LibGuides: Library Related Celebrations and Events: Rainbow Book Month (June)

June is Rainbow Book Month!

Rainbow Book Month™
Rainbow Book Month™ is a nationwide celebration of the authors and writings that reflect the lives and experiences of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, pansexual, genderqueer, queer, intersex, agender, and asexual community. Originally established in the early 1990s by The Publishing Triangle as National Lesbian and Gay Book Month, this occasion is an opportunity for book lovers and libraries with the very best in LGBTQIA+ literature.

At a time when books by and about LGBTQIA+ and BIPOC individuals are under siege and library workers are facing threats and harassment for serving these communities, Rainbow Book Month has never been more important. If your library is experiencing challenges to materials and programs serving the LGBTQIA+ community, please contact the ALA Office for Intellectual Freedom to report censorship and receive free confidential support. ALA's Fight Censorship page provides resources to prepare for and respond to challenges to library books, materials, and services.

Rainbow Book Month™ is an initiative of the American Library Association, and is coordinated through its Office for Diversity, Literacy and Outreach Services and the Rainbow Round Table.
Rainbow Project Book List
The Rainbow Project Book List presents an annual bibliography of quality books with significant and authentic LGBQTIA+ content, which are recommended for people from birth through eighteen years of age.

Stonewall Book Awards

The first and most enduring award for LGBTQIA+ books is the Stonewall Book Awards, sponsored by the American Library Association's Rainbow Round Table (formerly the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender Round Table). Since Isabel Miller's Patience and Sarah received the first award in 1971, many other books have been honored for exceptional merit relating to the gay/lesbian/bisexual/transgender experience.

Lambda Literary Awards

The Lambda Literary Awards were born in 1989. The purpose of the Awards in the early years was to identify and celebrate the best lesbian and gay books in the year of their publication. The Awards gave national visibility to a literature that had established a firm if nascent beachhead through a network of dynamic lesbian and gay publishers and bookstores springing up across America. Since their inception, the Lambda Literary Awards ceremony has consistently drawn an audience representing every facet of publishing.

Alice B Readers Award

The Alice B. Awards serve to reward writers of high-quality fiction about lesbians. Founded in 2004, Alice B Medals are given annually to authors who have written at least five books over their lifetime.

Publishing Triangle Awards

The Publishing Triangle Awards recognize LGBTQ+ authors and texts. Presented by The Publishing Triangle, the association of LGBTQ people in publishing, these annual awards span genres, age level, and identities.

Dayne Ogilvie Prize

The Dayne Ogilvie Prize is awarded to emerging Canadian LGBTQ+ authors who publish a debut novel in any genre. Established in 2007, the award serves to recognize excellent LGBTQ+ writers in Canada.

Untitled design (7).png The Goldies

The Goldies are an annual award celebrating excellence in fiction about lesbians. Founded in 2005, the Golden Crown Literary Awards are presented in 19 categories.

The Otherwise Award

The Otherwise Award is a donation-based prize recognizing sci-fi, fantasy, or speculative fiction that explores and challenges concepts of gender, with trans-inclusive and intersectional works particularly recognized.