Pride Month is here and while the flags and parades matter, so do the stories.
In 2025, queer books are being pulled from shelves, banned in schools, and targeted by lawmakers who want to erase LGBTQ+ voices from history. That’s why this Pride, we’re reminding ourselves and our community: reading is resistance.
LGBTQ+ books aren’t just stories. They’re survival. They reflect the lives, struggles, and joy of people who have always existed, even when they were told not to.
Here are five powerful books that celebrate queer identity, culture, and resilience and why they deserve a spot on your shelf.
1. Stonewall: The Riots That Sparked the Gay Revolution by Martin Duberman
Learn more: Stonewall
This is the book to read if you’ve ever heard of the Stonewall riots and wanted to know the full story. Martin Duberman takes you deep into the lives of six individuals who were there, showing how one night in June 1969 became a turning point in the fight for LGBTQ+ rights.
This book doesn’t sugarcoat history. It honors the truth, that Pride started as a protest led by trans women of color, drag queens, and queer folks who were tired of being pushed around.
Why it matters: It connects the dots between our past and present. If you want to understand why we still march today, start here.
2. Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic by Alison Bechdel
Learn more: Mariner Books – Fun Home
A graphic memoir that’s equal parts funny, heartbreaking, and brilliant. Fun Home follows Bechdel’s experience growing up in a small town with a closeted father while discovering her own sexuality. The format, a mix of comic panels and literary references, makes this book deeply personal and visually unforgettable.
Why it matters: Bechdel’s honesty, vulnerability, and wit offer a rare and real look at queer identity, family secrets, and the power of storytelling.
3. The Black Flamingo by Dean Atta
Learn more: The Black Flamingo
Written in verse, this young adult novel follows Michael, a mixed-race gay teen in the UK, as he discovers the world of drag and begins to truly embrace who he is. The lyrical writing pulls you in, and the themes of self-expression, race, and queer identity make it a modern classic.
Why it matters: This is the book every queer teen (and ally) deserves. It’s bold, affirming, and full of pride.
4. Giovanni’s Room by James Baldwin
Learn more: Giovanni’s Room
A classic of queer literature written by one of the most important Black authors of the 20th century. Giovanni’s Room explores a doomed romance between two men in 1950s Paris, delving into shame, identity, and the cost of denying who you are.
Why it matters: Baldwin’s writing is timeless and deeply moving. He wrote honestly about sexuality and race long before it was safe to do so. This book proves that queer stories have always existed, and always mattered.
5. Redefining Realness: My Path to Womanhood, Identity, Love & So Much More by Janet Mock
Learn more: Simon & Schuster – Redefining Realness
Janet Mock’s memoir is a landmark in American transgender storytelling. With raw honesty and powerful prose, Mock shares her experience growing up as a multiracial, trans girl in Hawaii and later navigating life, identity, and womanhood in the U.S.
This book is as much about resilience as it is about representation. Mock doesn't just tell her story, she reclaims it.
Why it matters: Redefining Realness offers an intimate, human perspective on what it means to be young, trans, and Black in America. It’s both deeply personal and politically urgent, making it essential reading for anyone committed to trans justice in the U.S.
Why These Books Are Being Targeted
Books like these are being banned because they tell the truth. They reflect queer lives honestly, with joy, pain, anger, and hope. That scares people who are trying to control what young people read, feel, and believe.
From school board meetings to state legislatures, LGBTQ+ stories are under attack. But the more they’re banned, the more we need to read them.
Because stories change minds. They shift culture. And they remind us we’re not alone.
Read Loud, Wear Proud
At March for the Movement, we believe books and clothing can both be forms of protest. Whether you’re reading at home, organizing a banned book event, or just walking through your neighborhood, these pieces let the world know where you stand.
Explore the Pride 2025 Collection
How to Take Action
Want to support queer stories beyond the bookshelf?
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Buy from LGBTQ+ and indie bookstores like Charis Books or Loyalty Bookstores
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Donate these books to schools, libraries, or community centers
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Start a banned book club or Pride reading group
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Share your favorites on social media and tag the authors
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Call your reps and speak out against book bans in your state
Keep Reading, Keep Rising
Stories save lives. They reflect us, challenge us, and push us to imagine better worlds. This Pride, let’s lift up the authors and voices that tell the truth, even when it’s hard. Especially when it’s hard.
Read banned books. Share queer stories. Wear your pride. And never stop turning the page.