LGBTQ+ Representation in Literature

Image Source: Epic Reads

Happy Pride Month! I’d like to take this opportunity to highlight some LGBTQ+ characters in literature. It is always important to have good representation in entertainment media, and while the focus seems to be on films and TV shows, books are just as important. Here are some LGBTQ+ characters that are great examples of the large community we deserve to see more of in our media. 

  1. Alex Fierro from Rick Riordan’s Magnus Chase and The Gods of AsgardAlex Fierro is a genderfluid and transgender child of Loki in Rick Riordan’s book series rooted in Norse mythology. Sometimes Alex is female, and sometimes he is male, though she is female most of the time. Rather than using gender-neutral pronouns, Alex uses whatever pronouns fit her current gender. After dying and becoming an einherji, she works through her fear of being stuck in one gender for eternity, making her a character that genderfluid/trans readers can relate to since our society, unfortunately, is not yet as accepting as Alex’s friends. She is very proud of her gender fluidity and still has so much more to her personality outside of that.
  2. Sophia from Kalynn Bayron’s Cinderella is Dead

    Not only is Sophia from Kalynn Bayron’s Cinderella retelling queer, but she is also Black, providing another tier of representation. In this story, Sophia has to navigate a society where women are forced to attend an annual ball and present themselves to be selected by a man to marry, with dire consequences if they aren’t chosen. This is a problem for Sophia for multiple reasons, including that she would much rather marry her childhood sweetheart, Erin. Sophia represents many gay/lesbian readers struggling with friends and relatives who are not accepting of the LGBTQ+ community while still staying true to who they are.

  3. Tamar, Nadia, Jesper, Wylan, Nina, and Hanne from Leigh Bardugo’s GrishaverseThe Grishaverse novels are full of LGBTQ+ representation. In the first trilogy —Shadow and Bone, Siege and Storm, and Ruin and Rising—Tamar and Nadia are strong female warriors who find each other and eventually get married. In the companion duology—Six of Crows and Crooked Kingdom—Jesper and Wylan come together during a high-stakes heist. In the other companion duology—King of Scars and Rule of Wolves—Nina and Hanne work together behind enemy lines to stop a war and fall in love in the process (Nina is bisexual). All three couples are great representation for gay/lesbian/bisexual readers because of how much more the characters bring to their stories besides their queerness. Additionally, the Grishaverse is set in a medieval-type world with horses and castles and special powers, but there seems to be very little hate towards same-sex relationships. Maybe our world can learn from this one.