LGBT+ Favorites

July 16, 2015     erinbook     Feature

Ever since the Supreme Court ruled in favor of same sex unions I’ve been planning this list. Way back in the earlier days of the internet I got into fan fiction. Through fan fiction I discovered slash fic and I was never the same again. I read it, I wrote it, and I debated whether my ships could ever even be a little bit canon.

Then came the YA boom and I could hold my beloved stories in my hands. Soon it wasn’t just slash I was into; it was questioning characters, intersex characters, LGBT issues, and more. Now more people than ever are interested in the same kinds of stories and characters. So if you’re looking for something new to read in these categories then read on. If not, please don’t comment negatively because I’ll just delete it.

Intersex Characters


The big one here is probably None of the Above by IW Gregorio but yesterday at the used book store I found another. Golden Boy by Abigail Tarttelin. If you liked IW Gregorio’s book I’d give this second one a try.

Books with LGBT Characters


There are books with LGBT characters in which the book does not focus on that aspect of their lives. There’s a whole lot more going on than just their sexuality, which is how we should view LGBT people in the real world.

One of my favorites in the category is Alex London’s Proxy duology (as far as I know he is not planning a third book, sadface). Both books, Proxy and Guardian feature a gay main character. But the books are dystopian cyberpunk (London’s words for it) so it’s not going to be a story where he’s wrestling with his sexuality. Syd is just trying to survive.

If you’re thinking of really popular stories with LGBT characters you have to look no further than the Shadowhunter Chronicles, Cassandra Clare’s epic world in which both the Mortal Instruments and the Infernal Devices are set. Magnus Bane sort of just does what he wants in the realm of his love interests. Whether he’s bisexual or pansexual I’m not sure but he’s just too awesome to pass by. He’s also one of my favorite characters of all time.

And of course there’s the beloved character of Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore in Harry Potter!

Other LGBT Stories


I could go on forever with this list but I’m going to have to wrap it up here soon. Here are some other books you might be interested in:

Every Day by David Levithan
Two Boys Kissing by David Levithan
Will Grayson, Will Grayson by John Green and David Levithan (Ok, I actually don’t like this one but that’s because of the way David’s chapters are written. More on that another day).
Far From You by Tess Sharpe
Huntress by Malinda Lo
Ironside by Holly Black
Boy Meets Boy by David Levithan
Impulse by Ellen Hopkins
Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Saenez
Afterworlds by Scott Westerfeld
Son of the Witch by Gregory Maguire

Bonus Genderbend Retellings


I’m obsessed with retellings of my favorite classics, so here are a couple of those with either hints of or an obvious LGBT association plus some gender bending of the main characters.

Great by Sara Benincasa (The Great Gatsby)
Even in Paradise by Chelsey Philpot (Brideshead Revisited)

Fabulous LGBT+ Authors




James Howe– Bunnicula, The Misfits
Evelyn Waugh- Brideshead Revisited
Gregory Maguire- Wicked Years series, Mirror Mirror
Alex London- Proxy, Guardian
Tess Sharpe- Far From You
David Levithan- MANY
Heather Brewer (identifies as Zac, pronouns: he/him/his)- Chronicles of Vladimir Tod, Slyer Chronicles, Soulbound, Cemetery Boys)
Nina Lacour- Everthing Leads to You
Malinda Lo- Huntress, Adaptation
Patrick Ness- MANY including The Knife of Never Letting Go

 

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