There are moments when words come hard. When I started this blog over 13 years ago, I thought that maybe there were 30 books – picture books, middle grade, Young Adult – 30 books with LGBTQ main characters or themes. In all. That number has grown, and grown, and grown over time, and now, basically in one release season, there are 91 Queer Kid Lit titles coming out.

Coming out!

As Cady Zeng, who compiled the book list explains at the top of the article, it’s a list of

“Some new and noteworthy LGBTQ-themed books coming out this spring and summer for children and teens. Readers can dive into budding queer romances, discover the importance of one’s pronouns, read up on memorable LGBTQ icons, own their own bodies with guides on sex, puberty, and growing up, and much more.”

The list includes 17 picture books.

13 middle grade titles.

61 young adult books!

And, right in between “Never Kiss Your Roommate” and “Not My Problem” is my book: “No Way, They Were Gay? Hidden Lives and Secret Loves”!

Here’s the summary from Publishers Weekly for “No Way, They Were Gay?”

Lee Wind. Zest Books. Apr. 6 $18.99 ISBN 978-1-5415-8162-3
Ages 11-18.

In this YA nonfiction title, readers can get a look at the hidden lives and secret loves of 12 well-known historical figures, from William Shakespeare and Pharaoh Hatshepsut to Cary Grant and Eleanor Roosevelt, supported by primary source documents. See our q&a with Wind.

It’s pretty awesome to be included. And that there are this many books for us to discover and explore! And while this nod from the industry ‘bible’ Publisher Weekly is sweet, it’s important to acknowledge that there are probably other worthy titles – maybe self-published, maybe from small presses, maybe from established publishers but just not with a marketing or PR champion to get it in front of the right people at PW. But wow – what a great list to start from, for us all!

So grateful. For the abundance. And for “No Way, They Were Gay” being part of that.

The light in me recognizes and acknowledges the light in you,
Lee