The Rainbow Ain't Never Been Enuf: On the Myth of LGBTQ+ Solidarity

A queer Black feminist debunks the myth of rainbow solidarity, repositioning Black and Latinx LGBTQ+ people at the forefront of queer pasts, presents, and futures

Your favorite Black queer studies professor Kaila Adia Story says the rainbow ain't never been enough in this introduction to the current state of queer intersectionality, or lack thereof. Story argues that to be queer is to be political, and the carefully glittered façade of solidarity in the pride movement veils dangerous neoliberal ideals of apolitical queer embodiment. The rainbow as a symbol of communal solidarity is a hollow offering when cis white LGBTQ people are allowed to opt out of divesting from white supremacy, misogyny, and transphobia.

The Rainbow Ain't Never Been Enuf fills a necessary gap in our understanding of how racism, transphobia, and antiblackness operate in liberal spaces. Black feminist and queer theorist Kaila Adia Story blends analysis, pop culture, and her lived experiences to explore the silencing practices of mainstream queer culture. She touches on cornerstone issues of the movement like

• the whitewashing of queer history and commodification of pride celebrations
• the appropriation of the Black and Latinx ball scene and culture
• the racialized and gendered violence inflicted upon Black trans women
• the exclusion of the lives and work of activists like Marsha P. Johnson, Sylvia Rivera, Stormé DeLarverie, and CeCe McDonald from queer history
• the lack of remembrance and respect for the lives of the Black and Lantinx queer and trans people who have always been on the frontlines of queer liberation

Expanding beyond the classroom, Story utilizes her expertise as a scholar of queer theory to offer readers a comprehensive understanding of how racism operates in these spaces and what we can do to create a more equitable future.

Author: Kaila Adia Story
Publisher: Beacon Press
Published: 05/13/2025
Pages: 224
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 0.75lbs
Size: 8.50h x 5.80w x 1.10d
ISBN: 9780807004654


Review Citation(s):
Publishers Weekly 03/31/2025
Kirkus Reviews 06/01/2025

About the Author
Kaila Adia Story, PhD, is a professor of Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies and of Pan-African Studies, as well as the Audre Lorde Endowed Chair, at the University of Louisville. She is also the cocreator, coproducer, and cohost of Louisville Public Media's Strange Fruit: Musings on Politics, Pop Culture, and Black Gay Life, a popular, award-winning podcast. Her research examines the intersections of race and sexuality, with special attention to Black feminism, Black lesbians, and Black queer identity. In 2017, Dr. Story was named an LGBTQ+ community leader and change maker by NBC's inaugural #Pride30. In 2021, she was recognized by Michelle Obama's nonprofit organization, Reach Higher, for creating safe spaces for LGBTQ+ students in and out of higher education. Dr. Story was chosen as the 2022 Champion of Pride for the state of Kentucky by The Advocate magazine.