Pride Month: Our Summer Reading Essentials
In light of Pride month, we thought we would share some of our favourite LGBTQ+ summer reads to celebrate! A little bit of context... Pride is celebrated in June in honour of the Stonewall riots that took place in the US in 1969. They were important protests that changed gay rights in America and for many places around the world. Pride is a celebration of love and friendship acknowledging how far the LGBTQ+ rights have come, and in some places, where there’s still work to be done. We hope you enjoy our five favourite finds, perfect for any summer holiday plans, whether you’re in the LGBTQ+ community or a supporter of the celebrations!
Girls can kiss now
First up we have ‘Girls can kiss now’ by Jill Gutowitz. Named ‘One of the Most Anticipated Books of 2022’ by Vogue, BuzzFeed and Marie Claire to name a few, it’s a whip-smart collection of personal essays that deep-dive into queerness, relationships, pop culture, the internet and identity... Just some of our favourite topics! It’s full of laugh-out loud humour and has an undeniably original voice. It should defo be on your list.
A Love Story for Bewildered Girls
Next up we have ’A Love Story for Bewildered Girls’ by Emma Morgan. Pandora Sykes (co-host of The High-Low podcast) describes it as ’an utterly gorgeous novel. It will forever hold my heart in its pages’. Her description sums it all up for us, full of heartfelt love and emotion. Three women with three very different love stories, it’s a definite page-turner for us!
Love that Story
Rolling on to one of our favourite icons ever, it’s Jonathan Van Ness’ ’Love that Story. Queer Eye star Jonathan gives us his personal rendition of essays, where he describes the heart-breaking grief of uncovering the LGBTQ history of his hometown, Quincy. He touches on subjects we could probably all relate to such as body image, and others that are more specific to the LGBTQ+ community like living with HIV. We love his honesty and flair in this read...it’s a YES from us!
Coming Out Stories
Now this is a personal best for us! Not only is it totally hilarious and empowering, ’Coming Out Stories’ edited by Emma Goswell and Sam Walker, invites you into one of the scariest and yet most important day of so many people’s lives. Based on the hugely popular podcasts, this is an uplifting go-to resource full of advice, tips and what to expect, whether you’re struggling with coming out or not. We should all be on the same team!
Beyond Pronouns
Our last pick of the summer reads is one for anyone struggling with something you’re not going through yourself, but your children might be. Tammy Plunkett’s ’Beyond Pronouns’ offers guidance and advice for all those questions you may have. It’s always good to talk about things and be completely transparent with your family, it will only bring you closer. When her son came out as transgender, Plunkett had all the worries you may have. She shares her candid experiences and learnings to offer how to do the same. If your child has recently told you they are transgender, non-binary, or genderfluid, this is the ultimate question-answering book for you.
That’s a wrap from us on our favourite LGBTQ+ reads for the summer. If you’re ever struggling with any of the issues mentioned, please remember there is always someone there to talk to.
All our love,
Team Chi Chi x