top of page

Understanding Pride when it comes to incarceration

June is Pride Month, and our Pride celebrations cannot and would not be complete without acknowledging the incarcerated people who are part of the LGBTQ+ community. Queer and Trans people (especially Black and Indigenous queer and Trans people) are incarcerated at disproportionately high rates and face increased discrimination within the carceral system compared to cisgender and/or heterosexual people.  


The Numbers Speak Volumes:


Why This Matters:

 These numbers reflect systemic, interconnected issues -- such as the higher rates of poverty and homelessness in LGBTQ+ populations, and the longer sentences imposed on LGBTQ+ people. Through these statistics, we can also see how queer women, Trans people, and queer people of color are disproportionately targeted even among the generally higher rates of incarceration within LGBTQ+ populations.


LGBTQ+ Books Are Often Censored:


Over half of all challenged books in 2022 were LGBTQ+ titles.


Inside prison, LGBTQ+ books are among the hardest for us to provide. They’re also the most requested—especially fantasy, romance, and books on trans history and gender-affirming care.


We always accept donated LGBTQ+ books at the Prison Library Project! We often get requests for LGBTQ+ fiction, including fantasy and romance, and books on gender-affirming care, as well as trans rights and history.



This is one of our most frequently requested books behind bars. Click the image to purchase The Queer & Transgender Resilience Workbook and help us get affirming, life-saving resources into the hands of those who need them most.
This is one of our most frequently requested books behind bars. Click the image to purchase The Queer & Transgender Resilience Workbook and help us get affirming, life-saving resources into the hands of those who need them most.

Click the image to purchase The Queer & Transgender Resilience Workbook and help us get affirming, life-saving resources into the hands of those who need them most.



Some staff recommendations of LGBTQ+ books to add to your shelves:

  • The Color Purple by Alice Walker

  • Black Leopard, Red Wolf by Marlon James

  • Girl, Woman, Other by Bernardine Evaristo 

  • A Snake Falls to Earth by Darcie Little Badger

  • It Came From the Closet: Queer Reflections on Horror by Joe Vallese

  • Sister Outsider by Audre Lorde

  • Maurice by E.M Forester

  • Giovanni’s Room by James Baldwin

  • The Stonewall Reader edited by The New York Public Library

  • Gay Bar: Why We Went Out by Jeremy Atherton Lin


Shop & Support:


Find these titles and more on our LGBTQ+ reading list at Bookshop.org. Buying through our page supports both independent bookstores and our mission.



 
 
bottom of page