So, I’ve been meaning to highlight these LGBTQIA+ creators for a while now. I wanted to be finished during June because we just celebrated Pride Month while discussing racial justice. But I took a break from social media for the month of July, so I put the finishing touches to this post during the past week.
And as my friends like to say, they are also gay/non-binary/trans/bi, etc. during other months besides June. And they deserve love and adoration all the time.
Much like my post for Black creators, this post is a list of people I already follow online that I would recommend to anyone looking to diversify their feed.
This list is for anyone looking to meet different kinds of people, strengthen the community, or feel less alone. There are so many ways to show up online, whether it’s focusing on your work or totally being unapologetically yourself. And I think these platforms show that there’s no wrong way to just be yourself when you have a message to share.
Note: all the people listed are publicly out. If I’ve made any mistakes in this regard, please let me know right away. If you or someone you know is missing from this list, you can also let me know! This is meant to be a living, growing list and I only want for it to get longer.
Okay, now that I’ve talked too much about me, start clicking on these links!
Activists & Political Voices
- Amy Siskind
- @preternatural_9
- Calvin J Burke
- Color the Campus
- Nala Simone
- Elle Mae
- @Jenndola
- Charlotte Clymer
- The OUT Foundation
- Them
- Encircle
Authors & Writers
- Kara Jorgensen
- Molly Knox Ostertag
- RoAnna Sylver
- Raven Woodward
- Kacen Callender
- Aiden Thomas
- @MusingsOfAGirl
- @HappyLezWife
- @AaronPhion
- Amy Marsden
- Cate Pearce
- @ktrhiann
- Alicia Jasinska
- Brookie Ray
- @pbcwrites
- Laura Loup
- Ashley Hearn
- Briana Morgan
- Kristen S. Walker
- Lou Wilham
- Rebecca F. Kuang
- Brooke K. Bell
- Bowties & Books
- Jennifer Ridge
- Vilhelmina Ullemar
- Bri Spicer
- Blair Amadeus Imani
- @YAPride
- @8_11writergoldenday
- Shelley Pearson
- Openly Bookish
- Erin Kinsella
- Sam Dylan Finch
- Aloïs Castel
Creators
This includes illustrators, cosplayers, podcasts, comedians, entrepreneurs, and other people who do all the things and don’t fit in a category.
- Rebecca Sugar
- Louis Virtel
- Ira Madison III
- Stacey Harkey
- Late with Lilly
- Sam Dylan Finch
- @littleulvar
- Conor Hilton
- @Mx_M_reads
- Listen 2 Me Podcast
- Bianca Xunise
- Richard Arthur
- @nonbinate
- Thomas Sanders
- Theo Masters
- Edward Clark
- @kyri45
- Keep It podcast
- @astro_chica
- @arlee_kirsten
- @ourshieldmaiden
- Enby Book Club
- Jen Wilde
- Vidal Francisco
- Rachel Eaton
- @rerenga_cosplay
- Alex Brennan-Dent
- Brandon Love
- Elisabeth Goulding
- The Read
- Dear Prudence
- The Worst Bestsellers
- Nancy
- Pernell Langhorne III
With so much conversation about BLM and pride this year, it’s clear that yes, we all have something important to share when we regularly post stuff online. I’m talking to you writers—it’s already hard enough to feel “special” if you’re a white bibliophile. It’s another thing to feel like you’re not represented in the books we horde.
Based on the conversations I have with people, they don’t want so-called special treatment. They don’t want to get published or hired to check off a box; they just want to live in a world where their skin color or their sexuality isn’t seen as sub-par or “not appealing to consumers.” As readers, we only benefit from opening the floodgates and letting all the ideas be free.
This is a principle that is very important to me and Travis—we want to help build a more inclusive industry. Readers regardless of age or background deserve to see themselves as complex characters when they read something. This is important, loving work. I hope you feel that way, too.
In the meantime, do you have suggestions for LGBTQIA+ folks who should be on this list? You can comment or private message us if you have some ideas.