Social Science - LGBTQ+ Studies - Lesbian Studies

A "riveting" and "indispensable" (Alison Bechdel) cultural history of queer women's lives in the second half of the twentieth century, told through six iconic spaces For as long as queer women have existed, they've created gathering grounds where they can be themselves. From the...

A revised and expanded edition of the first book to cover the entirety of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender history, from pre-1492 to the present In this new edition of A Queer History of the United States, Michael Bronski's classic book now covers 500...

A funny, bullshit-free and surprising history Queer families have always existed Even Sappho, the OG lesbian, had a daughter named Cleis, in honour of vaginas everywhere! For centuries, the women of 'The Golden Orchid Society' in Qing-dynasty China were getting married and raising daughters...

Queer women have always existed - let's put them back in the history books No, they weren't 'just friends'! Queer women have been written out of history since, well, forever. 'But historians famously care about women!', said no one. From Anne Bonny and Mary...

Winner of Canada Reads 2025 From her early, often harrowing memories of life and abuse in a remote Ojibwa community, Ma-Nee Chacaby's extraordinary story is one of enduring and ultimately overcoming the social and economic legacies of colonialism. As a child, Chacaby learned spiritual...

In this bold new work of cultural criticism, Ann Cvetkovich develops a queer approach to trauma. She argues for the importance of recognizing-and archiving-accounts of trauma that belong as much to the ordinary and everyday as to the domain of catastrophe. An Archive of...

These "very funny-deep dives into the lives of the most dastardly queer people in history" offer a passionate argument for rethinking gay politics beyond identity (Vogue). What can we learn from the homosexual villains, failures, and baddies of our past? We all remember Oscar...

Essential Reading for Pride: Selected as a Favorite LGBTQ+ Book for Adults by People Magazine A provocative, eye-opening, and original book on the science of sexuality beyond gender from an internationally bestselling psychologist. For psychological scientist and bestselling author Dr. Julia Shaw, the dearth...

How does one articulate a cohesive feminism when feminists themselves insist on decentering women?In Trans/Rad/Fem, radical transfeminist Talia Bhatt attempted to provide a thorough, materialist framework for understanding the oppression of trans women particularly and all queer people generally as an indelible component of...

In this collection of essays, Lambda Literary Award-winning writer and longtime activist and performance artist Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarasinha explores the politics and realities of disability justice, a movement that centers the lives and leadership of sick and disabled queer, trans, Black, and brown people,...

Charity and Sylvia is the intimate history of two ordinary women who lived in an extraordinary same-sex marriage during the early nineteenth century. Based on diaries, letters, and poetry, among other original documents, the research traces the women's lives in sharp detail. Charity Bryant...

Through intertwined threads of autofiction, lyric science writing, and the tale of a newly queer Hawaiian volcano, Sabrina Imbler delivers a coming out story on a geological time scale. This is a small book that tackles large, wholly human questions-- what it means to...

In this quintessential work of queer theory, Jack Halberstam takes aim at the protected status of male masculinity and shows that female masculinity has offered a distinct alternative to it for well over two centuries. Demonstrating how female masculinity is not some bad imitation...

What are the limits of political solidarity, and how can visual culture contribute to social change? A fundamental dilemma exists in documentary photography: can white artists successfully portray Indigenous lives and communities in a manner that neither appropriates nor romanticizes them? With an attentive...

The remarkable tale of how queer bookshops built communities, nourished minds, redefined literature - and changed the world For over a century, LGBTQ+ bookshops have been the unsung heroes of queer liberation Home not only to books but chaotic community noticeboards, vicious rescue cats...

Slumber Party Massacre. Pet Sematary. Near Dark. American Psycho -- These horror movies have heavily contributed to pop culture and are loved by horror fans everywhere. But so many others have been forgotten by history. From the first silent reels to modern independent films,...

Acclaimed filmmaker Su Friedrich takes us on an intimate and visually rich autobiographical journey through her personal journals and letters, showing her artistic influences, sense of humor, and flair for adventure as she describes a trip she took through West Africa in 1976 at...

A former Rookie contributor and creator of the popular blog Effing Dykes investigates the disappearance of America's lesbian bars by visiting the last few in existence.Lesbian bars have always been treasured safe spaces for their customers, providing not only a good time but a...

Winner, Lambda Literary Award in LGBTQ AnthologyWinner, Judy Grahn Award for Lesbian Nonfiction, Publishing Triangle AwardsA Ms. magazine, Refinery29, and Lambda Literary Most Anticipated Read of 2021 A groundbreaking collection tracing the history of intellectual thought by Black Lesbian writers, in the tradition of...

A Sunday Times Book of the Year Winner of the Polari Prize'A book about love, identity, acceptance and the freedom to write, paint, compose and wear corduroy breeches with gaiters. To swear, kiss, publish and be damned. It is vastly entertaining and often moving......