Anyone who knows me knows I love to read; that’s something I’ve loved to do as long as I can remember. When I was a kid, my parents knew enough to use that as a motivational tool or a punishment. That’s right– if my siblings and I got grounded, my siblings were banned from the usual things (no TV, computer, video games, etc). Then, my parents would turn to me and say, “Kali… no reading for fun.” Seriously.
As I’ve grown, I’ve developed a taste for theology, faith-based memoir, and the queer experience (if you’ve been following my Substack for a while, I’m sure this comes as a shock), while holding onto the love for fantasy and sci-fi I developed as a youth. Nowadays, I usually try to have three books going at one time: one for research (usually LGBTQ+ theology, history, etc); one for personal growth (books on discernment, anti-racism, etc); and one for fun (fantasy, adventure, sci-fi, etc).
As we near summer’s warm embrace and we picture ourselves lounging by the pool or along the beach, I thought it might be fun to suggest some of my favorite LGBTQ+ books related to faith, theology, and some fiction. That way, you have time to get any that pique your interest before you lay by the pool.
Memoir: Out of Focus: My Story of Sexuality, Shame and Toxic Evangelicalism by Amber Cantorna-Wylde
This new, incredibly powerful story highlights Cantorna-Wylde’s journey through her queer self-discovery as the daughter of one of the executives at Focus on the Family. As she describes the pain of losing her family in order to embrace her authentic self, she also offers well-researched analytical critique of the theology and practices of Focus on the Family and evangelicalism, highlighting the harm those schools of thought have caused and continue to cause.
It’s worth noting that Amazon refused to publish my review of it, as it apparently “violated” community standards. Which begs the questions: whose community? Which standards?
As a trigger warning, Cantorna-Wylde also shares her experience of dealing with self-injury. She thoughtfully marks the beginning of each paragraph in which she discusses the actions with an asterisk so readers can skip them if they want.
Theology: From Sin to Amazing Grace: Discovering the Queer Christ by Patrick Cheng
Don’t let the title fool you– this is not a book about queer folks suddenly finding Jesus and “turning straight.” In this book, Cheng challenges readers to reconsider how they understand sin by reexamining what Jesus’ life has to teach us. He proposes seven identities for Jesus that counteract seven sins that have been detrimental to the queer community. For example, the Out Christ helps us overcome the sin of being forced to suppress who we are. Overall, it’s a great way to get into queer theology if you aren’t sure where to start.
Reflective: Thy Queendom Come: Breaking Free from the Patriarchy to Save Your Soul by Kyndall Rae Rothaus
Through a thoughtful combination of biblical analysis and personal reflection, Rothaus provides a compelling case for why we should seek to create the queendom of God on earth as it is in heaven. In her vision, the queendom is not a place where the hierarchy is flipped (as an opposite to the patriarchy, with men being subjugated to the rule of women), but rather a place where there is no gendered hierarchy and we are all encouraged to find our connection with the Divine as the Holy Spirit leads.
I particularly found her commentary on certain biblical stories (Jael, Deborah, Bathsheba, and the Levite's concubine) to provide a powerful lens through which to deconstruct our patriarchal understanding of scripture. Her writing style is reminiscent of the late Rachel Held Evans, which makes it an incredibly approachable read.
History: Reclaiming Two-Spirits: Sexuality, Spiritual Renewal, and Sovereignty in Native America by Gregory D. Smithers
While Smithers is a cishet white man and not native american, he handles the research with great care and incredible thoroughness. In this book, he does the hard work of uncovering queer histories of indigenous people across North America. He highlights how crucial queer people were to native life and how LGBTQ+ Native Americans are connecting with their queer roots today. It is a well-researched, definitive response to the argument that LGBTQ+ identities are “new” inventions by predominantly White young people.
As a trigger warning, Smithers minces no words when describing the absolutely heinous tactics that European colonists used to eradicate various indigenous communities. While highlighting that violence is necessary to accurately capture the horrors the native peoples experienced, it’s sometimes a hard, heavy read.
LGBTQ+ Fiction: The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune
Linus Baker is a social worker in the Department in Charge of Magical Youth. One day, he receives an incredibly important, top-secret assignment directly from Extremely Upper Management in which he’s to spend several weeks observing the management of an orphanage for especially magical children. Key to the assignment is observing Arthur Parnassus, the master of the orphanage who has secrets of his own. Over the course of his stay, Linus begins to question what’s really important in his life– and his melancholy heart begins to soften.
This book is one of my all-time favorite feel-good comfort reads and has a highly-anticipated sequel coming out in September. I’ll probably reread this one over the summer myself to make sure I’m ready to jump back into this lovely world.
Hopefully there’s something in there that speaks to you. What would you add to this list of great LGBTQ+ reads?