Celebrate Pride Month by delving into these must-read books about LGBTQ+ history in the United States. As we enter uncertain times in our country, it’s important to learn about the good, the bad, and the ugly parts of our nation’s past, so we can move towards an inclusive future. Despite countless challenges, the queer community has exhibited an astounding resilience and unity in the fight for rights and equality. As the selections on this list demonstrate, LGBTQ+ history is American history.
$13.87Buy NowScholar and activist Michael Bronski presents LGBTQ+ history in the United States from colonial times to the present. This book, however, is not a mere listing of famous lesbian or gay individuals. Nor is it a simple recounting of pivotal events. Rather, Bronski challenges the very notion of what queer history is, arguing that it’s inseparable from American history.
The people who we today would consider gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, queer, and gender nonconforming have always been part of the fabric of our nation. Not only have they always been there, but they’ve fundamentally shaped our culture and history. Bronski presents a complex vision of the past, forcing us to reconsider everything we think we know about American history.
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08/25/2026 03:11 am GMT
$36.99Buy NowQueer Happened Here is a visual history of LGBTQ+ culture and community in New York City from 1920 to 2020. From 1920s bathhouses to 1990s nightclubs, queer culture has endured and thrived in the Big Apple. It’s also seen heartbreak, homophobia, and health crises, all of which are documented through images and well-researched text by author Marc Zinaman. I’m a sucker for archival materials, and this book’s got ‘em all. Feast your eyes on historic photos, posters, flyers, magazine spreads, and other fun pieces of ephemera.
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08/25/2026 04:07 am GMT- Stonewall: The Definitive Story of the LGBTQ Rights Uprising that Changed America by Martin Duberman
$14.37Buy NowHistorian and activist Martin Duberman tells the story of the Stonewall riots through the lives of six people who participated. On June 28, 1969, police raided the Stonewall Inn, a gay bar in Greenwich Village. Instead of complying as usual, patrons fought back, sparking days of rioting that forever changed the LGBTQ+ movement for civil rights.
Largely biographical, the book provides a deep dive into the lives of Craig Rodwell, Yvonne Flowers, Karla Jay, Sylvia (Ray) Rivera, Foster Gunnison, Jr., and Jim Fouratt. Duberman highlights the societal challenges they faced and their increasing desire for justice and freedom.
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08/25/2026 04:07 am GMT 
$15.89Buy NowIn a series of short essays, Gayle Pitman tells the history of American gay life, the 1969 Stonewall riots, and the liberation aftermath. I love that Pitman explores queer history by focusing on an object in each essay. Objects are powerful storytelling tools because they’re tangible pieces of history that can be seen, touched, and engaged with. Close examination of primary sources reveals stories of people, places, and events in a way that feels real and personal.
The Stonewall Riots is a great introductory text for young teens but also works for adults who want to learn the basics without reading a scholarly treatise.
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08/25/2026 03:11 am GMT
$19.10Buy NowOkay, okay, one more Stonewall book! This one is an intensively researched and highly detailed account of the riots for my fellow historians out there. Author David Carter used hundreds of interviews, previously sealed files, and primary sources to craft a definitive account of this historic event. The book also reveals the events leading up to the riots as well as their aftermath, the gay liberation movement.
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08/25/2026 04:07 am GMT
$13.39Buy NowAnd the Band Played On is a modern classic and international bestseller that was made into a critically acclaimed movie in 1993. In this meticulously researched account, journalist Randy Shilts exposes how the AIDS epidemic rapidly spread in the 1980s due to willful denial and neglect by government health agencies, the press, community organizers, and politicians. Be prepared to be horrified and pissed off at the people and institutions responsible for the AIDS crisis reaching such huge proportions. Also, buckle up because this amazing piece of investigative journalism is 600 pages. Originally published in 1987, this edition was republished for its 20th anniversary.
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08/25/2026 04:07 am GMT
$21.00Buy NowHistorian George Chauncey delves into diaries, letters, newspaper stories, and police reports to reveal gay life in New York City from the 1890s to 1940. Chauncey argues that the gay lifestyle was out in the open during this period, and despite laws against homosexuality, NYC was relatively tolerant. It was only later in the century that gay culture was pushed underground, starting in the 1930s. Chauncey takes readers into saloons, speakeasies, and drag halls in Greenwich Village, Harlem, and Times Square to see how queer men lived. This highly researched academic book brings new perspectives to LGBTQ+ history. It’s a must-read.
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08/25/2026 03:11 am GMT
$11.96Buy NowJournalist Charles Kaiser provides a decade-by-decade account of gay life and identity from the 1940s to the 1990s. Originally published in 1997, this new edition includes the United States’ legalization of gay marriage and increasing inclusion of gay life in pop culture. While the book focuses on New York, it’s really a tale of struggle and victory over prejudice and adversity, as gay men and lesbians fought for their rights in religion, politics, and medicine. This one gets personal, with individual stories of heartbreak and hope infused throughout.
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08/25/2026 03:11 am GMT
$23.82Buy NowI’ve got another New York-centric book – I’m sorry, but there’s so much queer history in NYC! This one, however, takes us away from Manhattan’s queer powerhouse neighborhoods and brings us to another borough. When Brooklyn was Queer tells LGBT history in Brooklyn, from the mid-1850s to the present. Historian Hugh Ryan reveals stories about Walt Whitman, 1940s lesbians in the Brooklyn Navy Yard, and stars of burlesque shows. Much like American history in general, Ryan demonstrates that queer history is inseparable from Brooklyn’s history.
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08/25/2026 04:07 am GMT
$18.53Buy NowTake a photographic journey through the Queer Liberation Movement with Matthew Riemer and Leighton Brown, creators of the Instagram account @lgbt_history. Narrative text accompanies over 300 images from more than 70 photographers and 20 archives to present a visual history of the fight for queer liberation from the late 19th century to the present. This coffee table book is a great starting point for seeing how LGBTQ+ history unfolded.
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08/25/2026 04:07 am GMT
$14.76Buy NowHistorian Lillian Faderman presents a comprehensive account of the American gay civil rights movement. She begins in the 1950s, when members of the gay community were seen as criminals, mentally ill, and sinners. Despite overwhelming oppression, they began to fight back, leading the way for protests and activism in the 1960s. Faderman also examines the counter reaction of the 1970s, the AIDS epidemic, and the fight for marriage equality. The Gay Revolution is over 800 pages, but don’t be alarmed – while it’s meticulously researched, it’s well written and engaging.
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08/25/2026 03:11 am GMT
$20.35Buy NowHistorian Eric Cervini provides a riveting account of the American gay rights movement before Stonewall. The hero of the story is Frank Kameny, a government worker for the US Defense Department, who in 1957 was dismissed from his job because he was gay. Kameny founded the Mattachine Society of Washington to fight against the government’s persecution of gay federal employees. Cervini uses recently declassified FBI records, personal documents, and firsthand accounts to craft this important slice of LGBTQ+ history.
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08/25/2026 03:11 am GMT
There are so many more books about LGBTQ+ history, so if you have a favorite that’s not on this list, drop it in the comments below!
For more information on the Stonewall riots, check out my exhibition review of Pride and Protest at The New York Historical.
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