LGBTQ People and Inclusive Books Belong
GLAAD is committed to celebrating LGBTQ authors and stories, as well as informing communities about the dangers of book bans and providing resources to defeat them.
Everyone deserves to see themselves in books on the shelves.
GLAAD’s work to ensure accurate and inclusive LGBTQ representation in books includes a partnership with Little Bee Books to create, elevate and integrate positive LGBTQ portrayals in children’s literature.
GLAAD is also working with news media to accurately cover and inform communities about the scourge of book bans targeting books by and about LGBTQ people, and about race, racism and all people of color.
LGBTQ people and inclusive books belong in schools, libraries and everywhere. Books are fundamental to understanding ourselves and each other.
Book Bans: Attacks against Rising LGBTQ Visibility and Acceptance
According to the American Library Association’s Office for Intellectual Freedom, 2022 saw the highest number of book censorship efforts, 1,269, since the association began tracking this data more than two decades ago.
GLAAD recognizes the importance for all readers to see themselves included, accurately reflected, and celebrated in books, and to find and share those stories.
GLAAD is committed to informing communities about the dangers of book bans, and providing resources to defeat them:
- Book Bans – A Guide for Community Response and Action: Created with resources from professional library and free speech advocates, GLAAD offers this toolkit to help communities organize and work with the media to defeat book bans.
- Book Ban Media Recaps: GLAAD publishes articles biweekly to identify book censorship threats in communities and around the country.
- Banned Books Week: GLAAD is among the sponsors of Banned Books Week, an annual event celebrating the freedom and constitutional right to read.
- Spirit Day: Observed on the third Thursday of October, Spirit Day is the world’s most visible anti-bullying movement inspiring LGBTQ youth, especially transgender and nonbinary youth to live their lives in their truth and authenticity. Those who take the #SpiritDay pledge are asked to wear purple to show their support to LGBTQ youth.
GLAAD Spotlights LGBTQ Authors and Stories: LGBTQ-inclusive books and authors who are expanding understanding and accelerating acceptance of LGBTQ people.
- Eight Books from Trans Authors to Read for Trans Awareness Week
GLAAD and Little Bee Books
About Our Children’s Book Publishing Partnership with Little Bee Books
In 2018, GLAAD partnered with Little Bee Books to integrate and elevate positive LGBTQ representation in children’s literature. Since then, GLAAD and Little Bee Books have released over a dozen titles across various genres and formats for children of all ages. See below for titles currently available, and more information on this exciting and robust partnership.
Books Published in Partnership with GLAAD and Little Bee Books
All Moms
- Moms are amazing! The care, support, and love they give make us stronger, smarter, kinder, and happier. Every mom is unique and special, so celebrate them with this beautiful picture book written by the married team of Sarah Kate Ellis, the president and CEO of GLAAD, and musician Kristen Ellis-Henderson.
Always Human: A Graphic Novel
- Always Human is a beautifully drawn, sapphic graphic novel about a developing relationship between two young women in a near-future, soft sci-fi setting. First serialized on the popular app and website WebToon, Always Human amassed over 52 million views and 700,000 subscribers. Now, for the first time, this incredible story has been reformatted for a print edition! Along with the sequel Love and Gravity, get ready to fall in love with this ground-breaking story of support and romance.
Except When They Don’t
- This rhyming picture book encourages children to celebrate their individuality and lets them know that it’s okay to play with whatever toys they want to!
Grandad’s Camper
- This American Library Association’s Stonewall Honor Book and British Book Awards’ Children’s Illustrated Book of the Year celebrates a wonderful grandfather-granddaughter relationship, as a little girl hatches the perfect plan to get her Grandad adventuring again.
Grandad’s Pride
- Grandad and Milly are back for another adventure, this time honoring the past and celebrating the future with a pride parade. This heartwarming tale continues to wonderful journey that began with the Stonewall Honoree and Waterstones Best Illustrated Book, Grandad’s Camper.
Jack (Not Jackie)
- In this heartwarming picture book, a big sister realizes that her little sister, Jackie, doesn’t like dresses or fairies—she likes ties and bugs! Will she and her family be able to accept that Jackie identifies as “Jack”?
Maiden & Princess
- Once in a faraway kingdom, a strong, brave maiden is invited to attend the prince’s royal ball. Though she’s not excited to go, at the party she meets a kind and beautiful woman. After a magical night of laughing, talking, stargazing, and dancing, the maiden realizes that she has fallen in love with the princess of the kingdom. This heartwarming fairy tale celebrates a magical relationship.
Molly’s Tuxedo
- Molly wants to look her best for picture day at her school, and what looks better than a tux? Mom thinks Molly looks best in a dress, but Molly knows from experience that dresses are trouble. They have tight places and hard-to-reach zippers, and worst of all, no pockets!. Can Molly find the courage to follow her heart and get her mom to realize just how awesome she’d look in a tux?
Our Rainbow
- In this beautiful, bold board book, children will learn about the colors of the iconic pride flag!
Prince & Knight
- In this modern fairy tale, a noble prince and a brave knight come together to defeat a terrible monster and, in the process, find true love in a most unexpected place.
Prince & Knight: Tale of the Shadow King
- This follow-up to Prince & Knight is an inclusive, modern fairy tale for young readers! Our brave and dashing heroes, the prince and the knight, are happily married and their kingdom is prospering, but soon, a fog of darkness that blocks the sun spreads across their land. They get word that the cause of this is a dark and mysterious Shadow King, and they rush off to find and stop him, but encounter many obstacles along the way. Will they be able to restore the light to their kingdom?
Spirit Day
- In this board book, children will learn all about Spirit Day and its mission to stop bullying.
- Spirit Day Set For Thursday, October 17 When Millions Will Go Purple in a Stand Against Bullying and in Support Of LGBTQ Youth
- Angelica Ross, Jameela Jamil, Adam Rippon, Karamo Brown, Paula Abdul, Patricia Arquette, Dan Levy, Jaboukie Young-White, Peppermint, And Nina West Speak out Against Bullying and Stand in Solidarity with LGBTQ Youth in Spirit Day Videos
- October 15: Spirit Day Sends a Message of Support and Acceptance to LGBTQ Youth Around The World
The Fighting Infantryman: Albert D.J. Cashier, Transgender Civil War Soldier
- This beautifully written and timely true story shows a transgender soldier’s personal bravery as he faced daring challenges on the battlefield and privately battled the restrictions and confines of gender.
Two Grooms on a Cake: The Story of America’s First Gay Wedding
- Long before marriage equality was the law of the land, two grooms stood on a wedding cake with their feet firmly planted in fluffy white frosting. That cake belonged to Jack Baker and Michael McConnell, who were wed on September 3, 1971, becoming the first same-sex couple in America to be legally married. Their struggle to obtain a marriage license in Minnesota and their subsequent appeals to the Minnesota Supreme Court and the Supreme Court of the United States is an under-told story of LGBTQ history. This beautiful book celebrates the love story of two pioneers of marriage equality for all through the baking of their wedding cake!
Uncle Bobby’s Wedding
- Chloe’s favorite uncle is getting married, and she’s not happy about it. But after a magical day with Uncle Bobby and his boyfriend, Jamie, Chloe realizes she’s not losing an uncle, but gaining one.
Unstoppable: How Bayard Rustin Organized the 1963 March on Washington
- This powerful and triumphant picture book biography tells the story of how openly gay civil rights leader Bayard Rustin defied prejudice as he planned and organized the historic March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom.