June is Pride Month which commemorates and celebrates the Stonewall Uprising of 1969. Though June is the month that LGBTQ+ people are celebrated, WEPL has programs year-round through the Rainbow Roundtable. Rainbow Roundtable is a series of programs in partnership with LGBTQ+ Allies Lake County at the Willoughby Hills Public Library where patrons meet each month for an opportunity to meet others in a safe and inclusive space. Programs include book discussions, crafts, and miscellaneous programming. Upcoming meetings are:
Below are some recommendations of books and movies to celebrate Pride all year long!
Picture Books:
Marley’s Pride written by Joëlle Retener and Illustrated by DeAnn Wiley
Marley is a little nonbinary kid with big anxieties. Crowds? Pass. Loud noises? No, thanks. When their Zaza is up for an award at Pride, they want to go to the parade for the first time with their beloved grandparent. But can Marley overcome their fears? Highlighting the joyful experiences of a queer Black family finding community at Pride, this story features end matter about the history of Pride, a glossary of LGBTQ+ terms, and a list of resources.
It Feels Good to Be Yourself written by Theresa Thorn, Illustrated by Noah Grigni
Some people are boys. Some people are girls. Some people are both, neither, or somewhere in between. This sweet, straightforward exploration of gender identity will give children a fuller understanding of themselves and others. With child-friendly language and vibrant art by Noah Gringni, It Feels Good to Be Yourself provides young readers and parents alike with the vocabulary to discuss this important topic with sensitivity.
For ages 4-8 years.
Grandad’s Pride by Harry Woodgate
After Milly discovers a pride flag in Grandad’s attic, this adorable pair is motivated by the past to start a Pride parade in their small town. Activism and celebration go hand in hand as the town gathers to help “…build a world where everyone is proud to be themselves.”
Middle Grade
Rick by Alex Gino
Rick has never questioned much. He’s gone along with his best friend Jeff even when Jeff acted like a bully and a jerk. He’s let his father joke with him about which hot girls he might want to date even though that kind of talk always makes him uncomfortable. And he hasn’t given his own identity much thought, because everyone else around him seemed to have figured it out. But now Rick has gotten to middle school, and new doors are opening. One of them leads to the school’s Rainbow Spectrum club, where kids of many genders and identities congregate, and Rick wants his own life to be something understood, too.
A heartwarming story about Rick, a boy who isn’t interested in romance– and that’s okay! It was so refreshing to read a middle grade book with a character on the ace spectrum. Rick is asexual and aromantic, and it is important to show that ace characters have just as much fulfillment and excitement as characters who do seek romance.
(Bonus YA book with an ace character: Let’s Talk About Love by Claire Kann)
Witchlings by Claribel A. Ortega
Twelve-year-old Seven Salazar cannot wait to be placed in the most powerful coven with her best friend, but the night of the Black Moon Ceremony the worst happens: she is not placed in any coven at all. Seven is a Spare along with her bully, Valley, and a new witchling, Thorn. Sven does the only thing she can think of and invokes The Impossible Task. If they can complete The Impossible Task, they will be a coven and become full witches, if not, they will be turned into toads forever. Can they work together, or will they become toads? While working on The Impossible Task, the three witchlings uncover town secrets and conspiracies.
This Middle Grade fantasy is such a fun ride. The cast of characters is incredible and well flushed out. Witchlings does deal with some heavier topics like child abuse and systemic oppression in a very age appropriate and approachable way for its age category. This is book one in a queer normative series that kids- and grownups- will want to reread again and again.
Young Adult
Aces Wild: A Heist by Amanda DeWitt
Jack, son of a Vegas casino owner, starts an underground blackjack ring at his private high school. All is going well until his mom is arrested. In order to prove her innocence (at least about this) he enlists his friends- all asexual people he met online through fandom forums to infiltrate a high-stakes gambling club.
This YA thriller has an incredible found family you will root for and adore.
A Spindle Splintered by Alix E. Harrow
Much like the Spider-verse, there exists a multiverse of Sleeping Beauties. Zinnia Gray is not supposed to make it past her 21st birthday. Her best friend wants to give her the full Sleeping Beauty experience before she dies, complete with a spinning wheel. When Zinnia pricks her finger, she doesn’t die but falls through the Sleeping Beauty-verse and meets a Sleeping Beauty even more desperate to escape her fairy tale ending. Zinnia knows she must help her, but it will take more than one Sleeping Beauty to beat their curses.
This is such a fun and queer retelling of the classic fairy tale we all know and it returns so much agency back to Sleeping Beauty. If Sleeping Beauty wasn’t your favorite princess before, she will be after reading A Spindle Splintered.
Coffeeshop in an Alternate Universe by C.B. Lee
Brenda has a plan to save the world through science- it has 19 steps and is very thorough. Kat is The Chosen One- destined to save the world. It is love at first sight when Brenda finds herself at Kat’s family coffee shop. The two hit it off instantly. The only problem? They are from two different universes. Brenda stumbled through a portal the first time they met. They do find portals to be able to see each other, but they aren’t the only parties interested in the portals and their uses. Together, Kat and Brenda must save their worlds from people trying to use the portals for evil. Can the pair balance finding love, college applications, and fulfilling (or outrunning) their destinies?
This is such a cute and cozy YA romantasy! If you like a reluctant Chosen Ones or cozy fantasies, pick up this book!
These Witches Don’t Burn by Isabel Sterling
Even in Salem, witches have to hide. When a new witch in town starts jeopardizing the secrecy of witches, Hannah teams up with her ex-girlfriend, Veronica, to try to find and stop the new witch. While doing this, Hannah meets Morgan and sparks fly- literally because Hannahs’ a witch. Hannah learns that dating the new girl while trying to hide a magical crisis is much harder than it sounds.
This YA fantasy has a sweet romance that is perfect for fall- queer books aren’t just for June- vibes and changing leaves.
Adult
Harriet Tubman: Live in Concert by Bob the Drag Queen
In a world where historical figures are magically returning to present day, Harriet Tubman is back with some people she helped lead to freedom. Harriet wants to tell her story through a hip-hop album. She approaches Darnell, a previously successful producer, knowing he is the one to tell her story. Darnell was topping the charts before he was outed on a BET talk show. Working with Harriet could be his ticket back to success.
Darnell travels with Harriet and her companions and everyone must confront something from their pasts’ to make this new album what it can be.
This short book has Magical Realism, heart, music, and found family. Bob the Drag Queen writes with a strong voice, and this story is very character driven while not sacrificing plot. Harriet Tubman’s voice is how you imagine she would have sounded. At about four hours, the audiobook that is available on Libby is a quick listen and features two original songs by Bob the Drag Queen.
We Used to Live Here by Marcus Kliewer
One night, Eve is in her new home, waiting for her girlfriend, Charlie, to come home when a family knocks on the door. The dad claims he used to live there and wants to come in to see the renovations. Eve lets them in because she can’t say no and is banking on Charlie to kick them out when she arrives. Strange things start to happen and worse, the strange (and strange- acting) family won’t leave. Eve begins to question her reality and tries to escape. What starts out as a suspenseful thriller turns into a horror novel straight out of a nightmare. Between each chapter there is Morse Code that spells out a chilling message.
If you like intense thrillers or horrors with endings open to interpretation, this book is for you.
Love in the Big City by Sang Young Park
Young is a cynical yet fun-loving Korean student who pinballs from home to class to meeting up with his partners. He and Jaehee, his female best friend and roommate, are frequent partners in crime yet over time, even Jaehee leaves Young to settle down, leaving him alone to care for his ailing mother and to find companionship in his relationships with a series of men, including one whose handsomeness is matched by his coldness, and another who might end up being the great love of his life.
This novel portrays a queer man with both heart and depth. Young is gay but he’s also a caregiver to his ailing mother and a millennial trying to find his path in a fast-paced world.
A Safe Girl to Love by Casey Plett
Eleven unique short stories featuring young trans women stumbling through loss, sex, harassment, and love in settings ranging from a rural Mennonite town to a hipster gay bar in Brooklyn. These stories show that growing up as a trans girl can be charming, funny, frustrating, or sad but will never be predictable.
The Ruin of a Rake by Cat Sebastian
Rogue. Libertine. Rake. Lord Courtenay has been called many things and has never much cared. But after the publication of a salacious novel supposedly based on his exploits, he finds himself shunned by society. Unable to see his nephew, he is willing to do anything to improve his reputation, even if that means spending time with the most proper man in London. Julian Medlock has spent years becoming the epitome of correct behavior. As far as he cares, if Courtenay finds himself in hot water, it’s his own fault for behaving so badly and being so blasted irresistible. But when Julian’s sister asks him to rehabilitate Courtenay’s image, Julian is forced to spend time with the man he loathes—and lusts after — most.
While this is the third book in a series, it can be read as a standalone. Sebastian crafts a happily ever after that fits realistically for queer characters in the twentieth century.
Palaver by Bryan Washington
In Tokyo, the son works as an English tutor, drinking his nights away with friends at a gay bar. He’s entangled in a sexual relationship with a married man, and while he has built a chosen family in Japan, he is estranged from his family in Houston, particularly his mother, whose preference for the son’s oft-troubled homophobic brother, Chris, pushed him to leave home. Then, in the weeks leading up to Christmas, ten years since they’ve last seen each other, the mother arrives uninvited on his doorstep.
Separated only by the son’s cat, Taro, the two of them bristle against each other immediately. The mother, wrestling with memories of her youth in Jamaica and her own complicated brother, works to reconcile her good intentions with her missteps. The son struggles to forgive. But as life begins to steer them in unexpected directions, the mother to a tentative friendship with a local bistro owner, and the son to cautiously getting to know a new patron of the bar, the two of them begin to see each other more clearly. Sharing meals and conversations and an eventful trip to Nara, both mother and son try the best they can to define where “home” really is—and whether they can find it even in each other.
Following along as mother and son navigate their relationship– with its history and pitfalls– will keep you fully engaged.
Movies
Love, Simon
Sixteen-year-old and not-so-openly gay Simon Spier prefers to save his drama for the school musical. But when an email falls into the wrong hands, his secret is at risk of being thrust into the spotlight. Now change-averse Simon must find a way to step out of his comfort zone before he’s pushed out without alienating his friends, compromising himself, or fumbling a shot at happiness with the most confusing, adorable guy he’s never met.
This feel-good teen romance is a fun story with a whole lot of heart behind it!
Pride
Realizing that they share common foes in Margaret Thatcher, the police and the conservative press, London-based gay and lesbian activists lend their support to striking miners in 1984 Wales.
This movie explores a moment in LGBTQ+ history with humor and heart! Viewers will enjoy following along as LGBTQ+ activists from the city meet and work with working class people in rural Wales.
Queens at Heart: Trans Women in the 60’s
A rare and poignant glimpse into pre-Stonewall LGBTQ+ life! Produced in 1967, this amazing 22- minute short introduces us to Misty, Vicky, Sonja, and Simone, four courageous trans women who candidly discuss their personal lives with a somewhat lurid interviewer who claims to have interviewed “thousands of homosexuals.” The film offers an extremely rare and poignant glimpse into pre-Stonewall LGBTQ+ life as it takes us to a New York City drag ball and follows the women through their daily lives.
Queens at Heart is a tremendously valuable archival portrait of pre-Stonewall trans women. Their candor and courage are a true gift, and this is a must-see film for anyone interested in transgender history.
Note: As it was produced in 1967, this documentary contains language and sentiment that modern viewers may find outdated, incorrect, and hard to hear.
The Stonewall Uprising
In the early morning hours of June 28, 1969, police raided the Stonewall Inn, a popular gay bar in the Greenwich Village section of New York City. Such raids were not unusual in the late 1960s, an era when homosexual sex was illegal in every state but Illinois. That night, however, the street erupted into violent protests and demonstrations that lasted for the next six days. The Stonewall riots, as they came to be known, marked a major turning point in the modern gay civil rights movement in the United States and around the world. This is a well-done PBS documentary that doesn’t shy away from what life was like for members of the LGBTQ+ community before the Stonewall Riots of 1969.
