Well, this Pride month has certainly been queer one, hasn't it? Whether you attended a virtual event or paraded in place, one true thing about June 2020 is that this year’s Pride in many ways returned to its root as a social protest. As we wrote about in our list of over 100 LGBTQ authors recommending the queer book that changed their lives, this June brought with it the important reminder of how the brick-throwing revolts that erupted fifty years ago in front of the Stonewall Inn in New York, the ones we champion as birthing a movement, the ones we commemorate every year with a parade, were largely led by people of color—particularly trans women of color—protesting police violence.



At this moment, we’re living through a time of necessary social disruption, a time when silence and sitting on the sidelines amid injustice means complicity. It’s a revolution and a revelation, but it’s also important to remember that joy is needed too. Happiness is hard, especially if you’re part of a marginalized group that’s been denied it for so long.



The following 55 LGBTQ books leave room for the revolutions, the revelations, the revelry, and the rapture. There are steamy romances, political memoirs, soul-stirring poetry collections, novels from both emerging and established authors, and a whole lot more.

During a time of crisis, it can be difficult to look ahead, but if you can, it might offer some comfort. Books, of course, can certainly transport you—can nourish your mind and soul. Let some of the best LGBTQ books 2020 has to offer be the rainbow-colored light at the end of the tunnel.