June is Pride month, a beautiful opportunity to focus on how we can all be supporting the LGBTQ community. But sometimes, there can be a monotony to tradition, and it can be easy to go through the motions without much intention or action. Instead, this Pride, challenge yourself to go beyond the convenient platitude of “love is love,” and recommit to fighting for the tangible equity and safety of LBGTQ people. We still live in a country where people aren’t always free to safely express their gender, where family planning for queer and transgender families is policed at every level, and where isolation and houselessness disproportionately affects LGBTQ folks. We cannot allow an abundance of rainbow merchandise to pinkwash these issues, and it’s critical that in our celebration of Pride, we don’t erase these continued fights for equality.
One place to start is in the stories you’re reading today and every day. Head to your local LGTBQ-owned store and grab a book that will expand your understanding of gender, sexuality, and how we can create a world where everyone is liberated in every sense of the word.
1 Mouths of Rain: An Anthology of Black Lesbian Thought by Briona Simone Jones
In Mouths of Rain, Dr. Briona Simone Jones masterfully curates an anthology of Black women loving Black women. The concept seems simple, yet in a racist and sexist world, it is an act of political resistance. At a time when public displays of love for Black women feel few and far between, this collection is a balm that shows readers that Black feminism benefits us all.
2 If These Ovaries Could Talk by Jaimie Kelton and Robin Hopkins
When queer and transgender people seek to grow their families, it can feel insurmountably daunting to find information about the options that exist and the pros and cons of each one. Kelton and Hopkins’s podcast-turned-book makes the journey way feel more accessible and less lonely. In doing so, they also normalize the non-traditional journeys to parenting that queer, transgender, cisgender, and heterosexual people take, reminding us that queer liberation creates more space for everyone.
3 Jonny Appleseed by Joshua Whitehead
In this moving novel, readers meet Jonny, a two-spirit, queer Indigenous person navigating kinship, sex work, loss, and healing. In a country where too many people have an antiquated understanding of Native American people, dive into this Indigenous coming-of-age story that does not revolve around whiteness.
4 No Ashes in the Fire by Darnell L. Moore
Darnell Moore is a seer. In moments of deep hatred and violence, he saw a future for himself as a queer, Black, and whole person. In his advocacy, he envisioned a world where all Black Lives Matter. And now as a creative executive, podcast host, and author, he builds spaces for queer Black people to see themselves as beautiful. No Ashes In The Fire shares this journey of “coming of age Black and free.”
5 Beyond the Gender Binary by Alok Vaid-Menon
A controversial aspect of the queer experience is the concept of “labels,” and even the acronym LGBTQIA+ relies on labels that leave many in the community feeling silenced and ignored. This all stems from the gender binary, and in this pocket-sized book, Vaid-Menon breaks down why gender isn’t black or white.
6 The Prophets by Robert Jones, Jr.
Just based on modern media and publishing, one might think that queerness didn’t exist before the late 20th century, and certainly not for Black people. But this couldn’t be further from the truth. In The Prophets, Jones takes readers back to a time in history when being Black and queer was unspeakable, and those who dared to love and be loved were true activists. In this poetic novel, you’ll meet Isaiah and Samuel, two enslaved men in the antebellum South fighting for autonomy and each other.
7 Redefining Realness by Janet Mock
Janet Mock has been sharing authentic stories for years through the hit TV show Pose and her career as a bestselling author. But before that, she was a young woman trying to make it in an industry, and a country, that wants any marginalized person to stay quiet. In Redefining Realness, Mock, a transgender Black and Hawaiian woman, takes us on her journey before she entered the spotlight.
8 Trans Like Me by CN Lester
In this collection of essays, Lester, a singer-songwriter, composer, and activist, explores the transgender experience and expertly breaks down how we collectively relate to our own gender and one another. As cisgender elected officials continue to make sweeping decisions about the lives of transgender people, read this book to learn about the community’s most pressing issues from the perspective of those directly impacted.
9 The Purpose of Power by Alicia Garza
So often, Black queer women are erased from the narratives around racial justice work. What we now know to be the Black Lives Matter movement all began as a digital love letter Alicia Garza posted on Facebook after the murder of Trayvon Martin. Her words would become the hashtag tweeted around the world and a rallying cry for a generation. In this book, Garza shares the lessons she’s gleaned about organizing and mobilizing people for change.
10 Unapologetic by Charlene A. Carruthers
To know where we’re going, we have to examine the movements we’ve come from, and in Unapologetic, Carruthers does just that. As the founding national director of the Black Youth Project 100, Carruthers has mastered what few can—building safe activist spaces for queer Black youth—and here, she brings her perspective to a book that can act as a guide for any organizer.
Brea Baker Brea Baker is racial and gender justice activist working locally and nationally towards the liberation of all oppressed people with an emphasis on Black people and women.
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