Autobiographies, memoirs, and biographies that capture and share the experiences and lives of Queer individuals. It allows other Queer individuals to connect with their struggles, experiences and feel represented.
Queer History: A study of the history of queer communities, movements, and figures in literature, politics, and society. It covers topics such as Stonewall riots, the AIDS epidemic, and the work of queer activists.
Queer Theory: A critical examination of gender and sexual identity that challenges traditional beliefs and assumptions. This field of study can also include feminist, postcolonial, and critical race theories.
Autobiography vs. Memoir: A distinction between the two genres and a discussion of their similarities and differences. Some memoirs may be considered an autobiography if they cover the entirety of someone’s life, while others may focus on a specific moment.
Literary Style: A look at the various forms and styles of queer memoir and biography, including narrative voice, structure, and tone.
Intersectionality: An analysis of the complex intersection of identities such as race, class, gender, and sexuality in queer memoir and biography.
Coming Out: A common theme in queer memoir and biography, this topic explores the process of realizing and disclosing one’s queer identity to oneself and others.
Transgender Memoir: A study of memoirs by transgender individuals that document their experiences of gender identity, transition, and acceptance.
Family and Relationships: A discussion of queer memoirs and biographies that explore the impact of family dynamics and relationships on one’s queer identity.
Trauma and Healing: A examination of the ways in which queer memoir and biography can address experiences of trauma, whether it be personal, familial or societal.
Politics: An exploration of queer memoir and biography that addresses the role politics play in queer identity and community building.
Queer Love: Memoirs that talk about queer love, its different forms and its portrayal in literature can provide an overview of the diverse experiences of being queer.
Mental Health: Memoirs about how queer experiences can impact mental health cover some very common, but often overlooked topic.
Resistance and Activism: The ways in which queer literature, activism, and resistance can create social change and promote equality is a topic that is frequently covered in queer memoirs and biographies.
Race and Ethnicity: An intersectional approach also needs to take into account the experiences of queer individuals from different races and ethnicities.
Queer Spirituality: How religion and spirituality intersect with queer identity and relationships are exploredin this genre.
Coming out stories: These types of Queer literature are focused on the author or subject's realization, acceptance and eventually coming out as LGBTQ+.
Love stories: Queer literature that centers around romantic or platonic relationships between LGBTQ+ individuals.
Transgender narratives: Memoirs or biographies that describe the experiences of transgender or non-binary individuals, including their transition, discrimination and acceptance journeys.
Non-fiction accounts: Queer literature that delves into the historical, cultural, philosophical or political aspects of being LGBTQ+.
Celebrity memoirs: Biographies of famous LGBTQ+ individuals, such as Ellen DeGeneres, Harvey Milk, and Alan Turing.
Personal essays: Queer literature containing a series of essays that discuss LGBTQ+ issues, which might or might not include the author's own experiences.
Graphic novels: Queer literature that presents a story through a comic-style format.
Poetry: Queer literature that expresses personal experiences and emotions through poetic verse.
Self-help/self-improvement: Queer literature that offers guidance on how to navigate life as an LGBTQ+ person, including topics such as mental health, spirituality, and relationships.
Anthologies: Queer literature that features multiple stories by different LGBTQ+ authors.