“Every classic was written by a straight white man!” goes the saying. But in reality, a lot of books we now consider to be “classics” were written by people of color, women, and LGBTQ+ people. Dismissing all classic literature, or every book written before the turn of the millennium, as books written exclusively by old white dudes erases all of the work that people from marginalized groups did. So, because of pride month, and because literature (old and new) by underrepresented voices always deserves a special shout-out, here is a list of LGBTQ+ classics that you should read if you haven’t yet!
Orlando by Virginia Woolf
Synopsis via Amazon
If Not, Winter: Fragments of Sappho by Sappho, translated by Anne carson
Synopsis via Amazon
Tipping the Velvet by Sarah Waters
Synopsis via Amazon
The Hours by Michael Cunningham
Synopsis via Amazon
The Color Purple by Alice Walker
Synopsis via Amazon
The Price of Salt by Patricia Highsmith
Synopsis via Amazon
Maurice by E.M. Forster
As Maurice Hall makes his way through a traditional English education, he projects an outer confidence that masks troubling questions about his own identity. Frustrated and unfulfilled, a product of the bourgeoisie he will grow to despise, he has difficulty acknowledging his nascent attraction to men.
At Cambridge he meets Clive, who opens his eyes to a less conventional view of the nature of love. Yet when Maurice is confronted by the societal pressures of life beyond university, self-doubt and heartbreak threaten his quest for happiness.
Synopsis via Amazon
Giovanni’s Room by James Baldwin
Synopsis via Amazon
Well of Loneliness by Radclyffe Hall
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Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit by Jeanette Winterson
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Rubyfruit Jungle by Rita Mae Brown
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The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde
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The City and the Pillar by Gore Vidal
Synopsis via Amazon
Zami by Audre Lorde
Synopsis via Amazon
City of Night by John Rechy
Synopsis via Amazon