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"Absolutely. There’s often an initial skepticism because of internalized queerphobia that makes me first think “No, they couldn’t have been.” Then when I find out they could have been, there’s an anger at the society that kept this information from me. Then comes the excitement – “Yes! I’m so lucky this person is in my family!” And inspiration – “If they can do that, then I can do something amazing, too."
- Sarah Prager on whether it was revelatory to discover that historical figures like Abraham Lincoln and Eleanor Roosevelt were queer while researching for her book QUEER, THERE, AND EVERYWHERE: 23 PEOPLE WHO CHANGED THE WORLD. Read the full Q&A over here!

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Oct 11, 2018

An Introduction To the Queer Bookternet

The queer bookternet has been my hometown for many years now. I spend most of my time there, I feel at home there, and when I’m not reading or writing about queer books online, I’m generally thinking about it. Unfortunately, it can be difficult to sniff out queer books in the wild. Though there are more LGBTQIA+ books being published all the time, it remains difficult to find them without being armed with the knowledge of the titles and authors to seek out.

“With that in mind, I thought I’d put together a quick primer to some of the most helpful sites on the internet where you can find queer books. I want to put a big disclaimer here that I am very biased: I am primarily interested in queer women lit, so I am significantly less familiar with sites that focus on queer men.”

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Oct 11, 2017
The Queer History Book I Wish I'd Had In High School

bust.com

The Queer History Book I Wish I'd Had In High School

It seems like the month of June is a time to wield rainbows and celebrate the LGBTQ community, but every other month out of the year the LGBTQ co...

The single sentence “The first LGBTQ history book for young adults” made me pause. Though I have long since phased out of being able to call myself a teen, I needed to get this book if only to learn what my younger self didn’t even to look for. Like many topics considered controversial in history, LGBTQ history is glossed over, usually focused on discussing the AIDS crisis and how it mostly impacted the gay community, and often erased entirely.

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Jul 01, 2017
simonteenca: “ 2016 LGBTQ+ YA Reading List • We Are The Ants - Shaun David Hutchinson • George - Alex Gino • You Know Me Well - Nina LaCour & David Levithan • The Great American Whatever - Tim Federle • When the Moon Was Ours - Anna-Marie McLemore •...

simonteenca:

2016 LGBTQ+ YA Reading List

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Jun 30, 2016

Bustle

30 LGBTQIA-Positive Children’s Books That’ll Teach Kids How Beautifully Diverse The World Is

Sadie Trombetta on bustle says:

LGBTQIA-positive children’s books have something to offer every kind of kid and every kind of family. Children who come from homes that don’t fit traditional stereotypes can find their families in the stories, and tiny humans who don’t fit traditional stereotypes can find themselves. For other youngsters, books are a window into the diverse lives and experiences of the world around them, and they can help explain family dynamics outside of their own. Whether a book’s plot is centered around LGBT-related issues or it feature a character who is a positive LGBT role model, they teach children to be not just tolerant, but to be loving.

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Jun 14, 2015
The Bay Area Reporter Online | Authors praise rise in LGBT-themed kids' books

ebar.com

The Bay Area Reporter Online | Authors praise rise in LGBT-themed kids' books

Breaking news & opinion from the B.A.R.

For many of the authors, having these issues open dialoguemakes children more comfortable with themselves. Author Marcus Ewert published a story about a little boy named Bailey who dreams about making and wearing 10,000 dresses. Illustrated by Rex Ray and titled 10,000 Dresses , Bailey receives criticism from his family and friends about his choices.

“When I wrote the book in 2008, there were no books about trans kids and that needed to be addressed,” said Ewert, 44, a gay man who will be a keynote speaker on the American Library Association’s LGBT panel during its conference in San Francisco this summer. “At the time, people told me that no one in the world would publish [10,000 Dresses ]. It’s not true now as there are many books out there that are different. There is a mini publishing explosion of queer-themed books. It was the first book to be about a trans kid.”

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Apr 04, 2015

diversityinya:

Congratulations to the diverse* young adult books honored today at the American Library Association’s Youth Media Awards!

How I Discovered Poetry by Marilyn Nelson, illustrated by Hadley Hooper (Dial Books) — Coretta Scott King (Author) Honor

How It Went Down by Kekla Magoon (Henry Holt and Company) — Coretta Scott King (Author) Honor

When I Was the Greatest by Jason Reynolds (Atheneum Books for Young Readers) — Coretta Scott King/John Steptoe New Talent Author Award

I Lived on Butterfly Hill by Marjorie Agosín, illustrated by Lee White (Atheneum Books for Young Readers) — Pura Belpré (Author) Award Winner

Beyond Magenta: Transgender Teens Speak Out by Susan Kuklin (Candlewick Press) — Stonewall Honor

Girls Like Us by Gail Giles (Candlewick Press) — Schneider Family Book Award Winner

Laughing at My Nightmare by Shane Burcaw (Roaring Brook Press) — YALSA Award for Excellence in Nonfiction for Young Adults (Finalist)

The Port Chicago 50: Disaster, Mutiny, and the Fight for Civil Rights by Steve Sheinkin (Roaring Brook Press) — YALSA Award for Excellence in Nonfiction for Young Adults (Finalist)

Gabi, a Girl in Pieces by Isabel Quintero (Cinco Puntos Press) — William C. Morris Award Winner

I’ll Give You the Sun by Jandy Nelson (Dial Books) — Michael L. Printz Award Winner, Stonewall Honor

Grasshopper Jungle by Andrew Smith (Dutton Books) — Michael L. Printz Honor

This One Summer by Mariko Tamaki, illustrated by Jillian Tamaki (First Second) — Michael L. Printz Honor, Randolph Caldecott Honor

And congratulations to Sharon M. Draper, honored with the Margaret A. Edwards Award for lifetime achievement in writing for young adults!

Check out all the winners of ALA’s Youth Media Awards here.

* Diverse = A book about a main character who is of color, disabled, and/or LGBTQ; or a book written by an author who is of color, disabled, and/or LGBTQ.

In case you missed the news from yesterday…here it is again! So great to see the diverse books and congrats congrats Sharon M. Draper!

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Feb 03, 2015
More YA and YA-friendly Books About LGBT Characters of Color

diversityinya.com

More YA and YA-friendly Books About LGBT Characters of Color

By Malinda Lo Last October, I posted a list of YA books about LGBT characters of color. It’s been tough to find more books, so these additions expand the goal slightly and are about (1) a queer per…

Post from earlier in the year (pre-WNDB days) from diversityinya on some YA books with LGBT POCs. We love recommending stuff, as you know. :o) 

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Dec 21, 2014

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