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The best LGBT books of all time, from fiction to fact

Powerful and inspiring books have the ability to open up a myriad of worlds - either relatable or new - to a reader.

When it comes to staple pieces of literature every person should have on their shelves/kindles, there are several LGBTQ+ books with an enormous range of narratives that speak of the inherent struggle, hope and history of the LBGTQ+ movement and the personal stories of the community through the fictional and real characters involved.

From the correctional facilities in the rural South of the US, Victorian thieves and Jamaican gangsters to real-life stories of gender transitions and first queer love, this list covers both new and old in queer writing.

Here are our favourite LGBTQ books you need to read:

Widely regarded a classic in LGBTQ+ literature, this book explores the love affair of David and Giovanni. The pair fall madly in love with each other after meeting in a bar one night, but David's girlfriend reappears on the scene, and he chooses to pretend he never had a relationship with Giovanni. The book looks at all types of love, from the unrequited to gay, to romantic and friendship.  

This is a book that follows Julia's exploration of her sexuality. The woman, in her twenties, swaps her humdrum life for one with excitement and new experiences after she goes to a warehouse party, that turns out to be a sex party, where she embarks on her first lesbian experience. What follows is a new world of gay bars and BDSM clubs for Julia, and the intricacies of polyamory. 

Longlisted for the Women's Prize 2021 and a top ten Times bestseller, this book delves into the story of Reese – a trans woman who thought she had it all before she realises the only thing she truly wants is a child. Following a split from her partner Amy, who later de-transitions to become Ames, she soon learns that he is having a child with his boss Katrina, and questions whether she wants to help raise the family as a three. 

A brand new book from model and activist Jack Guinness, this is a collection of essays written by famous queer individual about the people throughout history who have inspired them them. Edited by Guinness, this celebration of the LGBTQ+ community includes words from Sir Elton John, Munroe Bergdorf, Russell Tovey, Graham Norton and Tan France, as well as illustrations by queer or ally artists. 

A Sunday Times bestseller, this is a guide all about how to take ownership of your mental health in order to find peace. This is a powerful book from author and Young Minds ambassador Howell - who has previously spoken about his depression and sexuality - and will serve as a profound tool for those similarly suffering with mental health issues. 

Penned by O'Kane, who has 25 years experience in the NHS in his job as a psychotherapist, this book is all about using tools and techniques from therapies like CBT and mindfulness in order to get rid of bad habits and choose a healthier lifestyle. In the book O'Kane also opens up about his sexuality and growing up in Northern Ireland.   

Due to be published later this year, The Transgender Issue sets out to reclaim the trans narrative, which up until now has been distorted by the media and dominated by subsequent 'debates' between those who lack understanding of the transgender experience.

Drawing on her own reality, Faye analyses the wider cultural experience of being trans in our society, and how changing the conversation could open up a more joyful world.

Writer, public speaker and model Jamie Windust takes to the pages of this book in an exploration of what it means to be non-binary.

From discussing their own lived experiences to navigating relationships and why your path may not look like everyone else's, this book presents a helping hand to those struggling with their own identity and is a crucial read for those wanting to educate themselves on the challenges faced by non-binary and transgender people.

In her debut novel, acclaimed writer Lees takes us back to her teenage years growing up in Nottingham during the emerging culture of the new millennium. From yearning to escape her hometown to her subsequent discoveries, this is no ubiquitous coming-of-age memoir. It's a raw and original story exploring the spectrum of sexuality, identity and adolescence.

Spoken word poet Jasmine Mann's book of poems encompasses the full experience of being a Black queer woman through her powerful prose and personal recounted moments.

From the creators and curators of the massively popular Instagram account @lgbt_history, this fresh, photographic take on the classic anthology takes you through times that were instrumental in the gay rights movement from 19th century Europe to the gender champions making change today.

In this Vietnamese-American poet’s debut novel, Vuong weaves a story of family, his first love and being caught in between cultures.

The T.S Eliot prize-winning poet gives a sensitive portrayal of his world and the relationships within it, ultimately asking the reader never to give up on themselves.

Recently adapted into an award-winning film with Nicole Kidman and Lucas Edges, Boy Erased, tells the true story of author and activist Garrard Conley's teenage experience of conversion therapy in Arkansas.

The book takes you on his journey to self-acceptance in spite of his surroundings and years of therapy after the programme.

From the transgender author, this debut book suspends you in a world of underground resistance and gender transformation that ties its three characters together in a web of secrets.

A hidden manuscript from the 18th century, discovered by recently heart-broken Dr. Voth, leads the story and details the lives of the two notorious thieves and lovers – transgender escape artist Jack Shepherd (based on the real-life thief) and revolutionary mastermind Bess Kahn.

Now, the first transgender state senator, McBride's book was written when she was the first transgender person to speak at a national political convention in 2016, Sarah’s story (foreworded by US presidential candidate Joe Biden) is incredibly hopeful and uplifting.

In spite of fears that she wouldn’t be accepted at the university where she taught, McBride announced her coming out on Facebook. From this one act, she writes about how her decision impacted the lives of others and how she became an activist for the LGBTQ+ cause.

This book has become a classic, engrossing the reader in 15 poetic essays and speeches about sexuality. It's so engrained in feminist culture that it was poignantly featured on a coffee shop chalk board in an episode of the television show Girls.

Audre was an activist and feminist who grew up in 1950s America and fought for race, gender equality and civil rights. In her book, the author takes on problems she faced throughout her life as a Black lesbian author, including sexism, racism, ageism, homophobia and class. Audre says she saw her position of difference as crucial in instructing social change. She has undeniably paved the wave for intersectional feminism.

Written in 1973 by Lavender Menace member and lesbian activist Rita Mae Brown, this book tells the story of Molly, an adopted daughter living in the American South in the 1950s.

Fearless and bright, the book chronicles the protagonist's relationships with her family and lovers and her fight for a career in the most unapologetic way possible. A friend on a page from the very first line, Molly is an inspirational queer character unlike any other.

Almost 50 years since it was first published, this book remains a crucial piece of literature on gay rights and inspired activist Dan Savage to create the celebrity-studded ‘It Gets Better’ videos.

Miller - a previous Harper's Bazzar editor - was so enraged by an anti-gay article that came out in the magazine that he came out at lunch to his editors.

The author then promptly wrote a reply in the New York Times titled ‘What it means to be homosexual’ and came out to his family and the public at the age of 51. This book expands on Miller's initial arguments from the article and makes a case for his measured anger at societal rejection.

The first Jamaican author to win the Man Booker prize (2015), this book delivers an incredible story, both masterful and Quentin Tarantino-esque.

Filled with gang violence, heart-breaking gay relationships and peppered with Jamaican Patois, the narrative will leave your head spinning.

If you’ve watched the film adaption with Alicia Vikander and Eddie Redmayne, then it's time to read the book.

Among the evocative, painterly descriptions of pre-war Copenhagen and Dresden, the book explores its protagonist, transgender artist Einer transitioning to Lili with the help of his wife, Greta.

If you’ve ever wondered where the word ‘sapphic’ comes from, it’s from Sapho - the first female poet in literary history and Plato’s Tenth Muse.

The author's work mostly remains a mystery as the majority of her compositions burned down in the Library Fire in Alexandria in 48BC. However, her remaining scrolls were rescued and are here to inspire and move women nearly 3,000 years later.

If you have yet to read the incredible book behind the Oscar-winning film starring actor Timothée Chalamet, now is your chance.

Meander through the groves of 1980s Italy with scholarly Oliver and curious teenager Elio as they discover their feelings for each other in this story of obsessive love, while the end of the beautiful summer looms large against their flourishing relationship.

Uncovering the fictional lives of twelve characters from across centuries in time and across the UK, this 2019 Booker prize winner unravels the personal journeys of (mostly) Black women, linking their lives and struggles together in a new narrative.

Read this for 12 stories of hope, love and broken connections that will re-affirm the vibrancy of life.

Adapted last year into an award-winning film with Chloë Grace Moretz and Sasha Bianca Jane, this book transports the reader to late 1980s and early 1990s in Montana, US.

Following the untimely death of her parents, Cameron explores her newly blossoming sexuality before being shipped off to a gay conversion camp by her evangelic aunt.

A shortlisted book for the Man Booker Prize 2015 and finalist for the National Book Awards from the same year, this is the ultimate must-read.

The heart-breaking story of four college friends working together in New York City over the course of several decades is startling in its descriptions of pain and abuse. As the relationships between the members of the group evolve, prepare to be plunged headfirst into lawyer Jude’s harrowing past.

When you have been made to believe that being yourself – a young, queer Muslim – is the one thing you cannot be, the journey back to self-discovery can be testing.

Habib writes her memoir as a persecuted Pakistani-Canadian in her native country before emigrating to Canada and escaping the rigid religious obligations of her past. Her realisation and freedom leads her to establish an inclusive mosque and repair the relationships with her family.

White Houses is the fictional retelling of the secret relationship between lesbian journalist Lorena ‘Hick’ Hickok and former First Lady of the US Eleanor Roosevelt.

The book also divulges into the poverty-stricken past of Hickok and her rise from poverty to the epicentre of power in the USA.

From award-winning author Jacqueline Woodhouse, this emotive book delves into the quiet realms of Black families in Brooklyn, focused on the themes of motherhood, fatherhood and queer relationships.

The characters - Melody, Aubrey and her parents - form a tight knit bond that dips and unravels as each one discovers their voice and pieces together a new part of the narrative.

This book, which was adapted into a popular BBC TV series in the 1980s, tells the thrilling story of Jeanette - an evangelical teenager who ends up at odds between her faith and her sexuality after she falls for one of the converts.

Leaving her Northern home and family behind, she runs away with her lover Melanie to form a new life away from the confines of her religion.

The epic work from Alice Walker has long stood in the canon of LGBTQ+ fiction and was adapted into a Golden Globe-winning film starring actors Oprah Winfrey, Whoopi Goldberg and Danny Glover.

It tells the life of Celie - a young woman from Georgia in a world caught between wars. Suffering abuse at the hands of her husband, the mother's world changes after meeting two women - Shug Avery and Sofia - who show her the power and joy of her own spirit.