Apparently, even books can get into trouble for telling the wrong story. U.S. public schools recorded 11,982 instances of book bans during the 2025–2026 school year, the highest annual total since PEN America began tracking school book censorship in 2021. Florida and Texas accounted for much of the activity, while books dealing with race, sexuality and gender identity continued to face challenges. The report also highlights the growing use of artificial intelligence to help identify books for removal.
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For LGBTQ+ readers, the numbers hit close to home. PEN America has repeatedly documented how books featuring LGBTQ+ characters and themes are targeted for removal, limiting students’ access to stories that might help them understand themselves or learn about people whose lives differ from their own.
And no, a book does not have to be a political manifesto to matter. Sometimes, it is a coming-of-age story, a romance, a memoir or a children’s book that simply lets someone see a version of themselves on the page.
15 LGBTQ+ Books Worth Adding to Your Reading List
PEN America has compiled a reading list of banned books by and about the LGBTQ+ community. The selection spans children’s picture books, graphic novels, memoirs and young adult fiction, offering plenty of places to start if you want to explore stories that have faced censorship.
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A few titles worth knowing include:
- All Boys Aren’t Blue by George M. Johnson — A memoir exploring identity, family and growing up Black and queer.
- And Tango Makes Three by Justin Richardson, Peter Parnell and Henry Cole — A children’s picture book inspired by two male penguins raising a chick together.
- Cinderella Is Dead by Kalynn Bayron — A fantasy novel that reimagines the Cinderella story through a queer lens.
- Flamer by Mike Curato — A graphic novel about a teenager navigating bullying, identity and his first crush at summer camp.
- Gender Queer: A Memoir by Maia Kobabe — A graphic memoir about gender identity and the author’s journey toward self-understanding.
- The Prince and the Dressmaker by Jen Wang — A graphic novel about friendship, fashion and a prince who enjoys wearing dresses.
- Red, White, and Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston — A romance about the son of the U.S. president and a British prince whose rivalry develops into something more.
- This Book Is Gay by Juno Dawson — A nonfiction guide covering LGBTQ+ identities, relationships and experiences.
- Two Boys Kissing by David Levithan — A young adult novel that explores love, identity and the lives of several gay teenagers.
- The Magic Fish by Trung Le Nguyen — A graphic novel about a Vietnamese American teenager, his relationship with his mother and the difficulty of finding the words to come out.
Other titles on PEN America’s list include Pride: The Story of Harvey Milk and the Rainbow Flag, When Aidan Became a Brother, Uncle Bobby’s Wedding, Hurricane Child and Be Gay, Do Comics: Queer History, Memoir, and Satire.
The list is a reminder that LGBTQ+ stories aren’t confined to one genre or one age group. They can be sweet, funny, complicated, romantic or deeply personal. And readers don’t have to share every experience in a book to find something meaningful in it.
Your Turn, Readers
Book bans raise serious questions about who gets to decide which stories young people can access. But beyond the headlines and statistics, there’s another conversation worth having: Which books have stayed with you long after you finished reading them?
Maybe it was a story that helped you understand your sexuality. Maybe it introduced you to a character who made you feel less alone. Or perhaps you simply loved the romance and still think about those fictional men years later. We won’t judge.
What’s the best banned book you’ve ever read, and would you recommend it to other LGBTQ+ readers? Tell us the title in the comments. Bonus points if you share why it deserves a spot on everyone’s reading list.
Source: NBC News and PEN America