These Are the 42 Must-Read LGBTQ Books of 2020

Well. What can even be said about this year? Here's something at least: the books, thankfully, were lit.

As we wrote about in our list of over 100 LGBTQ authors recommending the queer book that changed their lives, this June brought with it the important reminder of how the brick-throwing revolts that erupted fifty years ago in front of the Stonewall Inn in New York, the ones we champion as birthing a movement, the ones we commemorate every year with a parade, were largely led by people of color—particularly trans women of color—protesting police violence.

At this moment, we’re living through a time of necessary social disruption, when silence and sitting on the sidelines amid injustice means complicity. It’s a revolution and a revelation, but it’s also important to remember that joy is needed too. Happiness is hard, especially if you’re part of a marginalized group that’s been denied it for so long.

The following 42 LGBTQ books leave room for the revolutions, the revelations, the revelry, and the rapture. There are steamy romances, eye-opening memoirs, soul-stirring poetry collections, novels from both emerging and established authors, and a whole lot more.

During a time of crisis, it can be difficult to focus on books, but if you can, doing so might offer some comfort. Books, of course, can certainly transport you—can nourish your mind and soul. Let some of the best LGBTQ books 2020 had to offer be the rainbow-colored light at the end of the tunnel. See you next year.