LGBTQ+

Trans like me : conversations for all of us

C. N. Lester

A personal and culture-driven exploration of the most pressing questions facing the transgender community today, from a leading activist, musician, and academic. In Trans Like Me, CN Lester takes readers on a measured, thoughtful, intelligent yet approachable tour through the most important and high-profile narratives around the trans community, turning them inside out and examining where we really are in terms of progress. From the impact of the media's wording in covering trans people and issues, to the way parenting gender variant children is portrayed, Lester brings their charged personal narrative to every topic and expertly lays out the work left to be done. Trans Like Me explores the ways that we are all defined by ideas of gender--whether we live as he, she, or they--and how we can strive for authenticity in a world that forces limiting labels.

A collection of essays that illuminate many of the issues faced by those in the trans community. Lester covers a variety of topics, often drawing on their own personal history as a nonbinary person to lend credence and subjectivity, in a way that is both informational and elucidating. -Candice

How (not) to ask a boy to prom

S. J. Goslee

YOUNG ADULT FICTION Goslee S. J.
LGBTQ+, Young Adult

Nolan Grant is sixteen, gay, and very, very single. He's never had a boyfriend, or even been kissed. It's not like Penn Valley is exactly brimming with prospects. Nolan plans to ride out the rest of his junior year drawing narwhals, working at the greenhouse, and avoiding anything that involves an ounce of school spirit. Unfortunately for him, his adoptive big sister has other ideas. Ideas that involve too-tight pants, a baggie full of purple glitter, and worst of all: a Junior-Senior prom ticket.

Added by Brian

Gender : your guide : a gender-friendly primer on what to know, what to say, and what to do in the new gender culture

Lee Airton

305.3 /Airton
Nonfiction, LGBTQ+

"The days of two genders--male, female; boy, girl; blue, pink--are over, if they ever existed at all. Gender is now a global conversation, and one that is constantly evolving. From the differences among gender identity, gender expression, and sex, to the use of gender-neutral pronouns like singular they/them, to thinking about your own participation in gender, Gender: Your Guide serves as a complete primer to all things gender. You will learn how gender works in everyday life, how to use accurate terminology to refer to transgender, non-binary, and/or gender non-conforming individuals, and how to ask when you aren't sure what to do or say. It provides you with the information you need to talk confidently and compassionately about gender diversity, whether simply having a conversation or going to bat as an advocate"--

Author Lee Airton is creator of the They Is My Pronoun website, which is a useful and friendly tool for learning about the use of gender-neutral pronouns (in particular, 'they'). Similarly, his book is a welcoming resource for those in the trans community, as well as those who want to educate themselves about it. Full of good, current information. -Candice

Kiss number 8

Colleen A. F. Venable

GRAPHIC NOVEL Venable
LGBTQ+, Graphic Novels, Young Adult

"Mads is pretty happy with her life. She goes to church with her family, and minor league baseball games with her dad. She goofs off with her best friend Cat, and has thus far managed to avoid getting kissed by Adam, the boy next door. It's everything she hoped high school would be... until all of a sudden, it's not. Her dad is hiding something big--so big it could tear her family apart. And that's just the beginning of her problems: Mads is starting to figure out that she doesn't want to kiss Adam... because the only person she wants to kiss is Cat. Just like that, Mad's tidy little life has gotten epically messy--and epically heartbreaking. And when your heart is broken, it takes more than an awkward, uncomfortable, tooth-clashing, friendship-ending kiss to put things right again. It takes a whole bunch of them."--Page [2] of cover.

Added by Brian

LGBTQ : the survival guide for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and questioning teens

Kelly Huegel

Nonfiction, LGBTQ+, Young Adult

Huegel Madrone provides realistic advice for teens who are LGBTQ, questioning whether they might be, or are just interested in knowing more about LGBTQ history and rights. Also included are practical suggestions on dealing with homophobia; dating; creating a more accepting school environment; and reconciling your sexual/gender identity with cultural and religious beliefs.

A well-rounded and up-to-date guide on all things LGBTQ for young adults. Useful for teens that identify as queer, as well as any reader who wants to explore and learn more about the topic. -Candice

The meaning of birds

Jaye Robin Brown

YOUNG ADULT FICTION Brown Jaye
LGBTQ+, Young Adult

Before: Jess has always struggled with the fire inside her. But when she meets Vivi, everything changes. As they fall for each other, Vivi helps Jess deal with her anger and pain and encourages her to embrace her artistic talent. And suddenly Jess's future is a blank canvas, filled with possibilities. After: When Vivi unexpectedly dies, Jess's perfect world is erased. As she spirals out of control, Jess pushes away everyone around her and throws out her plans for art school. Because art is Vivi and Vivi is gone forever. Right when Jess feels at her lowest, she makes a surprising friend who just might be able to show her a new way to channel her rage, passion, and creativity. But will Jess ever be able to forge a new path for herself without Vivi? A beautiful exploration of first love and first loss, this novel effortlessly weaves together past and present to tell a profound story about how you can become whole again when it seems like you've lost the most important part of yourself.

Added by Brian

If it makes you happy.

Claire Kann

YOUNG ADULT FICTION/Kann Claire
LGBTQ+, Young Adult

When Winnie is crowned Summer Queen in the small town of Misty Haven, she has to balance her new responsibilities with her friendships, a new romance, and her job at her granny's diner...

Added by Brian

Laura Dean keeps breaking up with me

Mariko Tamaki

GRAPHIC NOVEL Tamaki
LGBTQ+, Graphic Novels, Young Adult

Laura Dean, the most popular girl in high school, was Frederica Riley's dream girl: charming, confident, and SO cute. There's just one problem: Laura Dean is maybe not the greatest girlfriend. Reeling from her latest break up, Freddy's best friend, Doodle, introduces her to the Seek-Her, a mysterious medium, who leaves Freddy some cryptic parting words: break up with her. But Laura Dean keeps coming back, and as their relationship spirals further out of her control, Freddy has to wonder if it's really Laura Dean that's the problem. Maybe it's Freddy, who is rapidly losing her friends, including Doodle, who needs her now more than ever. Fortunately for Freddy, there are new friends, and the insight of advice columnists like Anna Vice to help her through being a teenager in love. Mariko Tamaki and Rosemary Valero-O'Connell bring to life a sweet and spirited tale of young love that asks us to consider what happens when we ditch the toxic relationships we crave to embrace the healthy ones we need.

Added by Brian

We contain multitudes

Sarah Henstra

YOUNG ADULT FICTION Henstra Sarah
LGBTQ+, Young Adult

As penpals for a high school English assignment, poetry-loving sophomore Jonathan and popular-athlete senior Adam explore their growing relationship through a series of letters.

Added by Brian

The love & lies of Rukhsana Ali

Sabina Khan

YOUNG ADULT FICTION Khan Sabina
LGBTQ+, Young Adult

Seventeen-year-old Rukhsana Ali is looking forward to going to Caltech and getting away from her conservative Muslim parents' expectation that she will marry, especially since she is in love with her girlfriend Ariana--but when her parents catch her kissing Ariana, they whisk Rukhsana off to Bangladesh and a world of tradition and arranged marriages, and she must find the courage to fight for the right to choose her own path.

Added by Brian

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