Volume XXXIX: A Guide to LGBTQIA+ Owned Bookish Businesses
Perfect for supporting every month of the year
Introduction
June is Pride Month, but our support for LGBTQIA+ bookish organizations and businesses should extend all year long. From combatting book bans, to creating safe spaces, to providing representation for readers of all ages, they’re providing resources that need our full support.
Every day it feels as if there is a newly announced bill targeting LGBTQIA+ rights and safety. And if it feels that way, that’s because there are already 586 anti-trans bills from 2024 alone in the U.S. Not only is this terrifying, but incredibly real—we’ve seen some of these bills thrown out, and others already passed into law, impacting individuals of all ages.
However, LGBTQIA+ owned and led organizations are still here, and will always be here. The work parental groups and legislators are doing to restrict and prevent basic human rights has a horrific impact—that cannot be ignored—but the work these businesses are doing (and the work of so many supporting these businesses) can be even more powerful.
In today’s newsletter, we’re looking at LGBTQIA+ owned organizations from across the States, including bookstores, publishers, bookish advocacy groups, and more. And we encourage you to share any you know of in the comments for us all to learn more about and support!
A Deeper Look
Many of us are all too familiar with the various queerphobic legislation and everyday actions that take place within the publishing industry and beyond. It’s all a part of a greater attempt to continue consolidating power and influence for the few (à la white supremacy)—which is why we can’t separate book bans from the greater picture.
For years, Erin Reed has been tracking anti-trans legislation across the country (you can follow along with her newsletter Erin in the Morning and on social media). Her reporting shares the good and the bad, particularly at a state level. And, as she writes: “Although energy around anti-trans legislation seems to have peaked, the 2024 election could put transgender rights under threat nationally.”
And then there’s the horrific pinkwashing by the Israeli government—something that has been occurring for years now, and has escalated amidst their ongoing genocide of Palestinians, especially during this Pride month. Pinkwashing is when an organization or government uses LGBTQIA+ rights to justify or deflect from problematic actions. For example, asking queer people why they support Palestinian freedom when they would “not be accepted if they lived in Palestine.” Such questions completely ignore the ongoing and systemic destruction of Palestinians, suggest that they might be safer in Israel (which is not the case for many reasons), and imply that queer individuals neither live in Palestine already, nor have the right to exist and fight for freedom.
Anti-LGBTQIA+ legislation and sentiments radiate out everywhere, including into the book world. The rise in book bans over the past years have predominantly impacted books by and/or about LGBTQIA+ and BIPOC individuals (in 2023, such books comprised 47% of those targeted for censorship). Not only do these bans impact the authors, but readers who need to see these stories most. Especially as legislation restricts teens and children from accessing safe spaces as themselves, including sports teams and school classrooms, books may be one of the only accessible methods for them to understand and see their identity on a page.
And while some publishing professionals may actually look forward to book bans, claiming they are good for sales (disclaimer: having a book banned is not a good thing for anyone involved), there are very real questions circulating in the publishing industry regarding whether these bans will impact what gets published. Very few publishers have done anything to combat book bans at a serious level. If they’re not fighting to protect these stories and voices, who is to say that they won’t limit LGBTQIA+ (and BIPOC) representation not just in the books they publish, but in their staff?
Ways to Respond
While we can’t predict what publishers—particularly the Big Five—may or may not do in response to bans, there are already many LGBTQIA+ owned and led businesses working to provide LGBTQIA+ readers and beyond access to these stories, and there are plenty of ways we can further their mission.
We encourage you to look through the list below and get involved—whether that be by supporting them financially, with volunteer time, engaging with them on social media, or spreading the word.
Bookstores
Libro.fm has an awesome, interactive map that highlights LGBTQIA+ owned bookstores across the globe. At the top of the page, you can find the closest LGBTQIA+ owned stores near you, and if you scroll down, you’ll also be able to check out mobile, pop-up, and online stores. If you can’t support these stores in person, you can by reading Libro.fm audiobooks, ordering from them directly online, or, if that’s not possible, using Bookshop.org.
Books to read
Of course, supporting LGBTQIA+ authors is always important. With the help of @booksnblazers, we recently rounded up some of our favorite books spotlighting LGBTQIA+ love—because while fighting for equity is essential, so is celebrating, amplifying, and uplifting LGBTQIA+ love.
We also shared a list of books by queer Palestinians, and encourage you to check out the books others recommended for the #QueerPalestineReadathon earlier this month for more!
And be sure to follow LGBTQIA+ authors and content creators, like @booksnailmail, @hannahmoushabeck, @sim_bookstagrams_badly, and @booksnblazers.
Publishers and literary magazines
Arsenal Pulp Press: “We are interested in literature that engages and challenges readers, and which asks probing questions about the world around us.”
Stone of Madness Press: “A physical [online] and conceptual space for queer, trans, and neurodiverse writers.”
Foglifter: “Created by and for LGBTQ+ writers and readers, [Foglifter] continues the San Francisco Bay Area’s tradition of groundbreaking queer and trans writing, with an emphasis on publishing those multi-marginalized (BIPOC, youth, elders, and people with disabilities).”
Limp Wrist: “It's a journal with queer sensibility promoting LGBTQIA+ poets, non-binary poets, and their allies by publishing their poems and reviews of their books.”
See more in this roundup from the International Writers’ Collective.
Organizations, charities, and nonprofits
Lambda Literary: “Nurtures and advocates for LGBTQ writers, elevating the impact of their words to create community, preserve our legacies, and affirm the value of our stories and our lives.”
LGBT Books to Prisoners: “A trans-affirming, racial justice-focused, prison abolitionist project sending books to incarcerated LGBTQ-identified people across the United States.”
We Need Diverse Books: “Advocates [for] essential changes in the publishing industry to produce and promote literature that reflects and honors the lives of all young people.”
You may have seen news about libraries and schools canceling Drag Story Hour. The nonprofit has chapters all over the world and aims to give kids queer role models.
Launched earlier this year, the Rainbow Book Bus (owned by RuPaul’s Allstora) drives around the country—particularly in states impacted by anti-LGBTQIA+ legislation—providing free books by LGBTQIA+ authors. In their first tour, they visited Georgia, Louisiana, Alabama, Texas, Tennessee, Arizona, and Florida, partnering with LGBTQIA+ centers to host events and distribute 7,000+ books.
Other resources for fighting book bans
Read our previous newsletter detailing ways to get involved at a local level, and about building safe bookish spaces for all.
Read our newsletter on book bans and incarceration. Note: Since sharing this newsletter, news broke that PEN America has actually not been paying incarcerated writers as they suggest.
Know more LGBTQIA+ owned/led bookish organizations?
Final Musings
As readers, we have the power to change not just the publishing industry, but beyond. When we are conscious about how we spend our money and resources, we indicate to publishers, our local governments, school boards, and more what they should invest in.
Checking out LGBTQIA+ stories from our libraries shows librarians not just to purchase more books by LGBTQIA+ authors, but to invest in events with these authors. And, when we show our support for libraries, our local government takes note. Publishers also see us spending dollars on queer writers and know to pour more marketing support into these titles. Schools see us showing up to defend LGBTQIA+ stories and realize their legislation can’t be passed—and if it is, that we will not be quiet about it.
We’ll be back in a few weeks with a deep dive into a recent read. As always, and until Palestine is free, here are some actions we can take to advocate for liberation. We also offer free downloads (wallpapers, templates, and more), and our exclusive downloads for newsletter subscribers (with password newsletterdownloads). If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, don’t hesitate to get in touch via email, the comments below, or Instagram DM.
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