Last Updated on November 1, 2024 by Kittredge Cherry

books joined Cornerstones Sanctuary
New LGBTQ Christian books are being published in 2024, including theology, Bible, history, memoir, church life and spirituality by diverse authors.

Q Spirit presents summaries of LGBTQ Christian books released this year, plus lists of titles that are coming soon or recently published. Hard-to-find new gifts for LGBTQ Christians and allies are included too. It will be updated continuously during the year. Books on this list cost less than $75 — usually A LOT less.

Added in November

“Cornerstones: Sacred Stories of LGBTQ+ Employees in Catholic Institutions” by Ish Ruiz and Mark Guevarra (editors).

LGBTQ people reveal the challenges and rewards of working for the church in this collection of a dozen diverse first-person stories. In most cases, they end up being fired for their LGBTQ identity. Contributors worked for a variety of Catholic schools and parishes. The editors are both gay Catholic men who were church employees. Ruiz is assistant professor of Latinx and queer decolonial theology at Pacific School of Religion in Berkeley, California. Guevarra is a doctoral candidate at the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley. Published by New Ways Ministry, a Catholic LGBTQ justice ministry.

“Sanctuary: Queering a Church in the Heartland” by Adey Wassink, Katie Imborek and Tom Wassink.

A small-town church makes the big leap from evangelicalism to LGBTQ inclusion in a book that can be a beacon for all who aim to welcome queer congregants. “Sanctuary” weaves together the voices of two co-pastors and a gay parishioner from an unlikely place: a Jesus-centered, LGBTQ-inclusive church in Coralville, Iowa. They reveal the church’s rocky yet rewarding six-year evolution. In the process they lose some prejudices but keep their sense of humor while building a queerly dynamic faith community. Foreword by Brian McLaren, ex-evangelical pastor, public theologian and popular author. Adey and Tom Wassink are a married couple pastoring Sanctuary Community Church in Coralville, Iowa. Imborek is a church member, physician and advocate for LGBTQ rights. Published by Read the Spirit Books.

Recently released

“Unraveling” (poetry) by Rebecca Wilson. Published by Tehom Center Publishing.

“Healing Religious Hurts: Stories and Tips to Find Love and Peace” by Joanie Lindenmeyer and Elizabeth Ann Atkins. Published by Two Sisters Writing and Publishing.

“Revitalizing Christianity: The Theology of Peter Lewis” by Shane St Reynolds (editor). Foreword by Michael Kirby. Independently published.

“Making Room: Three Decades of Fighting for Beds, Belonging, and a Safe Place for LGBTQ Youth” by Carl Siciliano. Published by Convergent Books.

Coming soon and available for pre-order

Dec. 3, 2024
“Jimmy’s Faith: James Baldwin, Disidentification, and the Queer Possibilities of Black Religion” by Christopher Hunt. Published by‎ Fordham University Press.

May 27, 2025
“Queer & Christian: Reclaiming the Bible, Our Faith, and Our Place at the Table” by Brandan Robertson. Published by St. Martin’s Essentials.

Added in October

“The Widening of God’s Mercy: Sexuality Within the Biblical Story” by Christopher B Hays and Richard B Hays.

Full inclusion of LGBTQ people in the church is required by overarching Biblical themes of divine grace as explained by a father-son team of Bible scholars. Richard Hays, New Testament professor emeritus at Duke Divinity School, apologizes for his widely quoted writings against homosexuality from 30 years ago. His son, Fuller Theological Seminary Old Testament professor Chris Hays, joins him in writing about how God’s ever-expanding nature calls for blessing same-sex marriages, ordination of LGBTQ clergy and much more. Published by Yale University Press.

“For Love” by Robin Reardon.

A gay Unitarian Universalist minister confronts choices between his calling and the man he loves in a novel set in 1980s Vermont. Meanwhile he organizes a pagan-inspired festival and interacts with a trans teen. The book concludes a trilogy that began with “For Love of God” and “For Love of Self,” which were on the top LGBTQ Christian books of 2022 and 2023 at Q Spirit. The author is a Boston writer whose novels include various LGBTQ characters. Published by Iam Books.

Added in September

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BARGAIN ALERT: Paperback price less than $4
“Metropolitan Community Church: An Appraisal of Queer Consciousness and Religious Expression” by Allan M. Savage.

A scholar examines Metropolitan Community Church in light of queer theory, religious history and the LGBTQ+ movement. He explores issues such as how the LGBTQ-affirming denomination fits into various definitions of church and how it may adapt in the future. A whole chapter is devoted to analysis of MCC founder Troy Perry’s biography. The book offers the erudite, sophisticated perspective of an objective outsider who had no direct communication with MCC beyond its publicly posted information. The author is a Canadian academic who retired after teaching theology at the University of Winnipeg and directing the Adult Faith Office for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Thunder Bay. Independently published.

“Trans Formations: Grounding Theology in Trans and Non-binary Lives” by Alex Clare-Young.

A leading next-generation queer theologian presents the identities and insights of 10 diverse trans and non-binary Christians. These first-hand testimonies evoke a pro-active theology that goes beyond trans-apologetics. The author is a transmasculine non-binary minister in the United Reformed Church, co-chair of the Open Table Network, and associate tutor in theology at Westminster College in Cambridge, United Kingdom. The book grows out of their PhD thesis. Published by SCM Press.

“Just Be You: A Journal” by Suzanne DeWitt Hall and Declan DeWitt Hall.

Encouraging queer and queer-inspired quotes appear on top of blank pages in the “Just Be You” journal. Capture your thoughts in this notebook with rainbow pencils and trans-tinted text on the cover. Several books by gender anarchist Suzanne DeWitt Hall have appeared on Q Spirit’s annual lists of the year’s top LGBTQ Christian books. She lives happily with her transgender husband, Declan. Independently published.

“Malchus and Me: A Novel” by Steve Hester.

LGBTQ people are among the followers of Jesus in this historical novel. The narrator and his outcast friends are touched by Jesus’ life, death and resurrection. Actual scriptures are sprinkled throughout the novel and listed in notes at the end. The author is a Catholic deacon who ministers to the LGBTQ community in Lexington, Kentucky. Published by Blockhead Publishing. How did I miss this in 2023?!

Added in August

“A Blackqueer Sexual Ethics: Embodiment, Possibility, and Living Archive” by Elyse Ambrose.

Religious reflection based on Black queer experience leads to a shift in sexual ethics from traditional rules-based Christian norms to a communal, relationship-based spiritual approach in this transformative analysis. It highlights queer Black communities from 1920s Harlem to the present and de-centers binary thinking. The author is assistant professor of religion and Black study at the University of California, Riverside. Published by T&T Clark, an imprint of Bloomsbury Publishing.

“Faith and Pride: A Queer Anthology” by Allison K. Garcia and others.

Challenges and triumphs experienced by queer people of faith are expressed in this collection of poetry, personal essays, and short stories by a dozen diverse writers. Garcia is a licensed professional counselor, worship team singer and author based in Virginia. Independently published.

Added in July

“God, Gospel, and Gender: A Queer Bible Study for Teens” by Margie Baker.

Queer and trans youth and their allies can find affirmation in this accessible yet academically sound Bible study. Chapters explore God’s gender, God’s love for all, name changes in scripture, and how Jesus dealt with the law. Analyzing scripture is the heart of each chapter, but every chapter also includes prayers, activities, and questions for reflection or discussion. The book is structured to work for groups or individuals. A former high school teacher, the author is associate rector at St. John’s Episcopal Church in West Hartford, Connecticut. Published by Church Publishing, an official publisher for the Episcopal Church.

“Joyously Free: Stories & Tips for LGBTQ+ People, Parents and Allies” by Joanie Lindenmeyer and Elizabeth Ann Atkins.

Faith and spirituality support the rainbow journey to embrace LGBTQ+ identities in a motivational book bursting with positive energy. It includes personal accounts from dozens of diverse contributors from across the United States. Their experiences show how the struggle of accepting and sharing one’s LGBTQ+ self leads to profound joy. The authors reveal their own dramatic life stories too. Lindenmeyer taught and ministered as a nun in the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet before leaving to create loving communities for LGBTQ people. Her memoir, “Nun Better,” is on Q Spirit’s list of the top LGBTQ Christian books of 2023. Atkins is the biracial daughter of a former Roman Catholic priest and co-founder of Two Sisters Writing and Publishing, which published “Joyously Free.”

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Rainbow Christ window hanging

A rainbow Christ stands with open arms before a curvy rainbow that merges into flowing waters in a colorful window hanging. The stained-glass style image has black outlines between the colors. It goes well with the Rainbow Christ Prayer, Pride Month or anytime that LGBTQ Christian enlightenment is beneficial. The acrylic window hanging comes in six- and nine-inch sizes. It hangs from a chain and has a custom shape with a round top. Available from the StellaGiftsAustralia shop on Etsy.

Added in June

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“Queering Contemplation: Finding Queerness in the Roots and Future of Contemplative Spirituality” by Cassidy Hall.

Listening to silenced queer voices opens up the contemplative Christian tradition as the author shares her reflections and research. Embracing with her own queer identity enriches and deepens her connection with the divine. Visiting all 17 Trappist monasteries in the United States, she makes a film about celebrated monk Thomas Merton and then “breaks up” with him, seeking out contemporary and historical queer guides. She discerns the difference between toxic silence and loving silence. Queer saints and mystics discussed include Juan de la Cruz, Matrona of Perge, Symeon the Holy Fool of Emesa, Walatta Petros and Marinos/Marina the Monk. Each chapter ends with an interview with spiritual authors and teachers such as Michael Diaz, Mihee Kim-Cort, Lisa Isherwood — and Q Spirit founder Kittredge Cherry. The author is a United Church of Christ minister and communications director with a master’s degree from Christian Theological Seminary in Indianapolis. Published by Broadleaf Books, a unit of 1517 Media, the publishing ministry of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.

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“Spilling the Light” by Julián Jamaica Soto.

A queer minister aims to overcome hostility to their queer, brown and disabled self through their debut poetry collection. Spiritual themes arise in poems of broken hallelujahs, codes/witching and transformed Biblical beatitudes. Titles include “Dear trans*, non-binary, genderqueer and gender-expansive friends and kin: (and those of us whose gender is survival).” Spanish surfaces in some poems, such as “My grandmother’s grinding stone/El molcajete de mi Abuelita.” Based on the U.S. Pacific Northwest, the author is a Unitarian Universalist minister and activist who has worked in parish ministry, hospital chaplaincy and with veterans. Published by Skinner House Books, an imprint of the Unitarian Universalist Association.

Added in May

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“Dayspring” by Anthony Oliveira.

Christ’s beloved disciple comes alive in a queer literary retelling from a major publisher. The Beloved Disciple never reveals his name, but his story has elements of both Lazarus and John the Evangelist. The first page says, “And the word became flesh: coarse hair. crooked smile. the taste of salt on his clavicle. i am the disciple whom he loved.” Billed as a debut novel, “Dayspring” blends prose, poetry and memoir, switching between 21st-century Canada and first-century Nazareth. Jesus’ words as imagined by the author are printed in red like a red-letter Bible. Both sacred and profane, the book is loaded with literary references. The GLAAD award-winning author grew up queer in a Portuguese Catholic family in Canada and earned a PhD in English literature from the University of Toronto. Published by Strange Light, an imprint of Penguin Random House.

“Love Is Greater than AIDS: A Memoir of Survival, Healing, and Hope” by Stephen Pieters.

Gay pastor Steve Pieters tells his inspiring story of healing and faith in this memoir from the frontlines of the AIDS crisis and the battle for LGBTQ rights. Pieters was one of the longest survivors of AIDS. His famed 1985 TV interview with televangelist Tammy Faye Bakker as an out gay clergyman with AIDS helped shift public opinion on AIDS and LGBTQ people from condemnation to compassion. It was re-enacted in the 2021 film “The Eyes of Tammy Faye,” starring Academy-Award winner Jessica Chastain. Ordained by Metropolitan Community Churches, Pieters served as the denomination’s AIDS director during the worst years of the AIDS pandemic. Published by Rowman and Littlefield.

Added for April

“Queering Black Churches: Dismantling Heteronormativity in African American Congregations” by Brandon Thomas Crowley.

Learn how historically Black churches adapted to welcome and affirm LGBTQ members in a book that examines and synthesizes the experiences of several congregations. It develops bold, practical, systemic models for transforming Black churches to fully include queer people. The author is an African American minister and lecturer at Harvard Divinity School who pastored Myrtle Baptist Church in West Newton, Massachusetts. Published by Oxford University Press.

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“Trans The*logy Without Apology: Using Art, Narrative and Historical-Critical Exegesis to Celebrate Transfiguration and Trans Aesthetic in the Bible” by Megan Rohrer.

Trans influence in the Bible and church history from creation to the present is emphasized in a comprehensive, intellectually rigorous exploration. Rare academic material mixes with personal narratives. A section on trans saints in the medieval and early Christian church is especially helpful. With 130 hard-to-find color illustrations, the book includes the author’s international pilgrimages to see sacred art with a trans sensibility, mostly from early Christianity through the Reformation. The author works at Glide Memorial Church in San Francisco after serving as the first openly transgender bishop in a mainline denomination. Children’s books “Faithful Families” and “Mister Grumpy Christian” by Rohrer were popular on Q Spirit’s previous annual lists of the top LGBTQ Christian books. Published by Wilgefortis.

Added in March

“Queering My Religion: Biblical Stories of Queer Love In The 90’s” by Jeff Crim.

Bible stories are re-imagined through a queer lens in the 1990s Midwest with this short-story collection. Fictional characters connect the 20th-century with four scriptural narratives that are favorites of the LGBTQ community: the love between David and Jonathan, Joseph and his “genderqueer bisexual drag” of many colors, the centurion and his boyfriend, and Philip and the Ethiopian eunuch. The literary approach questions traditional assumptions with a fresh, inclusive perspective. Based in Tennessee, the author is an ordained minister in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). Independently published.

“Yes Gawd!: How Faith Shapes LGBT Identity and Politics in the United States” by Royal G. Cravens III.

Religion’s role as a catalyst for LGBT political activism is revealed by this comprehensive analysis of diverse survey results. Challenging popular wisdom, a social scientist finds that most LGBT people in the United States identify as religious — and supportive faith communities motivate them to advocate politically for LGBT causes. An activist-turned-scholar, the author is a research analyst at the Southern Poverty Law Center and assistant professor of political science at California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo. Published by Temple University Press.

Hexagonal Rainbow Candle Holders

Honor LGBTQ spirit with rainbow candle holders! The set of seven hexagonal concrete tea-light candle holders is perfect for celebrating LGBTQ Pride, the Rainbow Christ Prayer, Bridge of Light ritual or any other queer spiritual ceremony. Ranging from one to four inches in height, the votive candle holders are suitable for personal devotions or public worship. They are handmade from cement with an on-trend industrial look and imperfections that make each piece unique. Available on Etsy from the Hello Inspiration shop.

Added in February

“Jeza’s Jesus Juice: A Drag Queen’s Christian Devotional” by Jeza Belle.

Drag-queen humor and strong Christian faith blend harmoniously in this distinctive devotional for LGBTQIA+ people and allies. The 30 chapters use personal stories and historical background to shed a queer light on a wide range of topics. They range from LGBTQ-specific subjects such as “homosexuality and relationships” and “PRIDE = Self Worth” to more universal themes of joy, fear, inner peace and radical inclusivity. Every entry includes scripture, an essay, prayer and questions for reflection. The book is peppered with some “salty language” and much male imagery for God. The author is a New York City writer, comedian, producer and speaker who confesses, “I wanted to be a minister, but who would have listened to an effeminate gay man talking about God from the pulpit? So, I became the next best thing . . . a drag queen!” Published by Resource Publications, an imprint of Wipf and Stock.

Bonus: More LGBTQ Christian books released in 2024

“Stories of Change: Religious Leaders and LGBTIQ Inclusion in East Africa” by David Kuria Mbote, Barbara Bompani, Adriaan van Klinken and Damaris Parsitau. Published by Zed Books, an imprint of Bloomsbury Publishing.

“Dirt, Shame, Status: Perspectives on Same-Sex Sexuality in the Bible and the Ancient World” by Thomas Kazen. Published by Eerdmans.

“Glorious Bodies: Trans Theology and Renaissance Literature” by Colby Gordon. Published by University of Chicago Press.

“Love is the Why” (poetry) by Diana K McLean. Published by Tehom Center Publishing.

“Cornerstones: Sacred Stories of LGBTQ+ Employees in Catholic Institutions” by Ish Ruiz and Mark Guevarra (editors). Published by New Ways Ministry.

“Origin Story: A Novel” by Jendi Reiter. Published by Saddle Road Press.

“My Defense: Responding to Charges that I Fully Affirm LGBTQ+ People” by Thomas Jay Oord. Published by SacraSage Press.

“Reclaiming Faith: Learning to Reimagine God, Church and Ourselves” by Trent Clifford. Published by Parson’s Porch Press.

“Queer-Affirming Pastoral Care” By Kerstin Soderblom. Published by‎ Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, an imprint of the Brill group.

“God is The Great Black Mother and Her Son was Queer: A Poetic Theology of Culture: Exploring Theological Matricide and Intersectionality in the Divine Feminine” by Donald Henry Matthews (author) and Faith Donna Marada Matthews (illustrator)

“Sex, Celibacy, and Deviance: The Victorians and the Song of Songs” by Duc Dau. Published by Ohio State University Press.

“Queer Redemption: How Queerness Changes Everything We Thought We Knew About Christianity” by Charlie Bell. Published by Darton, Longman and Todd.

“UBUNTU and the Word: A Primer for Afrodiasporan Biblical Rhetoric” by Corey L Brown. Published by Writeontime.

“Eleanor Among the Saints: Poetry” by Rachel Mann. Published by‎ Carcanet Press.

“Queering the Prophet: On Jonah, and Other Activists” by L. Juliana M. Claassens, Steed Vernyl Davidson, Charlene Van Der Walt, and Ashwin Thyssen (editors).

2 Comments

Don Bell on at

A brief note from Don Bell in Tuscaloosa, Alabama.
Please look at the bottom of your Books for 2024 page.
The link for the ALA Religion and Spirituality List for year 2022 does not work and the link is not needed. That list is included in the list for 2021-2023.

For some reason, the link for the 2021-2-23 Book List does not work. ALA may have changed the link. Here is the current link. I hope it works for you. You can also go to the Rainbow Round Table at Rainbow Round Table (RRT) | Rainbow Roundtable (ala.org) or (https://www.ala.org/rrt) to get the link directly from the webpage .

Current Link:
American Library Association Rainbow Round Table
LGBTQ Religion and Spirituality Book List 2021-2023
Religion Bibliography 2021.23.pdf (ala.org)

Thanks for your good work for everyone. I always enjoy reading the newsletter each month.

The link does not seem to show in this email.

Don
- Kittredge Cherry on at
  
  Thank you for alerting me to the broken link for the ALA Rainbow Round Table Religion and Spirituality book list! I went ahead and corrected it on this page and also on the 2023 book list at Q Spirit. Their booklist is an great resource. Rainbow blessings to you!