Story is a powerful thing. It has the ability to cut through the rhetoric, disarm our prejudices, and reveal our common humanity. Whether it is a memoir, a crime thriller, or a romance, stories connect us to each other.
The first LGBTQ+ novel I read was Annie On My Mind by Nancy Garden, a sweet teenage coming-out story. Not long after that, I read Rita Mae Brown's Rubyfruit Jungle and Katherine V. Forrest's Murder at the Nightwood Bar.
This was 30 years ago and early into my new life as a transgender woman.
More than anything, these books made me feel seen. They helped me see that being queer is normal. At the same time, they reflected the world as hostile to anything that challenges the straight, white patriarchy.
What was the first book you read with an LGBTQ+ main character? How did it make you feel? What did you enjoy about it?
I will draw a name from those who leave legit comments (spammers and haters excluded) and the winner will get one of my ebooks free.
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Princess Ozma of Oz in The Marvellous Land of Oz. I couldn’t have been more than 7 years old. In retrospect, that book probably saved my life.
‘The Well’ by Marie Sexton. I like mystery novels.
One of Joseph Hansen’s Dave Brandstetter novels. I eventually read them all, in order, but the first one I read was either Skinflick or Gravedigger.
The first one that really struck me was Chaser. I have read several others and I am amazed by how strong the characters were and how they overcame the fear and bullying of others.
Forty Love by Diana Simmonds.
I also had a major crush on Martina Navratilova at the time.