LGBTQ in youngCanLit

I honestly believe that every young person should see themselves somewhere in literature.  Sure, no one will see themselves in every piece of youngCanLit but, in this age and with the wide variety of writing out there, there is a plethora of picture books, fiction and non-fiction that includes members of the LGBTQ communities, as there should be.

And in the month of June, when Toronto will be celebrating gay pride from June 19-27 (Vancouver will be celebrating from July 25-August 2, Montreal from August 10-16 and Calgary from August 28-September 7), I can't think of a better time to prepare a booklist that includes titles with LGBTQ characters or deal with related issues.

So, if you'd like to enlighten, to share, to appreciate and to understand LGBTQ issues, check out these youngCanLit books.

Picture Books

Asha's Mums

by Rosamund Elwin and Michelle Paulse
Illustrated by Dawn Lee
Women's Literary Press
24 pp.
Ages 5-9
1990

Fiction

Big Guy
by Robin Stevenson
Orca Book Publishers
128 pp.
Ages 12+
2008

Chance to Dance for You
by Gail Sidonie Sobat
Great Plains Teen Fiction
172 pp.
Ages 14+
2011

Reviewed here

Crush
by Carrie Mac
Orca Book Publishers
136 pp.
Ages 14-17
2006

Drummer Girl
by Karen Bass
Coteau
192 pp.
Ages 14+
2011

Forward Pass

by Lorna Schultz Nicholson

Lorimer

144 pp.

Ages 13+

2013

Girl from Mars
by Tamara Bach
Translated by Shelley Tanaka
Groundwood Books
176 pp.
Ages 14+
2008

Hello, Groin
by Beth Goobie
Orca
292 pp.
Ages 14-17
2006

Homo

by Michael Harris
Lorimer
144 pp.
Ages 14-17
2012

In the Garage
by Alma Fullerton
Red Deer Press
181 pp.
Ages 13+
2006

Money Boy
by Paul Yee
Groundwood Books
184 pp.
Ages 12+
2011

Moon at Nine
by Deborah Ellis
Pajama Press
224 pp.
Ages 14+
2014

Reviewed here

Not With a Bang
by Gail Sidonie Sobat
Magpie Books
118 pp.
Ages 14+
2012

Reviewed here

One in Every Crowd
by Ivan E. Coyote
Arsenal Pulp Press
238 pp.
Ages 12-17
2012

Parallel Visions
by Cheryl Rainfield
Rain and Sun Press
146 pp.
Ages 13+
2012

Reviewed here

Scars
by Cheryl Rainfield
Westside Books
248 pp.
Ages 14+
2010

Skim
by Mariko Tamaki
Illustrated by Jillian Tamaki
Groundwood Books
141 pp.
Ages 14 +
2008

Stained
by Cheryl Rainfield
HMH Books for Young Readers
304 pp.
Ages 14+
2013

Reviewed here

Straight Punch

by Monique Polak
Orca Book Publishers
256 pp.
Ages 13-16
2014

Swimming in the Monsoon Sea
by Shyam Selvadurai
Tundra
280 pp.
Ages 16+
2007

Switch
by Douglas Davey
Red Deer Press
252 pp.
Ages 15+
2014

Reviewed here

This High School has Closets
by Robert Joseph Greene
Icon Empire Press
96 pp.
Ages 14+
2011

This One Summer
by Mariko Tamaki
Illustrated by Jillian Tamaki
Groundwood Books
320 pp.
Ages 14+
2014

Reviewed here

Way to Go
by Tom Ryan
Orca Book Publishers
224 pp.
Ages 12+
2012

Reviewed here

What We Hide
by Marthe Jocelyn
Tundra Books
275 pp.
Ages 14+
2014

Reviewed here

When Everything Feels Like the Movies
by Raziel Reid
Arsenal Pulp Press
176 pp.
Ages 15+
2014

Would You Mind?

by Robert Joseph Greene
Icon Empire Press
121 pp.
Ages 14+
2013

(You) Set Me on Fire
by Mariko Tamiki
Razorbill
304 pp.
Ages 14+
2012

Non-fiction

Branded by the Pink Triangle

by Ken Setterington
Second Story Press
196 pp.
Ages 13-18
2013

Homophobia: Deal with It and Turn Prejudice into Pride

by Steven Solomon
Illustrated by Nick Johnson
Lorimer
32 pp.
Ages 12-14

2013

n.b. Please let me know about any titles I may have missed that belong here.  I would love to make this a more complete booklist, and not limit it to only those books with which I'm familiar.