June is Pride Month- both a celebration of the Queer Community and a reminder that the fight for LGBTQ+ rights is still ongoing, in the UK and around the world. Cardiff Met will be taking part in the official Pride Celebrations, which you can find out about here.
Back in February we recommended some books for LGBT+ History Month. In honour of June’s celebrations, here’s a few more suggestions that feature queer characters, are by queer authors, or both!

Queer Square Mile: Queer Short Stories from Wales ed. Kirsti Bohata et al. 
A collection of short stories across multiple genres, by Welsh Authors- great for dipping in and out of, if you don’t feel like committing to one long narrative.

Fun Home, A Family Tragicomic by Alison Bechdel
A memoir in graphic novel form by lesbian cartoonist Alison Bechdel, discussing her childhood and coming of age, her relationship with her closeted gay father, and her own exploration of sexuality and gender. 

The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde 
The story of a beautiful but cruel-hearted young man drawn into the orbit of the Victorian upper-class, The Picture of Dorian Gray was famously used to help convict Wilde for his sexuality. It is also available from the Library as a graphic novel.

Marlowe: The Plays.
A contemporary of Shakespeare’s, Christopher Marlowe was quite possibly queer himself- although of course we can’t know for certain. What we do know is that in spite of its tragic ending, Marlowe’s play Edward II depicts the titular King and his homosexual relationships with more sympathy than the viewer might expect from Elizabethan drama. A version starring Derek Jacobi and Tilda Swinton is available to watch through Box of Broadcasts

The House on the Cerulean Sea by T.J Klune
Perfect for a lighter summer read, The House on the Cerulean Sea blends a queer romance with explorations of found family and forming a community as “outsiders”.