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Have an idea for Subject of the Month?
Queer Literature
Selectors: Troy Walker and Tricia Venzke
For this guide we wanted to include notable literary and scholarly works by a wide array of LGBTQIA+ creators, as well as other resources to aid in the discovery of queer literature for education and entertainment. The titles and resources we've selected are by no means comprehensive or exhaustive, but hopefully a good place to get started.
Challenged and Banned Books
According to the American Library Association, books about Black and LGBTQIA+ individuals are the most frequently targeted in challenges to ban books in school and public libraries. This is from a recent 2021 spike in organized efforts to remove books from libraries across the US.
ALA: State of America's Libraries Report 2022
ALA: Frequently Challenged Books
ALA: Top Ten Most Challenged Books
Article: Book Banning Efforts Surged in 2021. These Titles Were the Most Targeted.
Article: More books are banned than ever before, as Congress takes on the issue
Article: ALA Releases Top 10 Most Challenged Books of 2021
[image from ALA's State of America's Libraries Report 2022]
Queer Booklists
- Stonewall Book Awards ListThe first and most enduring award for LGBTQIA+ books is the Stonewall Book Awards, sponsored by the American Library Association's Rainbow Round Table
- Lambda Literary Award Winners - ListFor over 30 years, the Lambda Literary Awards have recognized the best LGBTQ books published in a given year across dozens of categories.
- Brown University Queer Theory Reading ListA living list of queer scholarship
- Chicago Public Library - LGBT History Month: A Reading ListIn observance of LGBT History Month and for use year-round, Chicago Public Library compiled a list of recent and classic books about the history of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people.
- Social Justice Books – LGBTQ+Teaching for Change carefully selects the best multicultural and social justice books for children, young adults, and educators.
- EveryQueer.com Ultimate Lesbian Book ListOverwhelmed with the myriad of great titles to choose from? Hungry for more lesbian literature? Use this list to find the best lesbian books in any genre.
Classic Queer Lit
Giovanni's Room by Call Number: PS 3552 .A45 G4 (Purdy/Kresge)ISBN: 9780440328810Publication Date: 1956
Zami: a New Spelling of My Name by Call Number: PS 3562 .O75 Z23 1982ISBN: 0895941228Publication Date: 1982-01-01
Confessions of a Mask by Call Number: PL833.I7 K3513 1977ISBN: 081120118XPublication Date: 1958-01-17
The Picture of Dorian Gray and Other Works by Call Number: PR 5819 .A1 2012bISBN: 9781435139435Publication Date: 2012-05-20
The Well of Loneliness by Call Number: PR6015.A33 W4 1982ISBN: 0860682544Publication Date: 1987-12-27
Other Voices, Other Rooms by Call Number: PS 3505 .A59 08 1948ISBN: 0783884915Publication Date: 1999-03-01
Mrs. Dalloway (annotated) by Call Number: PR 6045 .O72 M7 2005ISBN: 0156030357Publication Date: 2005-08-01
Movement in Black by Call Number: PS 3566 .A6847 M6 1999ISBN: 1563411083Publication Date: 1999-02-01
Collected Poems 1947-1997 by Call Number: PS 3513 .I74 2006ISBN: 0061139742Publication Date: 2006-10-17
Diving into the Wreck by Call Number: PS 3535 .I233 D58ISBN: 9780393311631Publication Date: 1994-08-17
Search Strategies
Searching for queer literature can be frustrating! According to the American Library Association, books with queer characters are often banned and may be difficult to find in library collections. In addition, evolving language can obscure books on queer topics and make using library classification systems (such as Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH) and Dewey Decimal Classification (DDC)) an arduous task (as illustrated in this entertaining NY Times article by a queer woman who struggles to find herself reflected in library classification systems and in life). Here are some of the LCSH that we used while searching in the WSU catalog for resources for this guide:
Streaming
- A Litany for Survival: The Life and Work of Audre Lorde [Documentary on AVON]An epic portrait of the eloquent, award-winning Black, lesbian, poet, mother, teacher and activist, Audre Lorde, whose writings -- spanning five decades -- articulated some of the most important social and political visions of the century.
- James Baldwin: The Price of the Ticket: The Legendary Author and Civil Rights Activist [Documentary on Kanopy]This documentary captures on film the passionate intellect and courageous writing of a man who was born black, impoverished, gay and gifted.
- Tongues Untied: Giving a Voice to Black Gay Men [Documentary on Kanopy]Marlon Riggs' essay film TONGUES UNTIED gives voice to communities of black gay men, presenting their cultures and perspectives on the world as they confront racism, homophobia, and marginalization. It broke new artistic ground by mixing poetry, music, performance and Riggs' autobiographical revelations.
- My Transgender Life: Seven Members of the Transgender Community Share their Stories [Documentary on Kanopy]A documentary designed to record, share and celebrate the personal stories of transgender women and men and their stories of struggle, of courage and of triumph.
Videos
Databases & Websites
- Library of Congress Queer Comics DatabaseThe Queer Comics Database was created by Aydin Kwan and Le Button as a Capstone project for the University of Washington’s iSchool program, with support from Geeks OUT to identify queer comic series and characters.
- The Queer Science Fiction and Fantasy DatabaseThis database is a resource for anyone looking to find queer science fiction and fantasy books and focuses on books with queer protagonists.
- Defining Gender This link opens in a new windowDefining Gender provides access to a vast body of original British source material that will enrich the teaching and research experience of those studying history, literature, sociology and education from a gendered perspective.
- Gender: Identity and Social Change This link opens in a new windowEssential primary sources documenting the changing representations and lived experiences of gender roles and relations from the nineteenth century to the present. This expansive collection offers sources for the study of women's suffrage, the feminist movement, the men’s movement, employment, education, the body, the family, and government and politics.
- LGBTQ ReadsQueering up your shelf, one rec at a time!
- The LesbraryThe Lesbrary is a book blog about bi and lesbian books, with occasional coverage of other identities under the broad “doesn’t identify as a man and is at least some of the time attracted romantically and/or sexually to others who do not identify as a man” category. Lesbrary books don’t have to be written by a queer author, though it helps.
- Books Beyond BinariesBooks Beyond Binaries was created to amplify non-binary, trans, and/or queer voices within the world of books and publishing.
- Queer Zine Archive ProjectThe Queer Zine Archive Project (QZAP) was first launched in November 2003 in an effort to preserve queer zines and make them available to other queers, researchers, historians, punks, and anyone else who has an interest DIY publishing and underground queer communities.
General Queer Lit
James Baldwin and the Queer Imagination by Call Number: [Electronic Book]ISBN: 9780472120598Publication Date: 2014-09-29
Queering the Underworld by Call Number: PS 228 .G38 H47 2007ISBN: 9780226327907Publication Date: 2007-12-30
Aberrations in Black: toward a queer of color critique by Call Number: PS 374.N4 F47 2004ISBN: 0816641285Publication Date: 2003-12-18
Gay Men in Modern Southern Literature by Call Number: PS 261 .P68 2006ISBN: 0820486914Publication Date: 2006-10-05
The Queer Renaissance: Contemporary American Literature and the Reinvention of Lesbian and Gay Identities by Call Number: ELECTRONIC BOOKISBN: 0814755550Publication Date: 1997-06-01
The Queer Art of Failure by Call Number: ELECTRONIC BOOKISBN: 9780822394358Publication Date: 2011-09-19
In a queer time and place : transgender bodies, subcultural lives by Call Number: HQ 75.5 .H335 2005ISBN: 0814735843Publication Date: 2005-01-01
Queer Muslim Diasporas in Contemporary Literature and Film by Call Number: ELECTRONIC BOOKISBN: 9781526128102Publication Date: 2019-07-10
Same Old: Queer Theory, Literature and the Politics of Sameness by Call Number: ELECTRONIC BOOKSISBN: 9781526132840Publication Date: 2020-07-14
Queer Anxieties of Young Adult Literature and Culture by Call Number: ELECTRONIC BOOKISBN: 9781496831033Publication Date: 2020-12-28
AIDS Literature and Gay Identity: The Literature of Loss by Call Number: ELECTRONIC BOOKISBN: 9780415808873Publication Date: 2012-12-19
Queer As Camp: Essays on Summer, Style, and Sexuality by Call Number: ELECTRONIC BOOKISBN: 9780823283613Publication Date: 2019-05-21
Black Queer Studies: A Critical Anthology by Call Number: ELECTRONIC BOOKISBN: 0822387220Publication Date: 2005-11-01
LGBTQ Fiction and Poetry from Appalachia by Call Number: ELECTRONIC BOOKISBN: 9781946684929Publication Date: 2019-04-01
Non-Binary Lives: An Anthology of Intersecting Identities by Call Number: ELECTRONIC BOOKSISBN: 1787753409Publication Date: 2020-04-21
Building Fires in the Snow by Call Number: ELECTRONIC BOOKSISBN: 9781602233010Publication Date: 2016-09-15
The Penguin Book of International Gay Writing by Call Number: PN 6120.95 .H724 P46 1995ISBN: 0670853690Publication Date: 1995-04-01- Growing up gay : a literary anthology / edited by Bennett L. Singer.Call Number: PS 374 .H63 G76 1993Publication Date: 1993
- The Penguin Book of Gay Short Fiction by Call Number: PR 1309 .H57 P46 1994ISBN: 0670854689Publication Date: 1994-01-14
Close Calls: new lesbian fiction by Call Number: PS 648 .L47 C56 1996ISBN: 0312147554Publication Date: 1996-10-01
Inscrutable Belongings: Queer Asian North American Fiction by Call Number: ELECTRONIC BOOKISBN: 9781503604018Publication Date: 2018-07-17
Pulp Friction: Uncovering the Golden Age of Gay Male Pulps by Call Number: Purdy/Kresge Library: PS 648 .H57 P65 2003ISBN: 9780312252670Publication Date: 2003-01-14
Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgendered Literature by Call Number: Z 1229 .G25 B67 2008ISBN: 9781591581949Publication Date: 2008-06-30
Gay and Lesbian American Plays by Call Number: Z 1229 .G25 F87 1993ISBN: 0810826895Publication Date: 1993-05-01
Gay and Lesbian Literary Heritage by Call Number: ELECTRONIC BOOKISBN: 9780415929264Publication Date: 2002-03-15
The Difference Between You and Me by Call Number: 17923ISBN: 9780670011285Publication Date: 2012-03-15
My Awesome - Awful Popularity Plan by Call Number: 18975ISBN: 9780375869150Publication Date: 2012-01-24
A Really Nice Prom Mess by Call Number: Purdy-Kresge Library Ramsey Collection 19120ISBN: 0689874383Publication Date: 2005-05-17
Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Call Number: Sa16aISBN: 9781442408920Publication Date: 2012-02-21
Contemporary Queer Lit
On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous by Call Number: ELECTRONIC BOOKISBN: 9780525562023Publication Date: 2019-06-04
The Death of Vivek Oji by Call Number: ELECTRONIC BOOKISBN: 9780525541608Publication Date: 2020-08-04
Everyone in This Room Will Someday Be Dead by Call Number: ELECTRONIC BOOKISBN: 9781982167370Publication Date: 2021-07-06
Brokeback Mountain: Story to Screenplay by Call Number: PN 1997.2 .B75 2005ISBN: 0743294165Publication Date: 2005-12-27
Don't Whisper Too Much and Portrait of a Young Artiste from Bona Mbella by Call Number: ELECTRONIC BOOKISBN: 9781684480319Publication Date: 2019-04-03
The Thirty Names of Night by Call Number: ELECTRONIC BOOKISBN: 9781982121556Publication Date: 2020-11-24
Cruising Utopia, 10th Anniversary Edition by Call Number: ELECTRONIC BOOKISBN: 9781479813780Publication Date: 2019-04-23
Running with Scissors by Call Number: PS 3552 .U745 Z477 2002ISBN: 0312283709Publication Date: 2002-07-10
Representing Queer and Transgender Identity by Call Number: ELECTRONIC BOOKISBN: 9781611488425Publication Date: 2017-08-04
This Wound Is a World by Call Number: ELECTRONIC BOOKISBN: 9781452962238Publication Date: 2019-09-03
Night Sky with Exit Wounds by Call Number: ELECTRONIC BOOKISBN: 9781556594953Publication Date: 2016-04-05
All-American Girl by Call Number: PS 3552 .E257 A45 1996ISBN: 0822939177Publication Date: 1996-02-01
It Was Never Going to Be Okay by Call Number: ELECTRONIC BOOKISBN: 9780889713826Publication Date: 2020-10-06
Order from Michigan eLibrary (MeLCat)
You can order these books from the Michigan eLibrary Catalog (MeLCat) to be delivered to campus. Select the link to go to the item record in the MeL database and select "Get this from MeLCat"
Hola Papi : how to come out in a Walmart parking lot and other life lessons by ISBN: 9781982141493Publication Date: 2021-06-08
Living Out Islam: voices of gay, lesbian, and transgender Muslims by ISBN: 9780814744482Publication Date: 2013-12-06
- Now the volcano: an anthology of Latin American gay literature by ISBN: 0917342674Publication Date: 1979-01-01
- The Faber Book of Gay Short Fiction by Publication Date: 1991-09-01
Special Collections in the WSULS
- LGBT Detroit Records at Reuther Library"LGBT Detroit started as Kick Publishing Company in 1994. Based in Detroit, Kick was the third Black American LGBT media company created in the United States. Distributed nationally, Kick Magazine provided the LGBT community with information, awareness, and a way to organize. In 2003, Kick Publishing Company was revitalized into the non-profit organization: KICK- The Agency for LGBT African Americans."
eJournals and Magazines
- Gertrude (Open Access)Gertrude now holds the distinction of being the longest consecutively published queer journal.
- beestung (Open Access)beestung is a quarterly online micro-magazine for non-binary and two-spirit writers and readers.
- Lavendar Review: Lesbian Poetry and Art (Open Access)Lavender Review is an international, biannual (June & December) e-zine dedicated to poetry and art by, about, and for lesbians, including whatever LGBTQ might appeal to a lesbian readership. This e-zine is free, and open to everyone.
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