Classic gay literature

Queer people so often have their own found family, and it was nice to see that given proper weight in this series. This story is primarily about sisters, but one of them is queer. The answer, Mia hopes, will tell her whether she should leave her hometown to become a singer or stay with her also gay!

In this dual perspective YA book, Mia Peters is faced with one last challenge before the end of her summer after high-school. Both Can Be True is a story of two kids who attempt to care for a dog in secret. As someone who also hates my hometown albeit for much less traumatic reasons I appreciated the built in redemption arc for both Delilah and her home of Bright Falls.

That being said, there is something for everyone on this list, and I tried my best to make it as comprehensive as possible! This is just one of only two middle grade books on the list, but I adored this one. This was the perfect, light, YA coming of age story.

This is one of those books that I was thinking about for a long time after I finished reading. This Spanish-translated book tells the story of a young person as they navigate both their place in the world and their gender identity through the decades.

With much of what is regarded as classic literature created at a time when homosexuality was illegal, you may well expect a paucity of writing about LGBTQIA+ experiences from this period. Discover the best gay and queer books of all time with The Advocate's recommendations.

This gay an enemies to lovers story about how, sometimes, opposites can attract. Conklin is such an incredible storyteller and I found myself ceaselessly impressed with the depth and breadth of characters they brought to life in a single collection.

I am genuinely obsessed with this queer short story collection. If you are a fan of some light magic in the real world, this book should be at the top of your TBR. One of my goals in life is to start a commune where I can live with all of my closest friends.

Every single story was painfully relatable and made me either laugh or cry or both. Sammie Lucas, a lesbian mother, sort of hates her son. From Sappho to Audre Lorde to Rivers Solomon, we track the most influential queer books—fiction, nonfiction, and poetry—of all time.

Keep in mind that these are simply my opinions, and as a result of that these books tend to skew towards queer women and nonbinary people, given that these are the people I identify with most strongly. One of the most amazing parts of queerness is friendship.

As I followed her journey classic youth into adulthood, I found myself rooting for the character while simultaneously understanding her mistakes. Boyfriend Material is so cute! Starting the list off strong with a young adult historical fiction novel about a young girl in Chinatown who finds herself at a late-night lesbian club.

Reading this book made me delightfully happy the entire time. Alongside her sort-of girlfriend Britt, Mia must decode a message left to her by her long dead literature. Happy Pride Month!

List of gay novels

Queer classic literature everyone should read Classic novels that explore LGBTQ+ experiences and relationships. It lent an emotional gravitas to every single word that could not have been achieved any other way. From classics like "Giovanni's Room" to modern hits like "The Little Life," explore LGBTQ+ literature.