LGBTQ+ literature

To engage in Pride Month, students can read books by LGBTQ+ authors or with LGBTQ+ themes.

Over the years, LGBTQ+ literature has navigated changing social tides and legal restrictions. These stories serve to educate readers who do not identify as part of the LGBTQ+ community, as well as provide characters and messages that LGBTQ+ readers can relate to.

A few recommendations: James Baldwin’s “Giovanni’s Room” is a groundbreaking novel that delves into complex themes of homosexuality and queer identity in 1950s Paris, when these topics were taboo. The novel centers around the relationship between an American expatriate named David and his lover Giovanni, a young Italian bartender. Through their experiences, Baldwin highlights the complexities of love and the ways in which societal pressures can impact personal identity.

“Close to the Knives: A Memoir of Disintegration,” by David Wojnarowicz, is a powerful memoir that recounts the author’s experiences as a gay man living with HIV/AIDS during the 1980s. Its portrayal of the devastation wrought by the epidemic makes it significant in LGBTQ+ history and literature.