I’m sure I’m not the first one to say this, but the LGBTQ+ community doesn’t get a lot of rep. They aren’t represented as much in movies or in TV shows or in books. When they are, they’re often turned into comic relief or used as sexual objects, and I’m sick of it. So I took the liberty of looking for books that actually show the real face of the LGBTQ+ community, and the results are better than I’d imagined.
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Ang Nanay ni Erwin, Ang Tatay ni Klara
By Eugene Y. Evasco, illustrated by Tokwa Peñaflorida
One of the very few children’s books that proudly represents the LGBTQ+ community, “Ang Nanay ni Erwin, Ang Tatay ni Klara” is a flip book that shows two different but equally powerful stories. The book follows Erwin’s lesbian mother and Klara’s gay Filipino-Chinese beautician father, whose relationships prove that being queer doesn’t at all affect how good a parent you are.
Ang Nanay ni Erwin, Ang Tatay ni Klara is available here.
Butterfly Boy: Memories of Chicano Mariposa
By Rigoberto González
Unlike any queer coming-of-age story you’ve read before, “Butterfly Boy” is an autobiography that looks at the life of Rigoberto González, who is poor, gay and Mexican. As readers, we get to see González come to terms with his sexuality in spite of the machismo-ridden culture he lives in. This book doesn’t just talk about being gay, it also discusses everything surrounding this, including culture, heritage and class.
Butterfly Boy is available here.
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None of the Above
By I.W. Gregorio
There aren’t many books out there that tackle the topic of intersexuality—where one is born with different sex characteristics, not just male or female—but luckily, “None of the Above” chose to stand out with this theme. Krissy, the novel’s main character, has it all: a loving boyfriend, a college scholarship, a position as champion hurdler and a chance at becoming the next prom queen. She’s on top of the world—that is, until her intersexuality is revealed to the entire school. Covering intersexuality as well as the discrimination that comes with it, “None of the Above” is an educational tale about people we don’t often see portrayed anywhere else. You go, Gregorio!
None of the Above is available here.
Lumberjanes
By ND Stevenson, Shannon Watters, Grace Ellis, and Brooklyn A. Allen
If you’re looking for something lighter and more whimsical, “Lumberjanes” is the narrative for you. This series of graphic novels follows a group of girls that head off to summer camp in hopes of weaving baskets and making lanyards, but soon realize that they’re in for a bumpier ride than they signed up for. Tackling issues like figuring out your sexuality and gender identity (see issue #17, where one of the characters comes out as trans,) “Lumberjanes” is definitely worth reading if you want to live a little on the wild side—reading-wise, of course.
Lumberjanes is available here.
Ladlad: An Anthology of Philippine Gay Writing
By Danton Remoto and J. Neil Garcia
Since we started with a Filipino-written book, let’s end with one, too. This book is the first of three in the “Ladlad” series, showcasing poems, stories, plays and essays about life as a queer Filipino. It exhibits the struggles they endure as well as the sweet moments that play out in between, and then takes a long hard look at what’s it like to be gay in a third-world-slash-kind-of-developing country.
Ladlad is available here.
Art by Julia Danielle David