Blue by George M. Johnson
LGBTQ+ activist and journalist George M. Johnson has put together this series of personal essays that explore his childhood, adolescence and college years and the challenges he faced as a Black queer boy in America. This was also among the most banned books in the US for its depictions of queer intimacy.

 

I Wish You All the Best by Mason Deaver
After Ben comes out as non-binary, they are kicked out of their house by their family. While living with their distant older sister, Ben tries to get through senior year under the radar until they meet the charismatic Nathan, who allows Ben to be anything but quiet. And what’s best, the movie adaptation of this book is out tomorrow!

 

Found anything you’d like to read in our list of queer books? If you’re a picky reader and the answer is no, you can find many more suggestions here.

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