Queer Books, Comics & Manga

Pride season may be over, but there's still a load of LGBTQ+ festivals and events happening across the rest of the calendar year. Whether it's film festivals, queer markets, live theatre or art exhibits, there's something for everyone - so here's our list of queer festivals and markets happening around the UK, this year and beyond. Shout Festival - Birmingham - November Queer Art & Performance Festival SHOUT Festival is Birmingham’s annual festival of queer art & culture, taking place at venues across the city, The festival takes place annually in the Autumn and celebrates the work of LGBTQ+ artists and communities across the Midlands including theatre, comedy, drag shows, workshops, exhibitions and voguing balls. Find out more about upcoming events at https://shoutfestival.co.uk BFI Flare Festival - London - March Queer Film Festival F ormerly known as the London Lesbian and Gay Film Festival (LLGFF), BFI Flare is the largest LGBTQ+ film festival in Europe. It takes place every spring in London, England. Organised and run by the British Film Institute, all BFI Flare screenings take place in the BFI Southbank with tickets starting at £5. You can get tickets to screenings at https://whatson.bfi.org.uk/flare Queer Bloomsbury - Lewes - September Queer Art & Philosophy Festival Queer Bloomsbury is a weekend-long event celebrating contemporary queer identities, politics and desires. It brings together emerging and established voices from across the LGBTQ+ community, challenging the status quo and imagining new ways of living - just as the Bloomsbury group did a century ago. Find out more at https://www.charleston.org.uk/festival/queer-bloomsbury-2024/ Outburst Arts Festival - Belfast - November Queer Arts Festival Outburst is a nine-day international art festival in Belfast that showcases the best in new queer performance, literature, film, music, digital creativity, dance and visual arts. It’s a sharing point for artists, thinkers and participants with events including opera, art markets, theatre, film and workshops. Check out upcoming events at this year's festival here: https://outburstarts.com/ Body Movements - London - August Queer Dance & Art Festival Body Movements is a London-based queer dance festival that celebrates queer bodies in club culture, and has a focus on electronic music . From their roots as a DIY, radical queer gathering, sprawling across 15 spaces in hackney wick, Body Movements is now an open-air day festival amongst the trees of Southwark park. Tickets start at £20 (plus booking fee) Take a look at this year's lineup here: https://bodymovements.co.uk/ Pride Comic Art Festival - Bristol - September Queer Comic & Art Festival Pride Comic Art Festival (PRIDE CAF) gives LGBTQA+ artists, writers and creators a place to exhibit and sell their work, and for the general public to discover new comics, zines, art and stories. It's a one-day event and usually includes talks throughout the day along with workshops to help inspire creativity. This event is FREE and open to all ages. Why not get involved in PRIDE CAF by visiting their website here: https://pridecaf.co.uk/ Queer Spirit - Devon - August Queer Spirituality Festival Queer Spirit Festival is a non-profit, grassroots community event, run by volunteers, celebrating the creative magical spirit of LGBTQ+ people. Relax, play and make new friends, absorb the healing energy of nature, share your stories and explore new ideas and practices. The four-day camping festival includes performances, traders, healing workshops, sharing circles and therapy, as well as live music and performances. Learn more about Queer Spirit here: https://queerspirit.net/ Student Pride - London - February Queer Youth Festival National Student Pride is a weekend-long event for students - full of celebration, talks, club events, networking, live performances, a careers fair and an awards ceremony. It's made for students, run by students, and committed to improving the queer student experience across the UK. The daytime festival is open to anyone over the age of 16 - if you are under 16 you can still attend if you are accompanied by an adult. Take a look at this year's lineup and buy tickets here: https://www.studentpride.co.uk/ Queer East - London - April Queer Film & Performance Festival Queer East is a ten-day film festival centering LGBTQ+ cinema, live arts, and moving image work from East and Southeast Asia. Launched in 2020 in response to the lack of Asian representation in cinema, onstage, and behind the scenes , the festival takes places across multiple venues across London, exploring notions of what it means to be queer and Asian in the modern world. Find out more and buy tickets to screenings here: https://queereast.org.uk/ LDN Queer Mart - London - Quarterly Queer Market LDN Queer Mart is a very queer, community-focused market event, held at various locations in London throughout the year. Their events offer queer artists and queer-owned small business owners to showcase their work, connect with attendees and other traders, and sell their products to the public. If you're a fan of beautiful art, supporting small businesses, and a general sense of queer joy, this one's definitely worth a visit. Stay up to date, sign up to be a trader , or apply to volunteer by visiting their linktree here: https://linktr.ee/ldnqueermart SQUIFF - Glasgow - October Queer Film Festival SQIFF (Scottish Queer International Film Festival) is a non-profit LGBTQ+ film festival that was set up back in 2015. Since then, SQUIFF has held its annual Film Festival in Glasgow every October, whilst also running events and screenings throughout the year. Their aim is to support marginalised groups within the LGBTQ+ community, provide networking opportunities for queer filmmakers , and build community through queer films. Check out their upcoming events here: https://www.sqiff.org/ Deviants Market - Brighton - Quarterly Kinky Queer Art Market Deviants Market is a new one on the scene. Launching in 2025 and held at Komedia in Brighton, they focus on the kinkier side of queer markets. Expect plenty of jewellery, apparel, art prints, erotica, accessories, and ceramics with a kinky edge. Entry is free, though donations are welcome and they also hold a raffle.   Shop small, sexy, queer businesses at a local kink-focused pride market. Check out their upcoming events here: https://linktr.ee/deviantsmarket Homotopia - Liverpool - November Queer Art & Culture Festival Homotopia Festival is the UK’s longest-running LGBTQIA+ arts and culture festival. Every November, the Liverpool-based festival runs a month-long series of events and performances showcasing local, national, and international LGBTQIA+ artists and creatives. Events across the city include exhibitions. talks, screenings, live shows, workshops and parties. The festival is taking a break in 2024, but there's still lots happening the rest of the calendar year which you can find here: https://www.homotopia.net/ Ho motopia also offers a 12-month support program for early career artists called QueerCore. The program offers support for LGBTQIA+ artists in the Liverpool City Region to grow, build connections and develop new ideas. Learn more about Queercore here: https://www.homotopia.net/queercore/ The Queer Fringe Festival - Cardiff - June Queer Art & Performance Festival The Queer Fringe Festival is brand new this year (2024). Some of Cardiff's best venues and artists come together for a month of queer fringe events - including theatre, comedy, live music, film, drag, visual art exhibitions, dance, and digital arts. Run by the team behind The Queer Emporium , the festival is Wales's first queer fringe festival and with so many events happening across the month, you're bound to find time to attend at least a few. You can find their program here: https://queerfringefestival.com/whats-on/ Queer Art Market - Manchester - Quarterly Queer Market Manchester Queer Art Market (MQAM) is a queer art market held quarterly at Feel Good Club that allows LGBTQ+ artists, creatives, and makers in the North West to show off their work. Run by a collective of queer makers and market lovers, their aim is to ensure that the market is accessible to all artists, regardless of financial barriers. If you get a chance to go to one of these events, do. The vibe is lovely, the people are amazing and the art is very very queer. Find out when their next event is here: https://linktr.ee/mcrqueerartmarket Fringe! Queer Film & Arts Fest - London - September Queer DIY Art & Film Festival Fringe! Queer Film & Arts Fest has been running in London since 2011 as an entirely volunteer-run organisation. Every autumn, they showcase an eclectic mix of films, arts and events celebrating LGBTIQA+ stories from around the world. From feature films to experimental installations, workshops and lively debates to wild parties, Fringe! hosts a multitude of diverse events to tickle every one of the senses. Learn about this year's week-long festival here: https://www.fringefilmfest.com/ Leeds Queer Film Festival - Leeds - March Queer Film Festival Leeds Queer Film Festival is a DIY festival run by and for the LGBTQ+ community in Leeds. It combines queer cinema with group discussions, workshops, and talks, raising awareness about current issues of relevance to the community, along with other activities, crafts, and food. It's an annual five-day event that runs every spring, perfect for anyone with a love of queer cinema and open discussion. Submissions for next year's festival are currently open and can be found here: https://www.leedsqueerfilmfestival.co.uk/ Mighty Hoopla - London - May Queer Pop Music Festival First held at a Butlins in Bognor Regis, Mighty Hoopla has grown to become Europe's largest pop music festival. It's currently held at Brockwell Park in London and getting bigger and better every year. Expect plenty of pop music, 90's faves and DJ sets from drag queens. This year's lineup included Ciara, Kate Nash, The Vegaboys and Kesha. If you love camp pop, dance classics and 90s R&B, then this one's for you. Sound like fun? Grab yourself tickets for next year's event here: https://mightyhoopla.com/ ​ Queerfest - Norwich - February Queer Art Festival Queerfest is a month-long LGBTQ+ festival held annual in Norwich every February to coincide with LGBT+ History Month. It's a celebration of LGBTQ+ artists, makers, filmmakers, and performers with a whole bunch of film screening, markets, events, workshops and talks. A wonderful place to find new art, new ideas and queer joy. Check out what's on next February, along with a selection of Pride events here: https://queerfestnorwich.uk/ The Coast Is Queer - Brighton - October Queer Book Festival The Coast is Queer is Brighton’s annual festival of LGBTQ+ writing taking place over a long weekend each October. The first of its kind in the UK, the festival creates a space for queer readers, writers and allies to come together in a grassroots celebration of the written word and its ability to illuminate and enrich the life of the LGBTQ+ community. Sign up for their mailing list and stay up to date on the festival here: https://coastisqueer.com/ The Queer Campfire - Multiple Locations - June Queer Camping Festival Running since the summer of 2021, The Queer Campfire was predominantly created as a safe space for LGBTQIA+ women, trans and non-binary people to join together for a weekend of camping somewhere in the middle of the UK. Past locations have included Hertfordshire, Lincolnshire, Norfolk and The Vale of Belvoir. Each year the camping festival picks a location and a line-up of diverse queer talent and workshops for you to enjoy, getting back to basics in nature and creating connections. Sound like fun? Grab yourself tickets for next year's event here: https://www.thequeercampfire.co.uk/ The Canny Queer Collective - Newcastle - Quarterly Queer Markets & Live Performances Based in Newcastle, The Canny Queer Collective hosts a quarterly LGBTQ+ fayre featuring local sellers, open-mic performances and live music. The group also host casual events throughout the year, as well as an annual mini music festival in the summer platforming LGBTQ+ artists (they're taking a break in 2024 but we hope it'll return next year). Stay up to date with their events here: https://www.instagram.com/cannyqueercollective/ Out & Wild - Devon - June Queer Wellness Festival Although Out & Wild is a relatively new festival (piloted in 2021), it's quickly become the UK’s biggest festival for lesbian, bi, trans and queer women and those who are non-binary. Held annually in Pembrokeshire, the festival focuses on wellness and shared experiences giving the festival a 'Pride in the country' feel. There's plenty to do, with music, comedy, wellness, workouts, spoken word, talks, wild swimming, hikes and workshops. If it sounds like your cup of tea, you can grab yourself camping or non-camping tickets here: https://www.outandwild.co.uk/home QueerSwap - London - Monthly Queer Market & Swap-Meet QueerSwap hosts monthly sustainable swap-meets and socials across London. Whether it's clothes swaps, book swaps, or workshops you're after, why not swing by, meet some new people, and join in the fun? They're a great day out, celebrating LGBTQ+ creatives from London and beyond, full of creativity, community, and all-round good vibes. Take a look at their linktree to learn more about upcoming events: https://linktr.ee/queerswap Have we missed a queer festival or market near you? Want to add your event to our list? Ping us a message over on Instagram @ProudGeekStore  or email us at contact@proud-geek.co.uk  ✌

To celebrate the release of season two of I KISSED A BOY , we thought we'd take a look at some of the best queer TV shows available of BBC iPlayer right now. From hilarious gay sitcoms to queer reality tv and sapphic thrillers, here are 12 queer and LGBTQ+ inclusive TV shows available to watch in the UK on the BBC iPlayer right now. (All shows available in the UK at time of publishing.) 1. SMOGGIE QUEENS (2024 - present) Set in the heart of Middlesbrough, SMOGGIE QUEENS is a heartwarming and often surreal northern sit-com following a group of LGBTQ+ friends in their day-to-day lives. It's exaggerated and r i diculous at times, but also a genuinely charming portrayal of life in the north-east of England. If you like your comedy with smatterings of queer joy and found family it's well worth a watch. The show has also been commissioned for a second season. LGBTQ+ rep : Queer Men, Queer Women Genre : Sit-Com, Camp Comedy Episode Run Time : 30m 2. I KISSED A BOY/I KISSED A GIRL (2023 - present) I KISSED A BOY  is a British dating game show where ten single gay men are paired up at an Italian villa and spend several weeks getting to know each other after meeting for the first time with a kiss. It's full of drama, romance and Dannii Minogue - along with some really lovely conversations about queerness and dating. Season two is airing right now. BBC3 also released the spinoff series I KISSED A GIRL  in May 2004 - think the same show, but with lesbian couples LGBTQ+ rep : Queer Men/Queer Women Genre : Reality TV, Drama, Romance Episode Run Time : 45m 3. WRECK (2022-2024) Queers, cruiseships and campy horror. If you like your horror very queer and a little silly you're bound to love WRECK . It's a horror-comedy-drama following Jamie, who starts working on the cruise ship where his sister, Pippa, disappeared after being chased by a knife-wielding psycho in a duck costume. He’s investigating what happened to her, but the more questions he asks, the more horrifying the answers. It's silly and camp and a little bit very bloody. LGBTQ+ rep : Queer Men, Queer Women, Trans Women Genre : Horror, Comedy, Drama, Mystery Episode Run Time : 45m 4. VIGIL (2021 - present) VIGIL is a gritty British police drama set on a Royal Navy ballistic missile submarine. After a Scottish fishing trawler disappears and a member of the submarine's crew turns up dead, DCI Amy Silva, is sent out to the submarine to find out what happened. Who doesn't love a queer detective drama? LGBTQ+ rep : Queer Women Genre : Police Drama, Thriller, Mystery Episode Run Time : 60m 5. SUCH BRAVE GIRLS (2023) SUCH BRAVE GIRLS  is another darkly funny British sitcom - this time about trauma, identity, narcissism and a self-sabotaging dysfunctional family. The show follows Josie (a depressed lesbian who doesn't know who she is), her sister Billie (who she has a love/hate relationship with), and their mother Deb (a compulsive liar) as they make terrible life decisions and fight their way through ridiculous situations. LGBTQ+ rep : Queer Women Genre : Dark Comedy, Drama Episode Run Time : 25m 6. DRAG RACE UK (2019 - present) I feel like at this stage everyone's familiar with Drag Race, but if you haven't watched DRAG RACE UK, I feel like you're missing out. At the time of writing this, the UK version boasts six seasons with a seventh on its way later this year. You can expect plenty of laughs, lots of drama and a little bit of queer education sprinkled in throughout. If you haven't watched DRAG RACE UK yet, now is a perfect time to catch up (season 2 is a personal fave). LGBTQ+ rep : Queer Men, Non-Binary, Queer Women Genre : Reality TV, Competition, Drama Episode Run Time : 50m 7. MR LOVER MAN (2024) Based on the novel of the same name by Bernardine Evaristo, MR LOVER MAN is a beautifully moving and at times comedic drama about a closeted family man. Barry is charming and swarve and hiding a secret - he's been having an affair with his best friend, Morris, for the past 60 years. If you like emotional drama and stories about living as your true self, this one's for you. LGBTQ+ rep : Queer Men Genre : Drama, Romance Episode Run Time : 30m 8. GENTLEMAN JACK (2019 - 2022) GENTLEMAN JACK follows the life of Anne Lister (a real-life person) as she shakes up her shabby ancestral home, determined to restore its fortunes and find herself a wife. If you love a good historical drama, queer histrorical figures celebrating their queer identity and 1830s lesbains this one's for you. LGBTQ+ rep : Queer Women Genre : Historical Drama, Romance Episode Run Time : 60m 9. JUICE (2023) If you love weird, surreal B ritish comedy, then JUICE might be just what you're looking for. It follows Jamma, a gay dude with commitment issues and his relationships at work, with his boyfriend and with his family. It's a little bit FLEABAG and a little bit SPACED , perfect for anyone who enjoys cartoonish comedy, chaotic family dynamics or shows where things go from bad to worse. LGBTQ+ rep : Queer Men Genre : Surreal Comedy, Comedy of Errors, Farcical Episode Run Time : 30m 10. THE JETTY (2023) Small towns, crime, and missing people. THE JETTY is a gritty crime thriller centering a missing person case and a sapphic love affair between two of the main characters. It stars Jenna Coleman as the detective in charge as she tries to connect a fire to a podcaster and an illicit love affair between a man in his 20s and two underage girls. LGBTQ+ rep : Queer Women, Genre : Crime, Thriller, Mystery, Drama Episode Run Time : 60m 11. LOST BOYS AND FAIRIES (2024) If you're into stories about queer parenthood, adoption and growing up differrent, then check out LOST BOYS AND FAIRIES  - it's a three-part miniseries following a gay couple on a quest to adopt a child in Cardiff, Wales. It's rather camp in places, emotionally turbulent in others, and a bloody lovely story that's definitely worth a watch. LGBTQ+ rep : Queer Men, Non-Binary Genre : Drama, Mini-Series, Emotional Episode Run Time : 60m 12. IN MY SKIN (2018-2021) If you're a fan of dark comedies, coming-of-age stories and troubled teens, then IN MY SKIN might be right up your street. The show follows Bethan, a teenager trying to live a double life as she negotiates her mother's mental illness, friendships and her sexuality. It's funny and emotional and it won a BAFTA for best drama series in 2022. Quick heads up for triggers of homophobia, difficult family dynamics and mental illness. LGBTQ+ rep : Queer Women Genre : Dark Comedy, Drama, Coming-Of-Age Episode Run Time : 30m Have we missed your favourite new queer TV show on iPlayer? Is there something coming out soon you think we should add to this list? Send us a message @ProudGeekStore  or email us at contact@proud-geek.co.uk  ✌

This month we're taking a look at LGBT books about timetravel. From queer time travel anthologies to gay retellings of back to the future - you'll find characters who will travel through time and space to fight for what's right, find true love and save the world. Here are 10 LGBTQ+ sci-fi books focusing on time travel that everyone should read: 1. One Last Stop Reading age: 18+ One Last Stop is a funny and emotional sapphic contemporary romance from Casey McQuiston with a bisexual main character, lesbian love interest, and a smart, magical twist. The impossible becomes possible as cynical twenty-three-year-old August does everything in her power to save the girl lost in time on the NYC subway train. - F/F time slip rom-com - Anxiety rep - Sex on the subway Buy it here: https://www.proud-geek.co.uk/product-page/one-last-stop 2. The Psychology Of Time Travel Reading age: 18+ A queer science fiction murder mystery exploring loss, identity and mental health. The Psychology Of Time Travel follows four female scientists who pioneered time travel in 1967 and the repercussions it has over the following 50 years. Speculative feminist fiction, perfect for fans of sapphic historical fiction and murder mysteries. - Speculative fiction - Psychology and timetravel - Interwoven timelines Buy it here: https://www.proud-geek.co.uk/product-page/the-psychology-of-time-travel 3. Paper Girls, Vol. 1-6 Reading age: 15+ A fast-paced sci-fi adventure series of graphic novels recently adapted for TV by Amazon Prime . Paper Girls follows the story of four 12-year-old newspaper delivery girls in 1988 Cleveland, Ohio as they stumble across a strange machine that sends them 28 years into the future. - Amazing artwork - Suburban sci-fi mystery - Kids on bikes save the world Buy it here: https://www.proud-geek.co.uk/product-page/paper-girls-volume-1 4. Yesterday Is History Reading age: 14+ Yesterday Is History is a heartfelt and emotional queer romance with a black gay main character and multiple love interests. A beautiful sci-fi novel about letting go of the past, figuring out what you want in the future and staying in the moment before it passes you by. between 1969 and the present day. - Gay YA timetravel novel - Love triangles - Grief and loss Buy it here: https://www.proud-geek.co.uk/product-page/yesterday-is-history 5. This Is How You Lose The Time War Reading age: 16+ This Is How You Lose The Time War is a dystopian wlw time travel romance told through a series of letters between two queer women on different sides of the time war. The discovery of their bond would mean death for each of them. There's still a war going on, after all - Enemies to lovers - Time travelling pen pals - Sapphic yerning Buy it here: https://www.proud-geek.co.uk/product-page/this-is-how-you-lose-the-time-war 6. The Future Of Another Timeline Reading age: 18+ An often dark, yet surprisingly optimistic science fiction novel about time travel, murder and the lengths people go to to protect the ones they love. The book has a focus on feminism and reproductive rights throughout time, with a diverse and inclusive cast of characters including queer women, trans women as well as non-binary people. - Diverse and inclusive feminism - Politically focused novel - Check trigger warnings Buy it here: https://www.proud-geek.co.uk/product-page/the-future-of-another-timeline 7. Spin Me Right Round Reading age: 12+ Spin Me Right Round is a positive and funny contemporary YA romance with a diverse cast of queer characters including a Cuban American gay main character. The book follows seventeen-year-old Luis as he travels back to 1985 to save a closeted classmate's life. Perfect for fans of Back to The Future - Back to the Future but make it gay - 80s nostalgia - MLM time travel Buy it here: https://www.proud-geek.co.uk/product-page/spin-me-right-round 8. Someone in Time: Tales of Time-Crossed Romance Reading age: 16+ Someone In Time: Tales of Time-Crossed Romance is a collection of 16 heartwarming short stories focusing on romance with a scifi twist. This diverse anthology explores themes of discrimination, mental health, queerness, love and heartbreak, and the different ways individuals may choose to use time travel. Edited by Jonathan Strahan. - Queer romance anthology - 16 short stories Buy it here: https://www.proud-geek.co.uk/product-page/someone-in-time 9. Future Reading age: 17+ Future is an emotional science fiction graphic novel from Tom Woodman and Cast Iron Books following Kay and her terminally ill wife Murray. The comic follows the engineer and astronaut duo as they take a one-way trip into space in an attempt to travel into the future and obtain information that could save the earth and hopefully Murray. - Time travelelling wives in space - Gorgeous artwork - Save the world and save my wife Buy it here: https://www.proud-geek.co.uk/product-page/future 10: Circuit Reading age: 18+ Circuit is an explicit and dark spicy gay murder mystery romance with a time-loop twist. The book follows Bear - running late to a nightclub the weekend before London Pride. However, after a bomb goes off in a club killing his friends, his night resets and Bear has to relive the same night trying to figure out how to stop the attack. and save his friends. - Groundhog day with circuit gays - Messy gay frenemies - Drinks, drugs and time-loops Buy it here: https://www.proud-geek.co.uk/product-page/circuit Bonus: One Day You'll Leave Me Reading age: 17+ One Day You'll Leave Me is a deeply emotional WLW time travel romance following Karen Stephens, an ordinary woman living an ordinary life in the year 2010. Until the day she hears a song that moves her in a way she cannot understand or explain. Back To The Future meets The Matrix in this sapphic love story set between 2010 and 1960s. - F/F timetravel romance - 60s nostalgia - Heartwarming and engaging Have we missed your favourite queer time-travel book? Send us a message on twitter @ProudGeekStore or email us at contact@proud-geek.co.uk ✌