The Best LGBTQ Nonfiction

List of the Month
June 2026 (see all)
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June 2026 List of the Month: The Best LGBTQ Nonfiction
Description
In honor of Pride Month, our June List of the Month is dedicated to the Best LGBTQ Nonfiction. This can include histories, biographies and memoirs, sociological studies, political polemics, and anything else of a nonfictional nature. Contributors are welcome to add notes explaining their choices. Downvoting is only permitted on titles that do not fit the theme, and are not LGBTQ related.
1
9,307 members
392 reviews
4.2
2
2,194 members
126 reviews
4.2
6 Members
bibliovermis, keristars, norabelle414, Heather39, Bookwomble, Tosta
Explanations
keristars: This was the first time I saw my own relationship to gender from someone else.
3
3,258 members
63 reviews
½ 4.4
4
2,612 members
81 reviews
½ 4.4
5
158 members
2 reviews
4.1
4 Members
Heather39, themulhern, RACollection, L1braryStud1esG_l
Explanations
themulhern: Not well written, but still interesting.
6
63 members
4 reviews
3.9
7
1,200 members
10 reviews
½ 4.4
2 Members
paulmdh, Rommert
8
718 members
2 reviews
4
9
384 members
1 review
½ 3.4
2 Members
lilithcat, pitjrw
10
906 members
28 reviews
4.1
2 Members
ReshiBec, oceancat
11
858 members
6 reviews
4.2
2 Members
ElsieKay, paulmdh
12
1,116 members
11 reviews
4.2
2 Members
lilithcat, thorold
Explanations
thorold: One of the best AIDS memoirs. Monette was a hack writer of Hollywood novelisations, but in this book he rose way above that.
13
895 members
14 reviews
3.8
2 Members
pitjrw, Rommert
14
509 members
16 reviews
3.8
15
202 members
6 reviews
4.2
17
215 members
10 reviews
4.2
2 Members
hipdeep, Heather39
18
142 members
4 reviews
4.1
19
2,503 members
45 reviews
½ 4.3
20
519 members
10 reviews
3.9
2 Members
thorold, RACollection
Explanations
thorold: Fabulous memoir by a gay man (friend of Forster & co) growing up in London in the first half of the 20th century. And finding out about his father’s adventures as an Edwardian guardsman…
21
524 members
13 reviews
½ 4.4
2 Members
Euryale, ElsieKay
22
184 members
½ 4.3
23
442 members
10 reviews
4.2
2 Members
Aquila, thorold
Explanations
thorold: Gloriously unapologetic diaries of a lesbian landowner in Regency Yorkshire — real-life version of Brontë’s Shirley
25
231 members
12 reviews
½ 4.3
26
2,360 members
104 reviews
4.1
27
1,225 members
19 reviews
4.1
2 Members
thorold, ElsieKay
Explanations
thorold: Gorgeous, moving memoir of life as a gay man in Castro’s Cuba, written when Arenas was dying of AIDS in US exile.
28
866 members
20 reviews
4.2
29
875 members
8 reviews
3.9
30
1,503 members
36 reviews
4
Member
dara85
31
832 members
14 reviews
½ 4.5
32
Member
saskia17
33
469 members
19 reviews
4.2
Member
hipdeep
34
405 members
10 reviews
½ 4.4
Member
keristars
Explanations
keristars: Great discussion of ways of experiencing gender/gender roles that doesn't exactly line up with the modern "trans" concept. Also talks about ways of experiencing gender through lenses other than sex (religious, for example).
35
316 members
11 reviews
4.1
Member
lilithcat
36
312 members
10 reviews
4.2
38
123 members
1 review
4.1
40
97 members
8 reviews
3.9
Member
gypsysmom
41
Member
karenb
Explanations
karenb: On the wishlist of LGBT Books to Prisoners
42
59 members
1 review
½ 4.3
43
18 members
1 review
5
45
1,204 members
30 reviews
4.2
46
196 members
3 reviews
½ 4.4
Member
ReshiBec
47
174 members
6 reviews
3.9
48
158 members
4 reviews
3.8
Member
Rommert
49
105 members
3 reviews
½ 4.4
50
62 members
1 review
5
Member
Aquila
52
18 members
1 review
½ 4.3
Member
themulhern
Explanations
themulhern: I haven't read this, but he's a talented children's illustrator.
54
276 members
8 reviews
½ 3.7
55
147 members
½ 4.5
Member
uenvs
56
129 members
2 reviews
4.1
Member
thorold
Explanations
thorold: Pioneering account of gay men’s lives in 18th century London. Not without its faults, but it demonstrated how much LGBT history there was to draw on, if you looked in the right places
57
50 members
3 reviews
½ 4.3
Member
lilithcat
58
44 members
1 review
½ 4.4
Member
Aquila
Explanations
Aquila: I bought my copy at Gay's the Word, the bookshop which Lesbians and Gays Support the Miner's first organised from.
59
17 members
Member
hipdeep
60
926 members
15 reviews
3.9
Member
saskia17
61
707 members
19 reviews
4.2
Member
Euryale
62
562 members
33 reviews
½ 3.7
63
181 members
2 reviews
3.9
Member
Aquila
64
164 members
2 reviews
½ 4.7
Member
Rommert
65
156 members
5 reviews
½ 4.4
Member
gypsysmom
66
150 members
4 reviews
4.1
Member
ReshiBec
67
102 members
2 reviews
3.9
Member
Heather39
68
38 members
2 reviews
½ 4.5
69
2,227 members
29 reviews
½ 4.3
70
570 members
25 reviews
3.9
71
426 members
2 reviews
3.9
Member
Heather39
72
256 members
1 review
3.8
Member
lilithcat
73
224 members
3 reviews
½ 3.7
Member
themulhern
Explanations
themulhern: Because it's good to read biographies of the not quite so famous.
74
59 members
8 reviews
4.1
75
42 members
2 reviews
4.2
Member
Aquila
Explanations
Aquila: NZ Rugby memoir, you have to believe there's only one thing that would make me read that...and Ruby is awesome.
76
33 members
½ 3.3
77
16 members
2 reviews
½ 4.5
Member
saskia17
78
11 members
½ 2.5
Member
thorold
Explanations
thorold: Interesting critical account of UK homophobia in the lead-up to decriminalisation — Montagu, Wildeblood, the Wolfenden Report
79
362 members
12 reviews
4.1
Member
Euryale
80
244 members
3 reviews
4.2
81
153 members
2 reviews
3.9
Member
Heather39
82
42 members
1 review
4.2
83
20 members
1 review
½ 4.3
Member
saskia17
84
10 members
4
Member
Aquila
Explanations
Aquila: NZ, an interesting memoir from someone in the generation just before mine.
86
234 members
3 reviews
3.9
87
207 members
7 reviews
3.8
Member
Aquila
88
53 members
4.8
Member
saskia17
89
516 members
4 reviews
½ 3.7
Member
Aquila
90
439 members
6 reviews
½ 4.3
Member
saskia17
91
1,430 members
62 reviews
4.2
Member
saskia17
92
Member
Heather39
93
104 members
2 reviews
½ 4.3
Member
Heather39
94
92 members
2 reviews
½ 4.5
95
759 members
31 reviews
4.1
96
421 members
24 reviews
3.8
97
230 members
3.8
98
Member
themulhern,LolaWalser ,norabelle414
Explanations
themulhern: Gay British man writes about gay issues. Positively reviewed in "The Times". Still banned in Massachusetts public libraries, after several years of trying. New push ongoing for June.
99
8 members
Member
themulhern,LolaWalser ,norabelle414
Explanations
themulhern: This book is also suppressed in MA. There are three copies in the MA library system, but they are all perpetually out and other libraries don't seem to be willing to buy. This would also be a good one to push again for June.