Books like Losing Matt Shepard by Beth Loffreda

A novel in verse, October Mourning is a powerful tribute to Matthew Shepard, a gay college student who was murdered in 1998. The author uses poetic imagination to create fictitious monologues from various points of view, including the fence where Shepard was tied to death. The novel is a memorial for readers too young to remember the tragic events of that day.

A comprehensive history of the modern gay, lesbian, and transgender rights movement from the 1950s to today, featuring interviews with politicians, military leaders, legal activists, and community members.

A dramatic play based on interviews conducted after the murder of Matthew Shepard in Laramie, Wyoming.

Judy Shepard tells the personal story of her son Matthew, the tragic murder that sparked national gay‑rights activism, and her journey from grief to advocacy.

In “Memorial,” a Japanese American chef and a Black day‑care teacher navigate love, family, and identity when one must return to Osaka to confront a dying father, forcing both men to reevaluate their lives and relationships.

An exposé on how contemporary U.S. political climates and limited LGBTQ activism threaten the legal rights of gay individuals.

The Book of Matt examines the 1998 murder of gay college student Matthew Shepard through an exhaustive investigation, revealing that the tragedy was driven by complex, drug‑related motives rather than simple homophobia.

A renowned legal scholar tells the definitive story of Hollingsworth v. Perry, the trial that stands as the most potent argument for marriage equality Speak Now tells the story of a watershed trial that unfolded over twelve tense days in California in 2010. A trial that legalized same-sex marriage in our most populous state. A trial that interrogated the nature of marriage, the political status of gays and lesbians, the ideal circumstances for raising children, and the ability of direct democracy to protect fundamental rights. A trial that stands as the most potent argument for marriage equality this nation has ever seen. In telling the story of Hollingsworth v. Perry, the groundbreaking federal lawsuit against Proposition 8, Kenji Yoshino has also written a paean to the vanishing civil trial–an oasis of rationality in what is often a decidedly uncivil debate. Above all, this book is a work of deep humanity, in which Yoshino brings abstract legal arguments to life by sharing his own story of finding love, marrying, and having children as a gay man. Intellectually rigorous and profoundly compassionate, Speak Now is the definitive account of a landmark civil-rights trial.

There is more to identity than identifying with one’s culture or standing solidly against it. José Esteban Muñoz looks at how those outside the racial and sexual mainstream negotiate majority culture—not by aligning themselves with or against exclusionary works but rather by transforming these works for their own cultural purposes. Muñoz calls this process “disidentification,” and through a study of its workings, he develops a new perspective on minority performance, survival, and activism.

A groundbreaking book that reveals the shocking problem of anti-gay/lesbian violence.

A nonfiction account of Southern gays and lesbians from 1945 to the 1969 Stonewall Riot, detailing their hidden lives, emerging identities, and early activism amid broader civil rights struggles in the American South.

A groundbreaking biography of Bayard Rustin, a pivotal figure in the African American civil rights movement and an important figure in gay history during the mid-20th century.

A practical guide for LGBTQ youth and their supporters, offering firsthand stories, coping strategies, and resources for coming out, relationships, school, and community life.