In order to describe the genre of “weepy movies about tragic queer people aimed at straight audiences,” Tumblr user ladysaviours coined the term "dead gays for the straight gaze." In spite of the humorous nature of the phrase, the phenomenon described is quite serious: more often than not, queer storylines end in murder, suicide, or AIDS-induced death. While there is a place for serious discussion of these issues and the ways they harm the LGBTQ+ community, their prevalence in movies and books sends queer youth the message that their stories can only end in tragedy. Thus, I present this list, which is by no means comprehensive, of my favorite LGBTQ+ young adult books with reasonably happy endings.
(www.goodreads.com)
1. "Everything Leads to You" by Nina LaCour
This is a super cute and fluffy story about teen lesbians in Los Angeles. Emi is a set designer who convinces Ava, the unknown granddaughter of a Hollywood legend, to audition for an indie film. It’s basically queer chick lit, because why should straight people have all the fun?
(www.goodreads.com)
2. "Simon vs. The Homo Sapiens Agenda" by Becky Albertalli
Simon, a closeted gay guy, just wants to further his relationship with Blue, a guy he’s been flirting with through email, but his plan is stalled when someone else obtains an email and begins to blackmail Simon. This book reads like a rom-com, full of miscommunication and laughter and love, but the plot does revolve around the main character being blackmailed about his sexual orientation. It also loses points for introducing its only QPOC at the end, but does have an adorable gay ending and well-developed supporting characters.
(www.goodreads.com)
3. "Openly Straight" by Bill Konigsburg
Rafe’s been openly gay for years, but when he begins to attend an all-boys boarding school, he uses the opportunity to explore his identity without labels. Though the book gets bonus points for using the word bisexual, it loses some for its ambiguous ending.
(www.goodreads.com)
4. "I’ll Give You the Sun" by Jandy Nelson
This is one of my all-time favorite books, simply because it’s so beautifully written. It’s told from the alternating perspectives of twins Noah and Jude as they grow and adapt to various life challenges. Warning for some homophobic bullying and internalized homophobia, as well as a character being outed against his will.
(www.goodreads.com)
5. "Seraphina" and "Shadow Scale" by Rachel Hartman
Seraphina is half-dragon in a political climate bitterly divided between humans and dragons, and in order to save herself, she travels around the world to find others like her. “Seraphina” features a few gay side characters as well as an oppressive religion with two gay saints, but “Shadow Scale,” the sequel, has the majority of the queer representation, including a trans woman of color, gay royalty, and a country whose language has six established gender pronouns. The books also focus on themes of marginalization, identity, and safety that mirror the lived experiences of many LGBTQ individuals. Warning for a brief flashback involving a trans character’s suicide attempt in "Shadow Scale" and some implied homophobia in "Seraphina."
(www.malindalo.com)
6. "Adaptation" by Malinda Lo
Why shouldn’t science-fiction have queer humans and even queerer aliens? To say more would ruin the story, but if you like sci-fi or queer teens, it’s well worth the read. Bonus points for awesome bisexual and poly representation that defies a typical love triangle. Additionally, Malindo Lo is bisexual, and most of her books have great queer characters (including lots of QPOC).
(staticsplit.wordpress.com)
7. "Pantomime" and "Shadowplay" by Laura Lam
Queer fantasy gets a steampunk makeover. Both books feature an intersex, genderfluid, bisexual protagonist who joins the circus, as well as multiple LGBTQ+ supporting characters and several QPOC.
(www.tess-sharpe.com)
8. "Far From You" by Tess Sharpe
Finally, a book that satisfies both my need for queer representation and my love of murder and mayhem. Bonus points for an explicitly bisexual female teenage protagonist. Loses points because on of the queer characters is dead before the story begins. Warning for discussions of drug addiction and death.
(www.amazon.com)
9. "The Darkest Part of the Forest" by Holly Black
A queer fairy prince and his queer human boy, plus boy’s sister and changeling best friend, must save their town of Fairfold from disaster. The folklore and faerie tales in this story are so beautifully written that they eclipse the romantic subplots, but the gay characters are still central to the story.
(shorewoodlibraryteens.wordpress.com)
10. "Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe" by Benjamin Alire Sáenz
This is a lovely coming-of-age story about two gay best friends that takes place over the course of several years. Warning for queer angst, compulsory heterosexuality, and a hate crime. Even though the queer themes in this story are much darker than the others on this list, its feel-good ending and beautiful portrayals of friendship and family make it more than deserving of mention.
A few notes on the lack of trans and asexual representation on this list: I didn't include many books with trans or gender-non-conforming characters because all the others I've read were either too offensive or too sad. Similarly, the only YA book I've read featuring an ace character was "Daughter of Smoke and Bone" by Laini Taylor, which didn't make the list because the asexual character plays a minor supporting role.
