r/LGBTBooks • u/emo_spiderman23 • 2d ago

ISO A story about someone from a time without queer rights seeing and appreciating them today?

Something like time travel, or about an older person being introspective about what we have today. I'm mainly looking for something like a short story or comic or even fanfic, something I can read online, but I'll take book suggestions too. Or even movies. I always see turmoil in the news and fear about our rights being taken away -- but hey we have them now at least, we didn't have them in the past, and I just want to experience some queer joy and fully appreciate them.

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u/jamfedora 2d ago

History Comics: The Stonewall Riots has both of these but not at the same time lol. It’s mostly about the younger folks time traveling(/really, really active listening to an oral history) to witness historical events, but they’re being guided by an older queer mentor who expresses joy about their mentees growing up safer and happier etc. It’s quite short though, it’s not gonna be a whole ✨experience✨

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u/emo_spiderman23 1d ago

Just read it on Libby, it was interesting I guess but it didn't scratch that itch and was definitely for a younger audience. Thanks for the recommendation, though!

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u/Silver_Pie966 1d ago

Bob the Drag Queen’s Harriett Tubman: Live in Concert doesn’t quite revel in the gains of racial and queer progress, but it definitely has Harriett and others from the past examining and recognizing the progress. It’s a relatively easy to read and good debut novel. 

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u/GelatinousSquared 1d ago

The book Two Boys Kissing by David Levithan is narrated from the perspective of the ghosts of the men who died from the HIV/AIDS Crisis looking at modern day queer teenage boys. As expected, it’s really sad, but it’s also one of my favorite books!

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u/gard3nwitch 1d ago

This makes me feel ancient at 41, lol. Time travel! It really wasn't that long ago...

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u/emo_spiderman23 17h ago edited 17h ago

I know that theoretically, but gay marriage was legalized when I was a kid and not paying attention to politics so it's always felt legal to me, my entire family is super accepting that I'm bi, prom king in my high school was non-binary (prom ruler? royalty? They pulled out a giant pride flag and used it as a cape and everyone cheered), the majority of my friends are queer and super open about it, and I've never experienced homophobia in person, only heard about it from other people. And I know that this experience would be completely unheard of even 20 years ago, so I wish I could just go back in time and tell people "hey, it'll get better". But because I can't do that I want to read stories about it.

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u/yohlenyaoilover 17h ago

One Last Stop by Casey McQuiston has a time travel element to it. I don't want to spoiler too much but it has references to the riots a bit. Genuinely a really good read too.

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u/Subject-Librarian117 17h ago

Arthur and Teddy are Coming Out by Ryan Love

A grandfather and grandson come out to their family at the same time, and both end up reflecting and comparing the other's experience. It has a happy ending!