The best LGBTQ+ books of 1980s (chosen by LGBTQ+ authors)

Loved by 28 people

The Left Hand of Darkness

By Ursula K. Le Guin ,

Loved by 15 people

Giovanni's Room

By James Baldwin ,

Loved by 10 people

Brideshead Revisited

By Evelyn Waugh ,

Loved by 6 people

The Persian Boy

By Mary Renault ,

That First Heady Burn

By George Bixley ,

Night Terminus

By Ellis Scott ,

Loved by 4 people

Zami

By Audre Lorde ,

Loved by 4 people

Rubyfruit Jungle

By Rita Mae Brown ,

That First Heady Burn

By George Bixley ,

Night Terminus

By Ellis Scott ,

The Quicksand Theatre Company

By Molly Ringle ,

Loved by 2 people

And the Band Played on

By Randy Shilts ,

Loved by 2 people

Tales of the City

By Armistead Maupin ,

That First Heady Burn

By George Bixley ,

Night Terminus

By Ellis Scott ,

The Quicksand Theatre Company

By Molly Ringle ,

The Jack of Hearts Murders

By Kate Haley ,

Loved by 2 people

Swordspoint

By Ellen Kushner ,

Loved by 2 people

Magic's Pawn

By Mercedes Lackey ,

The Quicksand Theatre Company

By Molly Ringle ,

The Jack of Hearts Murders

By Kate Haley ,

That First Heady Burn

By George Bixley ,

Night Terminus

By Ellis Scott ,

The Quicksand Theatre Company

By Molly Ringle ,

The Jack of Hearts Murders

By Kate Haley ,

Servant

By Patrick R. Field ,

Loved by 1 person

The Door Into Fire

By Diane Duane ,

Loved by 1 person

All Passion Spent

By Vita Sackville-West ,

Loved by 1 person

Too Much Flesh and Jabez

By Coleman Dowell ,

Loved by 1 person

The Time of the Doves

By Mercè Rodoreda , David H. Rosenthal (translator) ,

That First Heady Burn

By George Bixley ,

Night Terminus

By Ellis Scott ,

The Quicksand Theatre Company

By Molly Ringle ,

The Jack of Hearts Murders

By Kate Haley ,

Servant

By Patrick R. Field ,

Swimming with Lord Byron

By William Kuhn ,

The Birthright of Sons

By Jefferey Spivey ,

Loved by 1 person

Lots of Mommies

By Jane Severance ,

The Jack of Hearts Murders

By Kate Haley ,

Servant

By Patrick R. Field ,

Swimming with Lord Byron

By William Kuhn ,

Loved by 1 person

Max

By Rachel Isadora ,

Servant

By Patrick R. Field ,

Swimming with Lord Byron

By William Kuhn ,

Loved by 1 person

The Beverly Malibu

By Katherine V. Forrest ,

Loved by 1 person

The Ladies of Missalonghi

By Colleen McCullough ,

Loved by 1 person

The Well of Loneliness

By Radclyffe Hall ,

Loved by 1 person

The Lost Language of Cranes

By David Leavitt ,

Servant

By Patrick R. Field ,

Swimming with Lord Byron

By William Kuhn ,

The Birthright of Sons

By Jefferey Spivey ,

Quick Bright Things

By Michael Golding ,

That First Heady Burn

By George Bixley ,

Night Terminus

By Ellis Scott ,

The Quicksand Theatre Company

By Molly Ringle ,

The Jack of Hearts Murders

By Kate Haley ,

Servant

By Patrick R. Field ,

Swimming with Lord Byron

By William Kuhn ,

The Birthright of Sons

By Jefferey Spivey ,

Quick Bright Things

By Michael Golding ,

The Blade in the Angel's Shadow

By Andy Darby ,

Beautiful and Terrible Things

By S.M. Stevens ,

Loved by 1 person

A Visitation of Spirits

By Randall Kenan ,

Loved by 1 person

The Swimming-Pool Library

By Alan Hollinghurst ,

The Birthright of Sons

By Jefferey Spivey ,

Quick Bright Things

By Michael Golding ,

Loved by 1 person

Ice Blues

By Richard Stevenson ,

That First Heady Burn

By George Bixley ,

Night Terminus

By Ellis Scott ,

The Quicksand Theatre Company

By Molly Ringle ,

The Jack of Hearts Murders

By Kate Haley ,

Servant

By Patrick R. Field ,

Swimming with Lord Byron

By William Kuhn ,

The Birthright of Sons

By Jefferey Spivey ,

Quick Bright Things

By Michael Golding ,

The Blade in the Angel's Shadow

By Andy Darby ,

Beautiful and Terrible Things

By S.M. Stevens ,

War and Preservation

By Karen Lynne Klink ,

Agents of Secrets & Lies

By Michael Wombat , Victoria Pearson , Lisa Shambrook , Miranda Kate

What Rides at Night

By Summer Jewel Keown (editor), Elly Blue (editor),

Serpent Visions

By Jinny Webber ,

The best LGBTQ+ books of the 1980s

The books our community loved the most.

The Left Hand of Darkness

Giovanni's Room

Brideshead Revisited

The Persian Boy

Books from our members

That First Heady Burn

Night Terminus

Zami

Rubyfruit Jungle

Books from our members

That First Heady Burn

Night Terminus

The Quicksand Theatre Company

And the Band Played on

Tales of the City

Books from our members

That First Heady Burn

Night Terminus

The Quicksand Theatre Company

The Jack of Hearts Murders

Swordspoint

Magic's Pawn

Books from our members

The Quicksand Theatre Company

The Jack of Hearts Murders

Books from our members

That First Heady Burn

Night Terminus

The Quicksand Theatre Company

The Jack of Hearts Murders

Servant

The Door Into Fire

All Passion Spent

Too Much Flesh and Jabez

The Time of the Doves

Books from our members

That First Heady Burn

Night Terminus

The Quicksand Theatre Company

The Jack of Hearts Murders

Servant

Swimming with Lord Byron

The Birthright of Sons

Lots of Mommies

Books from our members

The Jack of Hearts Murders

Servant

Swimming with Lord Byron

Max

Books from our members

Servant

Swimming with Lord Byron

The Beverly Malibu

The Ladies of Missalonghi

The Well of Loneliness

The Lost Language of Cranes

Books from our members

Servant

Swimming with Lord Byron

The Birthright of Sons

Quick Bright Things

Books from our members

That First Heady Burn

Night Terminus

The Quicksand Theatre Company

The Jack of Hearts Murders

Servant

Swimming with Lord Byron

The Birthright of Sons

Quick Bright Things

The Blade in the Angel's Shadow

Beautiful and Terrible Things

A Visitation of Spirits

The Swimming-Pool Library

Books from our members

The Birthright of Sons

Quick Bright Things

Ice Blues