By Kaylie Seed
Pride 2020 is going to look a lot different than it has in previous years. With parades and parties being put on hold (or not happening altogether) due to COVID-19, we need to show off our Pride and be trusted allies louder than we have in the past. Reading is a great way we can do this! Authors of LGBTQIA+ literature use their voices so that we can not only share their work but celebrate in Pride together. I’ve put together some of 2020’s most anticipated LGBTQIA+ reads that you need to add to your To-Be-Read list.
Felix Ever After by Kacen Callender
A love triangle, self-discovery, and falling in love? Sign me up! Felix Ever After is a Young Adult novel about a transgender teen navigating becoming who he is while looking for love and learning how to love himself. Felix has to deal with an anonymous transphobic student while at the same time finds himself in a love triangle. This is a Young Adult novel that needed to be written and one that any teen can relate to. It’s a great way to educate ourselves on what it means to grow up transgender.
Red, White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston
Alex Claremont-Diaz is thrust into the spotlight after his mother becomes the President of the United States, but the spotlight shines on Alex for more than one reason! Alex and Prince Henry of England end up in an altercation that causes tension between the Unites States and Britain. What starts out as a rivalry slowly turns into an organic and flourishing relationship that is deeper than either Alex or Henry could’ve imagined. Red, White & Royal Blue has readers asking how to find the courage to dive into love in a place we weren’t expecting and how to allow our true selves to shine.
We Have Always Been Here: A Queer Muslim Memoir by Samra Habib (Canadian Author)
Samra Habib, an Ahmadi Muslim, came to Canada with her family as refugees from Pakistan and she has spent much of her life trying to figure out how to safely be herself. While already struggling with her identity, Habib was thrown into a completely new culture with an entirely new set of problems. In addition to these things, Habib had to deal with everyone in her life trying to tell her how to live her life. Habib’s memoir is meant for anyone who feels out of place and is in need of finding the power to embrace everything about who they are unapologetically.
All Boys Aren’t Blue by George M. Johnson
This Young Adult memoir encompasses a large number of topics and themes written in a series of personal essays including consent, gender identity, and toxic masculinity. George M. Johnson takes readers through his childhood, adolescence, and college years to create a safe space for both allies and young queer men of colour to find solace and hope as they navigate through their own identity.
The Henna Wars by Adiba Jaigirdar
Nishat and Flávia both decide to use henna as the main focus for their business idea in a school competition. Nishat only wishes to be herself but her family is having a hard time accepting who she is when she comes out to them which leads her to head back into the closet. The two girls quickly become rivals as they try to prove whose henna business is best and at the same time the two begin to fall for each other. Nishat must decide if she wants to stay loyal to her family or to enter a relationship with Flávia and embrace who she truly is.