28 Queer History Books For LGBTQ+ History Month
- Feb 24
- 10 min read
It's #LGBTHistoryMonth here in the UK, so what better time to crack open a book and read up on some queer history? From books on queer literature to the history of Section 28, lesbian fashion through the ages and even a few queer graphic memoirs, here are 28 queer history books to read this LGBTQ+ History Month.
Author: Ellen Jones
About: Equality and the discrimination that a lot of queer people face.
Outrage: How to Fight for LGBTQ+ Lives by Ellen Jones focuses largely on equality and the discrimination that a lot of queer people face, with chapters on marriage, education, mental health, sport, ageing and gender affirming care. It’s full of personal stories and practical solutions.
Book: Solemates
Author: Adam Zmith
About: A short history of foot fetishes
Solemates by Adam Zmith is a short little history of foot fetishes published by 404 Ink. It looks at art, film, society, fetish and literature, with sections on medieval poetry, Victorian lesbians, online forums and Tarantino films. It's only 100 pages long and available on the Proud Geek website while stock lasts – the publisher is closing down later this year, so it may be a little tricky to get copies after June/July.
Authors: David Shenton
About: Queer history and memoir through cartoon strips and gay comics
Forty Lies by David Shenton is part history, part graphic memoir, following David’s life as a British cartoonist. This book is awesome, it’s so funny and so charming and full of comics about coming out, boyfriends, queer friendships, sex, love, marriage, grief and pride through the decades – perfect for anyone into queer history or queer comics... or knitting, there are some amazing knitting patterns included in this book too.
Book: Shoulder To Shoulder
Author: Jake Hall
About: A love letter to the pioneers of queer solidarity and coalition
Shoulder To Shoulder by Jake Hall is queer history that focuses largely on the organisations and people who fought for queer rights and equality through the decades. There are sections of the Black Panthers, the Gay Liberation Front, Lesbians and Gays Support The Miners and queer solidarity groups all over the world. It’s a fairly candid approach to queer history and doesn’t feel like super academic, but more like you're having a passionate conversation with a friend.
Book: Queer As Folklore
Author: Sacha Coward
About: The hidden queer history of myths and monsters
Queer As Folklore by Sacha Coward is perfect for queer nerds who love myths, monsters and legends. It covers everything from demon twinks to radical fairies, queer goddesses, lesbian pirates, curses, shapeshifters and so much more, spanning centuries of history and is a great look at queer heroes and villains in storytelling, folklore and fantasy.
Author: Eleanor Madhurst
About: The history and politics of lesbian clothing
Unsuitable by Eleanor Medhurst looks at the history and politics of lesbian clothing through the ages. It talks about sooo much stuff, from Sappho to Gentleman Jack, top hats, violet tiaras, suffragettes, feminism, drag kings, female husbands, tiktok trends, politics, masculinity, butches, femmes, studs, gender nonconformity and so much more.
Author: Mark Small & Jack Shoulder
About: A history of bums in fine art, museums and sculpture
Museum Bums: A Cheeky Look at Butts in Art by Mark Small & Jack Shoulder looks at the history of bums in fine art, museums and sculpture, from Venus de Milo to David Hockney. There are sections on classical art, history, photography, and ceramics, all with historical context and credits included. You can also find Museum Bums on Instagram and Bluesky, where they post daily.
Author: Jason Okundaye
About: Queer British history told through interviews with black gay British men
REVOLUTIONARY ACTS: Love and Brotherhood in Black Gay Britain by Jason Okundaye is black gay British history told through interviews with an older generation of black gay men - largely based in Brixton. It’s a nice mix of history and personal conversations about nightlife, romance, The BLGC, politics, Justin Fashanu, cruising, loss and resistance.
Author: Layla McCay
About: The past, present and future of queer literature
The Queer Bookshelf: A Reader’s Guide by Layla McCay dives into the past, present and future of queer literature and the history of queer writers through the centuries. It spans from Ancient Mesopotamia, all the way to the present day and covers everything from lit-fic to scifi, pulp fiction, war, fantasy, queer YA and more.
Author: Hugh Nini & Neal Treadwell
About: A collection of photographs depicting love between M/M couples in a time when being gay was illegal.
Loving: A Photographic History Of Men In Love, by Hugh Nini & Neal Treadwell, is more of a coffee table book than anything deeply academic. It's a truly lovely collection of vintage photographs of love and intimacy between men at a time when being gay was illegal. The book contains photos from the 1850s all the way to the 1950s, largely sourced from flea markets, family archives, estate sales and auctions and features couples from all over the world. There’s also a second volume of photographs, which came out in 2025.
Author: Tash Walker & Adam Zmith
About: Forgotten logbooks for Britain's LGBTQ+ helpline, Switchboard
The Log Books: Voices of Queer Britain and the Helpline that Listened by Tash Walker & Adam Zmith is queer history told through a collection of log books from Britain's LGBTQ+ helpline, Switchboard. The log books span from 1974, all the way up to 2003, giving readers a peek into the thoughts, concerns and collective history of everyday queer people at the time and combine real calls with personal stories from the authors growing up through Section 28. There’s also a podcast of the same name that recently started its fouth season to tie in with the book.
Author: Dr Julia Shaw
About: History, politics and visibility in relation to bisexuality.
Bi: The Hidden Culture, History and Science of Bisexuality by Julia Shaw looks at bisexuality across the decades. There are sections on politics, gay bars, coming out, religion, education, human rights, asylum seekers, culture, media, monogamy and so much more. It’s a great little resource filled with information.
Authors: Huw Lemmey & Ben Miller
About: Queer villains and evil twinks.
Bad Gays: A Homosexual History by Huw Lemmey & Ben Miller is all about queer villains and evil twinks. There are chapters on Frederick the Great, Lawrence of Arabia, Margaret Mead and Ronnie Kray, as well as further reading for each of the twelve chapters – plus there’s the Bad Gays podcast, which this stems from; they upload new episodes twice a week. If you enjoy the podcast, you’re bound to love this book.
Author: Jeremy Atherton Lin
About: Part memoir, part queer history surrounding marriage laws in the UK & USA
Deep House: The Gayest Love Story Ever Told by Jeremy Atherton Lin is part memoir, part queer history surrounding gay marriage laws in the UK & USA. It’s a sweaty, political, moving and intimate story that’s fairly explicit in some places, but genuinely really easy and enjoyable reading that reminds you just how recently marriage equality was achieved.
Author: Daryl Leeworthy
About: Welsh LGBTQ+ life and politics from the Middle Ages to the present
A Little Gay History of Wales by Daryl Leeworthy looks at the queer history of Wales, from the Medieval Ages through to the present day. It covers everything from poetry to politics, bookshops and media, Lesbians and Gays Support the Miners (LGSM), education, identity, cottaging, the Gay Liberation Front (GLF), social attitudes, gay bars, and so much more. It covers a lot but doesn’t feel super dense, and if you wanted to learn more about any of the topics, there are plenty of endnotes at the end of each chapter, plus a big ol’ bibliography at the back.
Edited by: Thom James Carter
About: A brief history of queerness within Dungeons and Dragons
They Came to Slay: The Queer Culture of DnDÂ by Thom James Carter is a brief and fairly modern history of how Dungeons and Dragons allows people to explore queerness in a safe and friendly environment. It covers the history of D&D, roleplay, homebrews, gender and community, as well as how the game itself can be a powerful tool for many people to explore their own queerness on their own terms. It might not look at the wider landscape of TTRPGs in general, but it's a nice little read on queerness in the Dungeons & Dragons franchise.
Author: Paul Baker
About: Section 28 and a history of LGBTQ+ education.
Outrageous! by Paul Baker is all about Section 28, there are sections on Section 28 itself, LGBTQ+ education in Britain, the Gay Liberation Front, Outrage, Stonewall and political climates both then and now. It’s full of further reading suggestions, and there are also a whole bunch of great photographs and images scattered throughout.
Author: Adam Zmith
About: Poppers, their history and their use in society, art, medicine and culture.
Deep Sniff by Adam Zmith is all about the history of amyl nitrite. It covers their use in society, art, medicine and queer culture. Not really a book that’s for or against them, more just informative and genuinely really interesting. It looks at advertising, masculinity, politics, sex and why they pop up so much in murder mystery novels.
Author: Shon Faye
About: An exploration of what it means to be trans in a transphobic society.
The Transgender Issue by Shon Faye is a collection of interviews, essays and lived experiences about being trans in the modern world. There are sections on class, race, civil rights, politics and gender affirming care, as well as the media's modern-day obsession with trans people. I love the way Shon Faye writes; it’s really accessible while also being super informative.
Book: Gay Bar: Why We Went Out
Edited by: Jeremy Atherton Lin
About: Part memoir, part social and cultural history of gay bars
Gay Bar: Why We Went Out by Jeremy Atherton Lin is part memoir, part social history and part cultural history surrounding gay bars through the ages. He covers everything from leather bars to nightclubs, discos to darkrooms with a focus on his own experiences in places like San Francisco, London and LA. I really like the way Jeremy Atherton Lin writes – it feels informal but informative, it’s explicit in places and emotional in others and full of great stories about love, joy, solidarity and expression.
Author: AJ West
About: The history of LGBTQ+ bookshops around the world
How Queer Bookshops Changed The World by AJ West comes out in May and looks at the history of LGBTQ+ bookshops around the world - from Shakespeare and Company in Paris to Gay’s the Word in London. It looks at the connections these bookshops have to queer liberation, the fight for LGBTQ+ rights, the AIDS crisis, book bans and Section 28, as well as how these bookshops became spaces of sanctuary for so many through the ages.
Author: Christine Burns
About: Trans history, rights and activism in Britain since the 1930s.
Trans Britain: Our Journey from the Shadows, edited by Christine Burns, is a collection of 25 essays by a whole bunch of different people, from activists to film-makers, parents, musicians and priests, all sharing their own personal stories and experiences, surrounding trans history, rights and activism in Britain since the 1930s. It’s emotional and informative and very, very good reading.
Author: Kate Charlesworth
About: A graphic history of lesbian life from the 1950s to the present day.
Sensible Footwear: A Girl's Guide by Kate Charlesworth is a wonderful graphic novel that’s part memoir and part history, following Kate’s own life as a lesbian growing up from the 1950s to the present day. It’s full of comics and cartoons about coming out, Section 28, the Gay Liberation Front and gay rights through the years. So if you love graphic novels, queer history or lesbian memoirs, then this book is one to add to your bookshelf.
Book: Queer X Design
Author: Andy Campbell
About: LGBTQ+ design, symbols, logos, and graphic art over the past 50 years.
Queer X Design by Andy Campbell is full of queer symbols, banners, logos, and graphic art from the past 50 years and is a perfect book for any queer art nerd looking to discover some queer history. From Keith Harring to pink triangles, Diane DiMassa to rainbow flags, Gay Semiotics by Hal Fischer and the AIDS quilt, it’s a great starting point for anyone interested in queer history and design.
Edited by: Liam Warfield, Walter Crasshole & Yony Leyser
About: An oral history of the Queercore movement from the people who lived it.
Queercore: How to Punk a Revolution is essentially a transcript of the Queercore documentary by Yony Leyser, and explores the history of the Queercore movement and the people who lived it. It’s full of interviews from people like John Waters, G.B. Jones and Bruce LaBruce, as well as posters, photos and zines and a whole bunch of film and music recommendations to sink your teeth into.
Author: Paul Baker
About: The history of Polari and the people who used it.
Fabulosa! The Story of Polari, Britain's Secret Gay Language by Paul Baker is queer history about Polari (the secret gay language used in 1950s Britain) and the people who spoke it. The book covers everything from what Polari is, where it came from and its use in stuff like Round The Horne; there are sections on identity, rights, and liberation, as well as famous faces like Kenneth Williams and Quentin Crisp. Plus, there's a really lovely little glossary of Polari in the back for anyone interested in learning a few words or phrases.
Author: Alex Espinoza
About: The history of cruising and the political/cultural forces behind it.
Cruising: An Intimate History of a Radical Pastime by Alex Espinoza is part historical research, part oral history and part personal experience exploring the politics and culture of cruising. There are sections on the Greeks, Oscar Wilde, The Hankey Code, address books, Molly Houses, cruising in Russia and Grindr hookups – it’s a really fun and interesting book about a subject that honestly doesn’t get written about all that much. It’s not super dense, but it is fairly explicit in places.
Author: Elizabeth Lovatt
About: Lesbian history, historical fiction and memoir from the 1990s to the modern day
Thank You For Calling the Lesbian Line by Elizabeth Lovatt is part lesbian history, part historical fiction and part memoir. It’s funny and warm and uses real logbook entries from London’s Lesbian Line to wonder what happened to the women who called the line back in the 90s. It covers everything from crushes, breakups, sex, marriage and loneliness and is a great look at the lives of queer women who called the lesbian like back 30 years ago.
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