Books like Black. Queer. Southern. Women by E. Patrick Johnson

Alice Walker's 1982 novel, The Color Purple, won the Pulitzer Prize and National Book Award, exploring the lives of black women in the South and their experiences of abuse and struggle for independence.

Cora, a woman enslaved on a Georgia cotton plantation, partners with a new slave named Caesar to flee the South. Their daring escape follows a literal underground network of tunnels that mirrors the perilous journey of countless fugitive slaves toward freedom.

A powerful anthology of essays by Audre Lorde that traces her intellectual evolution, highlights her advocacy for minority women writers, and examines the intersections of sex, race, and class.

319 pages ; 23 cm

Judy Grahn explores gay culture from ancient times to the present, blending history, myth, tribal traditions, occult elements, and personal interviews to illuminate the rich patterns of gay life.

Black Feminist Thought offers a foundational overview of African‑American feminist theory, exploring the ideas of key thinkers such as Angela Davis, bell hooks, Alice Walker, and Audre Lorde.

An influential foundational text of lesbian feminism, written by activists Del Martin and Phyllis Lyon, that explores the psychological, social, and political dimensions of being a lesbian.

In Victorian England, women forged rich friendships and lasting partnerships—often described as marriages—that shaped their identities, challenged norms, and influenced reforms in marriage law.

A deep look at the Daughters of Bilitis, the first national lesbian organization, its founding in 1955, magazine The Ladder, and its role in shaping lesbian identity and LGBTQ activism during the Cold War.

A riveting narrative of the pivotal moment that changed the face of LGBTQ history, 50 years after the Stonewall riots.

A meticulously researched biography of Patricia Highsmith, revealing the hidden life behind her famous suspense novels and her complex identity as a lesbian writer.

A photographic journey through late‑1980s America that captures the varied lives of gay and lesbian communities, illustrating their efforts to form families, reconcile faith, and confront both racism and homophobia.

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

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.

This book provides a comprehensive analysis of the legal issues concerning gender and sexual nonconformity in the United States. Part One, which covers the years from the post-Civil War period to the 1980s, is a history of state efforts to discipline and punish the behavior of homosexuals and other people considered to be deviant. During this period such people could get by only at the cost of suppressing their most basic feelings and emotions. Part Two addresses contemporary issues. Although it is no longer illegal to be openly gay in America, homosexuals still suffer from state discrimination in the military and in other realms, and private discrimination and violence against gays is prevalent. William Eskridge presents a rigorously argued case for the "sexualization" of the First Amendment, showing why, for example, same-sex ceremonies and intimacy should be considered "expressive conduct" deserving the protection of the courts. The author draws on legal reasoning, sociological studies, and history to develop an effective response to the arguments made in defense of the military ban. The concluding part of the book locates the author's legal arguments within the larger currents of liberal theory and integrates them into a general stance toward freedom, gender equality, and religious pluralism.

A curated collection of essays exploring lesbian literary voices and their evolution from the dawn of the 1969 gay rights movement to the present, highlighting cultural, social, and artistic developments.

Explores how lesbianism has been portrayed in twentieth‑century American popular culture and how societal attitudes and ideologies have shaped lesbian identities.

500 entries from more than 100 contributors, profiling gay and lesbians throughout history, ranging from Sappho to Andre Gide; most entries are accompanied by a bibliography.

A biography of the black lesbian feminist poet, tracing her Harlem upbringing, pioneering poetic career, activism, and final years in St. Croix battling breast cancer.

Explores a forgotten literary renaissance in the American South, revealing how Southern lesbian feminists reshaped regional identity through the Women in Print movement of the 1970s‑1990s.