Best books about gay history

LGBTQ History Month: 17 must-read books about queer history

In honor of LGBTQ History Month, celebrated every October, here are books that aim to shed light on and clarify significant historical moments that informed and shaped the modern lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans and queer rights movement.

1. "The Gay Revolution: The Story of the Struggle" by Lillian Faderman

A thorough introduction to the history of the gay and queer woman civil rights movements, this novel chronicles the early struggles of LGBTQ individuals from the s to present day using a compilation of enlightening interviews with politicians, military officials and members of the community.

2. "And the Band Played On: Politics, People, and the AIDS Epidemic" by Randy Shilts

A blend of investigative reporting and vivid storytelling, this account follows the rise of the AIDs epidemic using the narratives of doctors who were on the front lines of the outbreak, politicians and scientists who ignored it, and the real people who were affected by government's negligence.

3. "Love Wins: The Lovers and Lawyers Who Fo

10 essential non-fiction books to learn about LGBTQ history and culture

In the truths TV show RuPaul’s Flamboyant Race, the act of deftly insulting your competitors is called "reading". And reading, as the catchphrase goes, is fundamental.

But reading is vital to the LGBTQ experience – and not just on reality television. Queer people have always told their stories as a way to render themselves visible; in doing so, they give trust to others that they may one day be safe to tell theirs.   

These 10 non-fiction titles are a great way to begin to perceive LGBTQ people’s experiences. The library, as RuPaul also says, is open.

An inclusive account of the struggle for queer freedom and equality, We Are Everywhere is a beautifully designed photographic journey from queer activism’s roots in late 19th Century Europe, through the Stonewall riots and up to present day politics.

From the curators of popular Instagram account @lgbt_history, which champions unheard voices in homosexual narratives, We Are Everywhere offers an immersive history lesson manage from the diver

Making Gay History

About the Book

From its beginnings after World War II to the campaign for civil rights in the age of AIDS, the struggle of gays and lesbians to gain dignity, visibility, and equivalent treatment under the law has been one of America’s most dramatic political movements. In Making Gay History, Eric Marcus features the heartfelt stories of more than sixty people, documenting the compelling five-decade battle that has changed the fabric of American society.

Marcus recorded the oral histories of a diverse group of Americans, both same-sex attracted and straight. Teachers, lawyers, scientists, religious leaders, a flamboyant queen, and a football hero all appear in Making Gay History, along with public figures like Al Gore and Ellen DeGeneres. Together, these many stories bear witness to a period of astonishing modify as gay and lesbian people contain struggled against prejudice and fought for equal rights. Eric Marcus is a former associate producer for both CBS This Morning and Good Morning America and coauthor with Greg Louganis of Breaking the Surface, the #1 Novel York Times best-seller, and t

Stonewall and Pride History Booklist

Today is the fifty-third anniversary of the Stonewall riots. 

The riots at the Stonewall Inn helped shift the modern LGBTQ rights movements from a primarily assimilationist strategy to a more diverse set of strategies, including identity politics and gay pride, and anti-assimilationist ideas about queer liberation. The modern story of the LGBTQ rights movement began before Stonewall, and has ebbed and flowed in its radicalism, its assimilationism, its diversity of strategies and viewpoints ever since, but what Stonewall offered was a flashpoint--an unforgettable moment of rage and rebellion boiling over in such a way that finally could not be ignored. Stonewall was primarily a rebellion against police brutality, illegal targeting, and violent oppression. As we find ourselves in the midst of another rebellion against police brutality and violent oppression, we have a duty to one another as homosexual and trans people of all races and all genders to be very clear about that part of our collective history and to use our legacy as people w