Non-fiction books for Pride Month

Taking everything they know from more than a decade of working with the queer and trans community, their personal journey of gender exploration, and clinical best practices, licensed therapist, coach and speaker Rae McDaniel created the Gender Freedom Model. A uniquely supportive narrative for gender exploration and transition grounded in queer joy, their nine-pillar model has helped thousands of transgender and nonbinary individuals explore gender through play, pleasure and freedom. And now, it can help you too.

For centuries, evidence of queer love in the ancient world was ignored or suppressed. Even today, only a few, famous narratives are widely known - yet there's a rich literary tradition of Greek and Roman love that extends far beyond this handful of stories. Here, the poet Seán Hewitt and painter Luke Edward Hall collect together, for the first time, forty of the most exhilarating queer tales in the classical canon and bring them newly to life.

Significant strides have been made in recent years in the movement for LGBTQ+ rights, visibility and empowerment, but the conversation is far from over. After years of feeling the crushing dearth of information on bisexuality, psychological scientist and bestselling author Dr Julia Shaw dug deep and found a colourful and fascinating world that she is bringing out of the shadows. It is a personal journey that starts with her own openly bisexual identity, and celebrates the resilience and beautiful diversity of the bi community.

'Rainbow History Class' is your entry into LGBTQ+ culture. Covering queer and trans history dating back to the ancient world and winding its way through to lesser-known moments in recent history, this entertaining crash course will get you up to speed. This history lesson isn't dry or academic, and it's not glitter-soaked or reductive like the content we often see on social media. It's a comprehensive and exciting romp through queer and trans history, full of secret queer codes, genderbending icons, pop culture knowledge and activists. Having this knowledge will help spark conversations between your friends and family and be a source of comfort as you stand up for yourself and your community on the Internet.

On her quest to discovering lesbian role models from the past, Amelia Possanza uncovers seven incredible love stories in the archives. Expertly blending her subjects' own words with richly imagined and vigorously researched moments from recorded archives and other fragments, Possanza weaves together a vivid narrative around the construction of lesbianism. She takes us with her as she uncovers each lesbian's story, yearning and longing alongside them and growing into her own queerness. This is a celebration of women who love women - sapphics - and a paean to those who have long existed outside of traditional definitions of sexuality and gender, defying the confines of heteronormativity. Each of the lesbians in this collection moved through the world in their own way and helped the world.

90% of queer parenting is just . . . parenting, but being LGBTQ+ when you’re a parent does bring with it a host of conundrums that mainstream guides – which tend to assume heterosexuality – do not address. From adoption, surrogacy, fertility treatment and other routes to parenthood, to donors, trans parenting, how to deal with family-focused homophobia, coming out at the school gates and much more, The Queer Parent is a groundbreaking toolkit for LGBTQ+ parents, parents-to-be, and anyone looking to support their journey. It is a book that redefines the family for the modern age.

It was two months before the world premiere of 'Juno', and Elliot Page was in his first ever queer bar. The hot summer air hung heavy around him as he looked at her. And then it happened. In front of everyone. A previously unfathomable experience. Here he was on the precipice of discovering himself as a queer person, as a trans person. Getting closer to his desires, his dreams, himself, without the repression he'd carried for so long. But for Elliot, two steps forward had always come with one step back. With Juno's massive success, Elliot became one of the world's most beloved actors. His dreams were coming true, but the pressure to perform suffocated him. He was forced to play the part of the glossy young starlet, a role that made his skin crawl, on and off set. The career that had been an escape out of his reality and into a world of imagination was suddenly a nightmare.

This is the inspiring and moving memoir of a couple in search of a normal family life. And in many ways that have found that: married, doing jobs they love and expecting their second child. But their journey there has been an extraordinary one. Jake was born a woman and Hannah a man. After years of struggle and addiction Jake, now an award-winning filmmaker and LGBTQ activist, transitioned and later met Hannah. Hannah was an officer of the British Army and after coming out as a transgender woman, became the highest ranking transgender soldier in the British Army. Together the couple have a child and are expecting their second through surrogacy. There are very few visible trans couples in the media and in sharing their experiences, the couple hope to help better the lives of other LGBTQ people and encourage inclusivity, acceptance and support across the demographics.

In 2019, Johannes Radebe became the first male dancer to perform in heels in Strictly Come Dancing history. Two years on, he was part of only the second same-sex pair on the show, dancing with Great British Bake-Off winner, John Whaite and though they were runners up and the response from the UK public was overwhelmingly positive, Johannes still faced abuse that highlighted the continuing fight against homophobia and racism. For Johannes this instantly iconic dance was about more than just a tribute to voguing: it was Johanne's coming out. After that performance, Johannes flew home to South Africa to see his mum and had a conversation about his sexuality - the first they ever had. Johannes' incredible rise to stardom through his dancing has led him to places he never thought possible, personally and professionally and now he is sharing his story up to now with the world.

From declaring my love to Vanessa Redgrave to being fed cockroaches by Steve Buscemi, from turnip-based comedy with 'Blackadder' to being farted on by Arnold Schwarzenegger, from Graham Norton's sofa to Alan Cumming's campervan, my life has been (and continues to be) a riotous adventure. 'Oh Miriam!' has been such a constant refrain in my life, said in all kinds of tones - laughs, surprised gasps and orgasmic sighs (I'm hoping for all those from you as you read on!) - that it had to be the title of this book. And with a castlist that stretches from Churchill to di Caprio, Dahl to Dietrich, Princess Margaret to Maggie Smith, I've got so much more to tell you and so much more to say.

'Karma' is the definitive autobiography from music icon, Boy George - the fabulous Grammy, Brit and Ivor Novello award-winning lead singer of Culture Club. Told in his inimitable style, 'Karma' reflects on Boy George's life as a kid growing up in sixties London, through the hedonism of the seventies and the glam rock and punk rock revolution that birthed Culture Club, and the heydays of the nineties meeting musical legends like David Bowie, Madonna and Prince - as well as addressing all those rumours. The book reveals the highs and lows of love, loss, addiction, recovery, prison, and celebrity on Boy George's journey through fame to finally embracing the man and artist that he is today.

They had nothing to expect from the mercy of the crown; their doom was sealed; no plea could be urged in extenuation of their crime, and they well knew that for them there was no hope in this world. When Charles Dickens wrote these tragic lines he was penning fact, not fiction. He had visited the condemned cells at the infamous prison at Newgate, where seventeen men who had been sentenced to death were awaiting news of their pleas for mercy. Two men were particularly striking: James Pratt and John Smith, who had been convicted of homosexuality. In this masterful work of history, Chris Bryant delves deep into the public archives, scouring poor law records, workhouse registers, prisoner calendars and private correspondence, meticulously recreates the lives of two men whose names are known to history - but whose story has been lost, until now.

'No Worries If Not' is a funny, relatable coming-of-age story, that explores Soph Galustian's experiences of poverty, queerness, mental health, grief and community. She recounts her life from childhood, to teens, into adulthood through a mixture of short stories, spoken word, illustrations, and space for the reader to reflect.

A profound introspection of his life, relationships, and identity, 'The House of Hidden Meanings' is a self-portrait of the legendary icon on the road to global fame and changing the way the world thinks about drag. Central to RuPaul's success has been his chameleonic adaptability. From drag icon to powerhouse producer of one of the world's largest television franchises, RuPaul's ever-shifting nature has always been part of his brand as both supermodel and super mogul. Yet that adaptability has made him enigmatic to the public. In this memoir, RuPaul makes himself truly known. Stripping away all artifice, RuPaul recounts the story of his life with breath taking clarity and tenderness, bringing his signature wisdom and wit to his own biography.

Hey, I'm Jamie, a 29-year-old trans guy from the UK. I've been transitioning for 12 years now after realising I was trans (by accident!) at sixteen years old. I knew I was a boy since the age of four, but realised whilst growing up that I was different. It was only in my teens that I found the words to express who I was and what I needed to do. Since then, I've been on testosterone for more than a decade - I know, I can't believe it either - I've also had top and bottom surgery and legally changed my sex, so I know a few things about the transitioning process and being trans! I want to welcome you to 'The T in LGBT' where you can explore and learn about so many topics surrounding gender identity: realising you're trans, starting hormones, considering surgery, and everything in between.