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Queer fiction from before the 2010s: a thread
#queerfiction #queerliterature #queerwriting #queernovels #scifi
#queerfiction #queerliterature #queerwriting #queernovels #scifi
Firstly, most queer fiction in my library are old dime sci-fi novels. Sci-fi seems to be the most common "queer" genre of the past half a century, in my personal experience. So apologies if these lean to heavily towards that genre!
Before I get into individual recs, let me just drop some resources for you!
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:1960s_LGBT_novels
https://bookriot.com/queer-historical-fiction/
https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/121394.Pre_1960s_Lesbian_Literature
<3
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:1960s_LGBT_novels
https://bookriot.com/queer-historical-fiction/
https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/121394.Pre_1960s_Lesbian_Literature
<3
FLESH AND GOLD
"An alien woman sees an amphibious human woman, a slave, displayed in a tank in front of a sex palace. And so an interstellar plot of murderous proportions involving many races and planets, galactic corporations, exploitive sex and horrible slavery is revealed."
"An alien woman sees an amphibious human woman, a slave, displayed in a tank in front of a sex palace. And so an interstellar plot of murderous proportions involving many races and planets, galactic corporations, exploitive sex and horrible slavery is revealed."
The titular character meets and falls for his classmate while at Oxford. The pair embark on an affair until Clive leaves Maurice to marry a woman, leaving Maurice in shambles and seeking to cure his homosexuality.
(Does NOT end in tragedy!)
(Does NOT end in tragedy!)
Semi-autobiographical, we follow Molly's amorous adventures from childhood to adulthood. While Molly has sexual adventures with men, her true love is women, and Brown never shies away from describing Molly's insatiable passion for the ladies.
A lone human emissary to an alien world whose inhabitants can choose & change their gender. His goal is to facilitate Winter's inclusion in a growing intergalactic civilization. But he must bridge the gulf between his views and those of the dissimilar culture that he encounters.
Tedla is young, beautiful and blond but is neither he nor she. On a far-off world, an asexual class of blands exists to serve their fellow humans, protected and isolated from contact with the rest of the universe.
(Some descs are to long so, links it is)
THE FEMALE MAN by Joanna Russ
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6879632-the-female-man
THE FEMALE MAN by Joanna Russ
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6879632-the-female-man
STARS IN MY POCKET LIKE GRAINS OF SAND by Samuel R. Delany
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/85861.Stars_in_My_Pocket_Like_Grains_of_Sand?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=aE39JkEzXX&rank=1
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/85861.Stars_in_My_Pocket_Like_Grains_of_Sand?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=aE39JkEzXX&rank=1
MY SECRET GARDEN by Nancy Friday
(Women in the 60s discussing sexual fantasies, many of which are queer. Some content may be triggering, read with caution.)
Also the sequel, FORBIDDEN FLOWERS
(Women in the 60s discussing sexual fantasies, many of which are queer. Some content may be triggering, read with caution.)
Also the sequel, FORBIDDEN FLOWERS
Woman or man? This internationally acclaimed novel looks at the world through the eyes of Jess Goldberg, a masculine girl growing up in the "Ozzie and Harriet" McCarthy era and coming out as a young butch lesbian in the pre-Stonewall gay drag bars of a blue-collar town.
1950s Paris swarming dangerous liaisons & hidden violence, a man finds himself unable to repress his impulses, despite his determination to live the conventional life he envisions for himself. He falls into an affair with another man & is confounded and tortured by his sexuality.
This is the story of Jeanette, adopted and brought up by her mother as one of God's elect. Zealous and passionate, she seems seems destined for life as a missionary, but then she falls for one of her converts.
(Mentioned in an above list!)
THE PINNACLE OF SALT by Claire Morgan
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/52258.The_Price_of_Salt
THE PINNACLE OF SALT by Claire Morgan
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/52258.The_Price_of_Salt
The story of 2 teen girls whose friendship turns to love and who, despite pressures from family and school that threaten their relationship, promise to be true to each other and their feelings. The 
has been banned from many school libraries and publicly burned in Kansas City!
has been banned from many school libraries and publicly burned in Kansas City!
Notice: F/F / wlw / lesbian fiction is more common because it has been more widely accepted. Trust me, I'm looking for more m/m, nb, and trans novels. ;;
Many old books have references to it but are not explicitly about BEING queer.
Many old books have references to it but are not explicitly about BEING queer.
THE PERKS OF BEING A WALLFLOWER by Stephen Chbosky
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/49623822-the-perks-of-being-a-wallflower
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/49623822-the-perks-of-being-a-wallflower
FRIED TOMATOES AT THE WHISTLESTOP CAFE by Fannie Flagg
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9375.Fried_Green_Tomatoes_at_the_Whistle_Stop_Cafe
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9375.Fried_Green_Tomatoes_at_the_Whistle_Stop_Cafe
The "queer" tags are dominated by F/F on several of my booky sites. :/ Kind of annoying for those of us who don't identify as lesbians! But the abundance of any queer work before 2000 is palpable.
GENDER OUTLAW by Kate Bornstein
Less of a story and more a trans woman discussing her life/being trans, published in 1994. I thought to include this because... well, 1990s trans rep.
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/52108.Gender_Outlaw
Less of a story and more a trans woman discussing her life/being trans, published in 1994. I thought to include this because... well, 1990s trans rep.
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/52108.Gender_Outlaw
LUCK IN THE SHADOWS (NIGHTRUNNER #1) by Lynn Flewelling
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/74270.Luck_in_the_Shadows
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/74270.Luck_in_the_Shadows
THE SWIMMING-POOL LIBRARY by Alan Hollinghurst
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/30106.The_Swimming_Pool_Library
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/30106.The_Swimming_Pool_Library
Unfortunately, this is becoming rather difficult. Not everything is tagged properly (so, so many of my old novels depict queer relations--), thus making it hard to go through over 1000 books in my library, plus trans, nb, gay, and queer tags.
So! Here's some tags from Goodreads instead. PLEASE feel free to add queer book recommendations, but I implore you stray away from post 2010 novels and YA fiction ON THIS THREAD SPECIFICALLY. This is for older queer works! And for messy, not-perfect queer rep.
It's important to treat being queer, or anything else, as realistic when possible/desired. Many of these old stories contain words and phrases we now consider bad, but where how queer folk identified at the time. It's important to know your history.
Also, please link any queer history sources you may have, so I can add those for younger queers who still believe kink is evil and all gays are pure and good perfect rep uwu
Now the tags!
Now the tags!
#mogai
https://www.goodreads.com/shelf/show/mogai https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/96977.Mogai_People_In_SFF?page=1
https://www.goodreads.com/shelf/show/mogai https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/96977.Mogai_People_In_SFF?page=1
#gayfiction
https://www.goodreads.com/shelf/show/gay
https://www.goodreads.com/shelf/show/gay-scifi https://www.goodreads.com/shelf/show/gay-fantasy
https://www.goodreads.com/shelf/show/gay
https://www.goodreads.com/shelf/show/gay-scifi https://www.goodreads.com/shelf/show/gay-fantasy
https://www.goodreads.com/shelf/show/nonbinary
https://www.goodreads.com/shelf/show/trans
https://www.goodreads.com/shelf/show/trans-fantasy https://www.goodreads.com/shelf/show/gender-nonconforming
https://www.goodreads.com/shelf/show/trans
https://www.goodreads.com/shelf/show/trans-fantasy https://www.goodreads.com/shelf/show/gender-nonconforming
https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/64285-lgbtq-gsm-fantasy-science-fiction https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/14431.Best_Gay_Romance_Published_Before_2000
Some NOT Goodreads links!
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/23/books/20-years-of-lgbtq-lit-a-timeline.html
https://bookriot.com/best-queer-books/
https://www.queerscifi.com/knowledge-base/publishers/
https://www.queerscifi.com/knowledge-base/lgbt-friendly-bookstores/ https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/the-read-down/the-ultimate-book-list-for-pride-month
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/23/books/20-years-of-lgbtq-lit-a-timeline.html
https://bookriot.com/best-queer-books/
https://www.queerscifi.com/knowledge-base/publishers/
https://www.queerscifi.com/knowledge-base/lgbt-friendly-bookstores/ https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/the-read-down/the-ultimate-book-list-for-pride-month
NOT every single one of these sources are perfectly vetted! If you see anything that makes you raise a brow from them, please let me know.
Please remember: it's important to know your history. And it's important to know that, years ago, the words they used were different from
Please remember: it's important to know your history. And it's important to know that, years ago, the words they used were different from
the ones we use now. Some we now consider slurs, but didn't back then.
As a bonus: every sci-fi book before 2000s I have read has a queer character of some sort. However, as they are not the focus, I have tried not to include them. :( Just know that they were there, and are very common in 60s-80s sci-fi.
Oh and, if you want to support a disabled queer person who can't work, maybe check these out?
https://subscribestar.com/captaincassidy
https://ko-fi.com/captaincassidy
https://youtube.com/Cassthulu
https://twitch.tv/CaptainCassidy
(SFW!)
https://subscribestar.com/captaincassidy
https://ko-fi.com/captaincassidy
https://youtube.com/Cassthulu
https://twitch.tv/CaptainCassidy
(SFW!)
