Being a queer person is definitely a matter of choice. You must be wondering what is normal or abnormal. What may seem normal to you may not be normal to me. That goes with the same with sexuality.  A person’s sexuality can’t be changed. All you have to do is accept the person who he/she is and see how colorful their lives are. The books that I have listed below are my personal favorites because they have made people realize it doesn’t matter whether you are straight or queer. It’s how you treat the other person as a human.

1. Pregnant King by Devdutt Pattanaik (ISBN – 9780143063476)

Indian mythology always provokes one to think if when conventionally established norms break one’s moral stance. This book, written beautifully by Pattanaik, is about a king known as Yuvanashva who is torn between the desire and social obligation of playing the role of both a mother and a father.

1. Babyji by Abha Dawesar (ISBN – 1-4000-3456-6)

I was attracted to this novel because of Anamika who is a wonderful student at school experiments with three lovers who are women. I loved the way she wanted to rebel against the moralistic society and gives out a coming out story.

1. Girl Meets Boy by Ali Smith (ISBN – 9781847670687)

A clever use of mythology by the author, she talks about the tale of two sisters, Anthea and Imogen where Anthea is attracted to another girl and her sister is quite homophobic. I love the way the author plays with humor and explore issues related to homophobia.

1. Prayers for Bobby by Leroy F. Aarons (ISBN – 9780062511232)

I wanted to read this book after seeing the movie because movie doesn’t do half the justice done by the book. It’s about a real life incident where the Bobby commits suicide due to depression and family pressure. However, Bobby’s mother Mary comes to conclusion that Bobby hasn’t sinned due to his sexuality and she goes ahead to speak about loss of her child and how she could have prevented his death if she had given him support.

1. The Mayor of Castro Street by Randy Shilts (ISBN – 9780312523305)

This book talks about biography of Harvey Milk, an openly gay man who was elected to public office in California during the 1970’s. I feel connected towards this book because it talks about one of the icons in LGBT history who fought for basic human rights. His untimely death was quite blow to the LGBT community and he was an inspiration as well.

1. Brokeback Mountain by Annie Proulx(ISBN – 9780743275309)

I read this book not because it’s about two men falling in love. But, it is a journey about love itself. I always wondered how intense and emotional can two men fall in love and how they can’t be together because of society’s interference, traditionalism and vengeance. I feel it’s an apt read for people in Indian society.

1. Dancer from the Dance by Andrew Holleran (ISBN – 0060937068)

Imagine you are in New York in 1970’s, you are living the fabulous life of a gay man where you visit the gay bars, and have flings with different men and taking drugs to reach nirvana. This is what the book talks about. It’s one of the most acclaimed LGBT literature plus you will get to know what the ballroom scene was in the 1970’s

1. Alan Turing: The Enigma by Andrew Hodges (ISBN – 9780671528096)

Another biography of a man who played a huge role in the invention of computers and he was queer. The book talks about his achievements where he broke the German Enigma cipher in World War 2. However, he was criminalized for being a gay man. Even after he revealed his sexuality, he was forced to participate in a humiliating treatment program to become straight.

1. Boyfriends with Girlfriends by Alex Sanchez (ISBN – 9781416937753)

This is a story about teen sexuality and identity. There are characters who gay, straight and bisexual. There is a triangle love happening here. The reason why I took this book is because there is a lot of emphasis on bisexuality here. And, in the LGBT community, bisexuality always takes the backstage and people should relate because it is quite prominent in Indian society these days.

1. Parrotfish by Ellen Wittlinger (ISBN – 978-1442406216)

The book talks about showing encouragement towards transgender children. I feel that this world doesn’t quite understand what a Trans child goes throughout his/her life.  There are instances of bullying and ignorant children. All a trans child want is an accepting family and society. Of course, a true lover who can guide them through their difficult times and get that kiss that they always dreamt of.