LGBTQ History Books for Kids

October is LGBTQ History Month, so why not share some LGBTQ history with your kids? Here are some histories and biographies for a variety of ages.

Gay & Lesbian History for Kids: The Century-Long Struggle for LGBT Rights (2015), by former elementary school teacher Jerome Pohlen, targets children nine years old and up. It starts with Sappho, Alexander the Great, and other figures from distant history, but then focuses mostly on U.S. social and political history, with occasional mentions of a few prominent non-Americans like Alan Turing. A series of activities throughout the book add fun and engagement. Despite the “Gay and Lesbian” main title (which may have been a decision by the editor or publisher), Pohlen is inclusive of the whole LGBT spectrum and its racial and ethnic diversity. (Definitions of “lesbian,” “gay,” “bisexual,” and “transgender” would have been useful, though.)

The Harvey Milk Story, by Kari Krakow, is aimed at older elementary school children. It oversimplifies a bit, as do most history books for that age group, but conveys Milk’s significance with warmth and appreciation. While a picture book, it does mention Milk’s assassination, so parents should be prepared to address kids’ questions and concerns about that. Unfortunately, it is out of print, but may be available in libraries. (Amazon has used copies, but nothing cheap, last I checked.)

Pride: Celebrating Diversity and Community, by Robin Stevenson, is for ages 9 to 13, and packed with engaging text and colorful photos. It skillfully blends a history of the event with a broader look at the struggle for LGBTQ equality both before and after, along with a look at what it means to come out, what to expect at Pride events around the world today, a glossary, and a thoughtful explanation of gender identity.

Gay America: Struggle for Equality (2008), by children’s book author and illustrator Linus Alsenas, is, like all general histories, more wide than deep. As a synthetic history for teens, however, Gay America packs a lot into its 160 pages, covering politics, culture, relations between the gay and lesbian rights movement and other civil rights movements, entertainment, the evolution of gay and lesbian identities, and more. There are only passing references to bisexuality and the transgender community, which is a disappointment, but at least Alsenas is up front about his scope, saying he limited it in the interest of space.

Moving away from the history of the LGBTQ rights movement per se to individual LGBTQ people who have made contributions to history, broadly writ, readers may also want to check out the “Remarkable LGBTQ Lives” series from Rosen Publishing. Aimed at grades seven and up, there are volumes on Harvey Milk, James Baldwin, Ellen DeGeneres, Rachel Maddow, Jane Lynch, and Zachary Quinto. The publisher seems to sell mostly to libraries and schools, rather than to the general public, so you probably want to seek them there rather than buy the relatively expensive copies via Amazon.

Two biographies of astronaut and scientist Sally Ride, both for ages 8 to 12, also clearly mention that she had a female partner: Who Was Sally Ride? by Megan Stine (2013), and Sally Ride: Life on a Mission, by Sue Macy (2016).

We clearly need children’s biographies of famous trangender people, too. (If I’ve missed something, please leave a comment.) Still, the number of LGBTQ-inclusive histories and biographies for children is far greater than it was when I started this blog, and that’s something to celebrate.

I am a member of the Amazon Associates program, and get a small referral fee from all purchases made at Amazon.com via links on this site. You are under no obligation to purchase through them.