TOP TEN TUESDAY | LGBTQ+ AUTHORS AND STORIES

I’ve been thinking about LGBTQ+ stories lately, as by chance I’ve been reading a lot of books that are either written by LGBTQ+ authors, feature these characters, or both. I’ve found these voices to be not only important representation of this group of people, but also of the human condition in general. People’s reactions to a friend or family member coming out tends to show who they really are, and also what their experiences have taught them to think of it. I would like to think we’re in a better place than we were when I was a kid, but honestly I’m not sure. People from the LGBTQ+ community are still disproportionately vulnerable, more likely to suffer abuse, more likely to be isolated and more likely to experience prejudice and, potentially, violence. They’re more likely to have to deal with daily microaggressions and more likely to have their relationships and identities questioned or denied.

I very much want to live in a world in which youth who belong to this community can figure out their identity openly, have adults surrounding them who will be open to their questions, who will encourage their search for an accurate description of who they are, and who can grow up assured that their identities and relationships will be honoured, respected and supported. I hate that something as irrevocable as your eye colour – and that you have as little control over – can make life so immeasurably hard. For my part, I am always grateful to LGBTQ+ people who choose to share their stories, thoughts, experiences and positive moments. I think this is vital for today’s youth, and also for adults who are still struggling to accept this as something that is not threatening or shameful, but a beautiful part of the tapestry of humanity. I want to share some of the stories I’ve read that have meant the most to me, and that I’d like to share with other readers. Love is love, after all. So here are some of the best!

Memoirs

           

           

Fiction

           

           

           

Other writings

Books I haven’t finished yet, but have heard wonderful things about

         

           

            

Obviously this is much more than ten books, but is still very far from being even the full list of books I have in my head or on my TBR. You can see a longer list that I put together a while ago here, and there are tons of newer books that aren’t on there too!

I’d love to hear from you guys. Have you read any of these? Do you have any favourites, either amongst these or that I didn’t include?

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly link-up feature created by The Broke and the Bookish and hosted by Jana at That Artsy Reader Girl. Every week TTT has a different topic, and everyone who links up has to create a link of ten items that fit that topic. To see past and upcoming topics, go here.