A collection of books to guide you through your LGBT Journey. Confused about your gender? Want to know how to navigate the world as a Gay or Lesbian teen? What to see what other people have to say about their lives? This is your category!
Yay! You're Gay! Now What? - A gay boy's guide to life.
Riyadha Khalaf
Yay! You're gay! Or maybe you're bi. Or maybe you just feel different…in time, that difference will become the greatest gift you could ask for. It will bring you love, a sense of identity, a new community, and eventually the freedom to be yourself. I promise!
In this personal, heartfelt go-to guide for young queer guys , broadcaster, YouTuber, and LGBT+ advocate Riyadh Khalaf shares frank advice about everything from coming out to relationships, as well as encouragement for times when you’re feeling low. There’s a support section for family and friends written by Riyadh’s parents and LOADS of hilarious, embarrassing, inspiring, and moving stories from gay boys from around the world. Plus, inspirational gay men including Stephen Fry, Clark Moore, and James Kavanagh share the advice they would give to their younger selves.
Here and Queer - A queer girl's guide to life
Rowan Ellis
Here and Queer is a helpful, friendly guide full of support and advice about living your best queer life, written for girls.
This vibrant, inclusive guide, designed for all kinds of girls, is designed to help you be the strongest, proudest, happiest version of yourself! A celebration of the gift of queerness, it's packed full of heartfelt advice, comforting stories, and stylish illustrations, and will give you the tools you need to explore your own identity, on your own terms.
Author and YouTuber Rowan Ellis uses her personal experience to take you through queer life, from coming out and dealing with tough stuff, right through to finding friendships and celebrating Pride. There are also brilliant guest essays from contributors across the LGBTQ+ spectrum.
Trans Teen Survival Guide
Owl & Fox Fisher
Frank, friendly and funny, the Trans Teen Survival Guide will leave transgender and non-binary teens informed, empowered and armed with all the tips, confidence and practical advice they need to navigate life as a trans teen. Wondering how to come out to your family and friends, what it's like to go through cross hormonal therapy or how to put on a packer? Trans youth activists Fox and Owl have stepped in to answer everything that trans teens and their families need to know. With a focus on self-care, expression and being proud of your unique identity, the guide is packed full of invaluable advice from people who understand the realities and complexities of growing up trans.
This Book is Gay
Juno Dawson
Lesbian. Bisexual. Queer. Transgender. Straight. Curious. This book is for everyone, regardless of gender or sexual preference. This book is for anyone who's ever dared to wonder. This book is for YOU.
There's a long-running joke that, after "coming out," a lesbian, gay guy, bisexual, or trans person should receive a membership card and instruction manual. THIS IS THAT INSTRUCTION MANUAL. You're welcome.
Inside you'll find the answers to all the questions you ever wanted to ask: from sex to politics, hooking up to stereotypes, coming out and more. This candid, funny, and uncensored exploration of sexuality and what it's like to grow up LGBT also includes real stories from people across the gender and sexual spectrums, not to mention hilarious illustrations.
You will be entertained. You will be informed. But most importantly, you will know that however you identify (or don't) and whomever you love, you are exceptional. You matter. And so does this book.
QUEER: The Ultimate LGBTQ Guide for Teens (2nd Edition)
Kathy Belge and Marke Bieschke
Teen life is hard enough with all of the pressures kids face, but for teens who are LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender), it’s even harder. When do you decide to come out? To whom? Will your friends accept you? And how on earth do you meet people to date?
Queer is a humorous, engaging, and honest guide that helps LGBT teens come out to friends and family, navigate their new LGBT social life, figure out if a crush is also queer, and rise up against bigotry and homophobia.
Queer also includes personal stories from the authors and sidebars on queer history. It’s a must-read for any teen who thinks they might be queer—or knows someone who is.
Growing Up Queer in Australia
Benjamin Law (Editor)
'No amount of YouTube videos and queer think pieces prepared me for this moment.’
‘The mantle of “queer migrant” compelled me to keep going – to go further.’
‘I never “came out” to my parents. I felt I owed them no explanation.’
‘All I heard from the pulpit were grim hints.’
‘I became acutely aware of the parts of myself that were unpalatable to queers who grew up in the city.’
‘My queerness was born in a hot dry land that was never ceded.’
‘Even now, I sometimes think that I don’t know my own desire.’
Compiled by celebrated author and journalist Benjamin Law, Growing Up Queer in Australia assembles voices from across the spectrum of LGBTIQA+ identity. Spanning diverse places, eras, ethnicities and experiences, these are the stories of growing up queer in Australia.
‘For better or worse, sooner or later, life conspires to reveal you to yourself, and this is growing up.’
The Social Justice Advocate's Handbook: A Guide To Gender
Sam Killerman
A book about gender with no mention of the word "hegemony," but plenty of references to Star Wars , The Matrix , Lord of the Rings , and Star Trek -- with less of a focus on overwhelming scholarship and more of a focus on enjoyable learning . This is a book about gender, but it's not "a book about gender." It's not overwhelming, it's not overly complicated, and it's not exhausting to read. It is a couple hundred pages of gender exploration, social justice how-tos, practical resources, and fun graphics & comics. It offers clear, easily-digested, and practical explanations of one of the most commonly misunderstood things about people. Sam dissects gender using a comprehensive, non-binary toolkit, with a focus on making this subject accessible and enjoyable. All this to help you understand something that is so commonly misunderstood, but something we all think we gender. The book helps individuals better understand gender themselves (their gender and others'), and is a great resource for folks who are doing gender education work with others. Because gender is something we all deserve to understand.
Queer Book: What's Your LGBTQ+ Utopia? (2024)
It Get's Better
We are incredibly excited to share Queerbook with the world — the first official book to be released by It Gets Better since its 2011 New York Times bestseller It Gets Better: Coming Out, Overcoming Bullying, and Creating a Life Worth Living. While that book primarily featured adults sharing messages of support with teens, Queerbook is entirely “for queer youth, by queer youth,” cover to cover. The book was even curated and edited by our Youth Voices — 10 LGBTQ+ student ambassadors from across the country.
Like a yearbook, Queerbook assembles the voices of a generation and reflects what queer youth are experiencing at this moment in their lives. We asked LGBTQ+ youth, “What is your Queer Utopia?” The response is a powerful collection of artwork, short stories, photography, poetry, essays, and more.
This theme is particularly important in 2024. Last year alone, more than 500 anti-LGBTQ+ bills were presented in legislatures across the nation. A new report from PEN America reveals that over 4,000 book bans, the overwhelming majority of which target LGBTQ+ literature, were recorded in the first six months of the 2023-2024 academic year.