An important goal in education is to make all children feel visible and valued. Pride Month is an opportunity to do just that.
Teach students about the history of LGBTQ+ people who have fought for inclusivity and equal rights and that this fight continues. For example, learning about the June 1969 Stonewall uprising can help students to understand how this helped to spark the modern Gay Rights Movement that continues today. It’s important for all students to learn about activists such as Marsha P. Johnson, and their lasting impact.
During Pride Month and all year, make books that center LGBTQ+ characters and people accessible to students. Look at books both individually and collectively in classrooms and curriculum to make sure that a single story isn’t perpetuated. Instead, choose books that present a wide range of experiences such as coming out stories, as well as fun, uplifting stories, where characters and people are presented in full, dynamic ways.
The following fiction and nonfiction books written about LGBTQ+ characters and people by LGBTQ+ authors can affirm students’ identities and raise awareness in order to realize a more inclusive world. Explore the resources provided to support your work.
Younger Readers
ABC A Family Alphabet by Bobbie Combs Umi and Uma: The Story of Two Mommies and a Baby by Nyesha and Samantha Davis-Williams Sharice’s Big Voice: A Native Kid Becomes a Congresswoman by Sharice Davids and Nancy K. Mays The She He Me Free to Be! By Maya Christina Gonzalez and Matthew SG When Aidan Became a Brother by Kyle Lukoff My Rainbow by DeShanna and Trinity Neal A Family is a Family by Sara O’Leary Pride: The Story of Harvey Milk and the Rainbow Flag by Rob Sanders Pride Colors by Robin Stevenson Love Makes a Family by Sophie Beer Being You: A First Conversation About Gender by Megan Madison, Jessica Ralli, Anne/Andy Passchier
Middle Readers
A High Five for Glenn Burke by Phil Bildner The Mighty Heart of Sunny St. James by Ashley Herring Blake Zenobia July by Lisa Bunker Hurricane Child by Kacen Callender King and the Dragonflies by Kacen Callender The Pants Project by Cat Clarke Star-Crossed by Barbara Dee Better Nate Than Ever by Tim Federle Five, Six, Seven, Nate by Tim Federle George by Alex Gino Rick by Alex Gino The Misfits Series by James Howe Not Your Sidekick by C.B. Lee In the Key of Us by Mariama Lockington The Stars Beneath Our Feet by David Barclay Moore The Best At It by Maulik Pancholy The Moon Within by Aida Salazar Pride: The Celebration and The Struggle by Robin Stevenson Meow or Never: A Wish Novel by Jazz Taylor The House You Pass on the Way by Jacqueline Woodson From the Notebooks of Melanin Sun by Jacqueline Woodson
YA Readers
Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli One Man Guy by Michael Barakiva Felix Ever After by Kacen Callender If You Could Be Mine by Sara Farizan Here to Stay by Sara Farizan The Great American Whatever by Tim Federle Annie on My Mind by Nancy Garden Yesterday Is History by Kosoko Jackson You Should See Me In a Crown by Leah Johnson Dear Rachel Maddow by Adrienne Kisner Openly Straight by Bill Konigsberg Last Night at the Telegraph Club by Malinda Lo The Letter Q: Queer Writers’ Notes to their Younger Selves edited by Sarah Moon Hero by Perry Moore Like a Love Story by Abdi Nazemian Anger is a Gift by Mark Oshiro Keeping You A Secret by Julie Anne Peters Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Saenz The Inexplicable Logic of My Life by Benjamin Alire Saenz More Happy Than Not by Adam Silvera They Both Die at the End by Adam Silvera Saving Montgomery Sole by Mariko Tamaki Skim by Mariko Tamaki & Jillian Tamak
Teaching Resources
Best Practices for Serving LGBTQ Students Teaching Stonewall Activism: Martha P. Johnson GLSEN – Educator Resources Edutopia – Supporting LGBTQ Students in Elementary School