In an age of ongoing censorship, book bans, and legislative attacks on the LGBTQ+ community, stories remain a powerful tool to combat erasure. Yet the publishing industry remains frustratingly behind the times when it comes to queer representation. Although we’ve seen a surge of mainstream LGBTQ+ literature hitting bookshelves, queer and trans publishing professionals are still very much in the minority.
While cis and straight publishing professionals can be helpful allies, it’s still incredibly valuable to have publishers and publications with queer people at the helm and queer voices in the spotlight. When mainstream publishers denied or shied away from publishing LGBTQ+ authors, their community created spaces for them to share their work and find their readership. Despite ongoing struggles for funding and for basic human rights, these spaces continue to persevere — and flourish — today. We’ve selected seven of these amazing publishing presses and journals that prioritize queer writers and queer readers.
Arsenal Pulp Press
Based out of Vancouver, award-winning publisher Arsenal Pulp Press has been championing marginalized writers for over 50 years. Currently helmed by co-owner and president Brian Lam, Arsenal grew from a group of university students’ desire to revolutionize Canadian literature. They sought out BIPOC and LGBTQ2S+ stories during decades when mainstream publishers thought they were too niche and continue to platform marginalized literature. Several of their books have won various local literary awards, including Finding Otipemisiwak: The People Who Own Themselves by Andrea Currie and White Riot: The 1907 Anti-Asian Riots of Vancouver by Henry Tsang.
Cleis Press
Cleis Press is the US’s largest independent sexuality publisher, spotlighting LGBTQ+, BDSM, romance, and erotica. Founded in 1980 by Frédérique Delacoste and Felice Newman, the press has long committed itself to promoting feminist, sex-positive, and queer-friendly work. Now an imprint of Start Publishing, its impressive longevity is a testament to its forward thinking. Offerings range from the titillating (a plethora of steamy stories, including annual anthologies of the year’s best women’s erotica) to the historical (Time on Two Crosses: The Collective Writings of Bayard Rustin). The press also (perhaps surprisingly) provides several helpful parenting resources, including Stephanie A. Brill and Rachel Pepper’s acclaimed The Transgender Child and The Queer Parent: Everything You Need to Know from Gay to Ze by Lotte Jeffs and Stu Oakley.
Foglifter Journal & Press
Located in San Francisco, a longtime hub for LGBTQ+ culture and activism, Foglifter Journal & Press works with local organizations to uplift queer writers. They publish a biannual literary journal as well as chapbooks from rising authors and collaborative anthologies with Still Here San Francisco and the Queer Ancestors Project. The press also hosts a variety of free literary events, such as community readings and launch parties, throughout the SF Bay Area.
beestung
beestung is a quarterly micro-magazine that publishes work from nonbinary, genderqueer, and two-spirit creatives. Their goal, according to editor-in-chief Sarah Clark, is to curate a safe space for writers outside the gender binary to share their writing while also inviting readers from outside the community to explore their work. beestung publishes seven authors every quarter and accepts poetry, short prose pieces, hybrid work, and visual art. They compensate selected authors with a $20 honorarium.
Neon Hemlock Press
Described by Publishers Weekly as “the apex of queer speculative fiction publishing,” Neon Hemlock Press publishes novels, chapbooks, zines, anthologies and a flash-fiction magazine, Baffling. They’ve also collaborated with Poets and Writers to offer virtual craft conversations and generative writing workshops. As if that weren’t enough, you can spice up your reading nook with some incredible vegan/cruelty-free literary inspired candles from their apothecary. Neon Hemlock’s online store also boasts story games, oracle decks, and awesome merch. If this press were a person, it’d be your witchy bestie who gives you tarot readings over a mug of tea.
Orion’s Beau
Founded in 2022 by writer Solomon Robert, Orion’s Beau publishes queer fantasy and science fiction. In times when happy endings may seem out of reach; this Seattle-based journal defiantly chooses to foster hope and uplift the community through stories. They accept fiction, poetry, and art, and have plans to eventually expand into a publishing imprint.
Fifth Wheel Press
Originally founded in 2019 with a focus on photography, Fifth Wheel Press now publishes art and writing from queer, trans, and gender variant creatives. Their offerings include books, anthologies, and photozines, as well as a biannual guest-edited literary magazine, Garland. In addition to selling their own merch and works they’ve helped authors publish, Fifth Wheel Press also has a shop for self-published creators to sell their work. This unique “ours” and “yours” marketplace system embraces the spirit of community, collaboration, and creative expression.
These presses and publications represent only a handful of the incredible publishers working to celebrate and amplify queer voices. Let us know which ones we missed on Instagram, Bluesky, or Facebook!
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