Best LGBT Biographies Books of 2026

Safe and Sound: A Renter-Friendly Guide to Home Repair is a comprehensive guide for anyone who feels intimidated by home repairs. The book provides guidance for over 50 simple home maintenance projects, with chapters covering basic and handy repairs for plumbing, electrical, carpentry, and safety needs. The author, Mercury Stardust, is a professional home maintenance technician and an award-winning activist. The book is tailored to renters and provides advice to minimize permanent changes. With helpful illustrations and QR code links to videos, this book is a must-have for anyone who wants to feel more in control of their own home.

Gender Queer: A Memoir is a powerful autobiographical comic that explores the journey of Maia Kobabe's self-identity, including the difficulties of coming out to family and society, the confusion of adolescent crushes, and the trauma of invasive medical examinations. The book is a touching guide on gender identity that offers a useful resource for advocates, friends, and anyone seeking to better understand what it means to be nonbinary and asexual. Overall, this book is a must-read for LGBTQ+ individuals and their allies, as it offers a unique perspective on the challenges and triumphs of living outside of the gender binary.

The Big Reveal: An Illustrated Manifesto of Drag by Sasha Velour is a captivating book that delves into the rich history and revolutionary spirit of drag. Through memoir, history, and theory, Velour pieces together a living portrait of drag as a unique form of expression. The book uncovers the history of queer life around the world, from shamans to RuPaul's Drag Race, and celebrates our shared queer pasts. The Big Reveal is a love letter to drag and queer culture that blends critical theory, LGBTQ+ history, and memoir, leaving readers engrossed and verklempt. It is a must-read that brings necessary and sparkling substance to our understanding of drag, queerness, beauty, and liberation.

Is It Hot in Here (Or Am I Suffering for All Eternity for the Sins I Committed on Earth)? by Zach Zimmerman is a hilarious and heartwarming collection of essays, lists, and musings that explore the author's journey towards self-discovery and acceptance. Zimmerman's writing is witty, relatable, and poignant, as he reflects on his past as a Bible-Belt-dwelling, meat-eating, God-fearing individual and his transition to a new, metropolitan life as a queer, vegetarian, and atheist. This book is a must-read for comedy and literary enthusiasts alike, and Zimmerman's unique voice and perspective make it a standout in the genre of memoir and essay collections.

Maia Kobabe's Gender Queer: A Memoir Deluxe Edition is a moving and insightful graphic memoir that chronicles Kobabe's journey of self-discovery and gender identity. Kobabe's story is intensely personal, yet also serves as a guide for anyone grappling with questions of gender identity. The deluxe edition includes exclusive art and sketches, a foreword from Lumberjanes writer ND Stevenson, and an afterword from Kobabe. This book is a valuable resource for LGBTQ+ readers, allies, and anyone looking to better understand the complexities of gender identity.

You're That Bitch: & Other Cute Lessons About Being Unapologetically Yourself is a collection of essays and never-before-seen photos that goes beyond what we know of Bretman Rock from social media. The book provides an unfiltered and unprecedented look at what it means to be one of the first digital celebrities and that bitch. With his signature honesty, Bretman writes about dealing with cancel culture, drama, heartbreak, and what it means to love yourself and your community. This book is a hilarious, impossible-to-put-down memoir that takes readers on a roller-coaster ride through Bretman's first two decades.

The Best Strangers in the World is a memoir-in-essays that takes readers around the globe to reveal the stories behind narratives that are sometimes heartwarming, sometimes heartbreaking, but always poignant. Ari Shapiro, the beloved host of NPR's All Things Considered, details his time traveling on Air Force One with President Obama, following the path of Syrian refugees fleeing war, and learning from those fighting for social justice both at home and abroad. This book is a testament to one journalist's passion for Considering All Things—and sharing what he finds with the rest of us. Overall, it is a witty, poignant, and insightful read that highlights the importance of listening and connecting with others.

Pageboy: A Memoir is a candid and intimate account of Elliot Page's journey of self-discovery as a queer and trans person in Hollywood. From the pressure of playing the role of a young starlet to facing criticism and abuse, Elliot shares his truth with defiance, strength, and joy. This beautifully written memoir is an ode to stepping into who we truly are and untangling ourselves from the expectations of others. A must-read for anyone seeking inspiration and empowerment in their own journey of self-discovery.

Boyslut: A Memoir and Manifesto by Zachary Zane is an engaging and refreshing collection of personal essays that explore the author's coming-of-age and coming out as a bisexual man. Zane shares personal experiences and insights on how society still shames people for the sex they have and the sexualities they inhabit. This memoir is both titillating and educational, providing a testimony that we can all learn to live healthier lives unburdened by stigma. Zane's ability to balance humor with vulnerability and humanity makes this book a must-read for anyone looking to unlearn the harmful, entrenched messages that society imparts to us.

How Far the Light Reaches: A Life in Ten Sea Creatures by Sabrina Imbler is a remarkable debut collection of ten essays that explores the wonders of marine biology. The author profiles various sea creatures, including the mother octopus, Chinese sturgeon, Bobbitt worm, and common goldfish, and weaves their stories with themes of adaptation, survival, sexuality, and care. Imbler takes readers on a fascinating tour of creatures from the surface to the deepest ocean floor, inviting us to envision wilder, grander, and more abundant possibilities for the way we live. This book is a miraculous, transcendental read that attunes us to new visions of our world and its miracles.