Adults - Midsumma

Midsumma Festival is a celebration of LGBTQIA+ arts and cultures held annually for 22 days over January and February in Melbourne, bringing together a diverse mix of LGBTQIA+ artists, performers, communities and audiences.

Updated December 29, 2024
Drag items up and down to your preferred order then select the "Save Order" button.
365 gays of the year (plus 1 for a leap year) : discover LGBTQ+ history one day at a time
Laney, Lewis
Paper Book
365 Gays of the Year is a celebration of Queer history told through one LGBTQ+ figure for each day of the year.
Ace voices : what it means to be asexual, aromantic, demi or grey-ace
Young, Eris
Paper Book
How do we experience attraction? What does love mean to us? When did you realise you were ace? This is the ace community in their own words. Drawing upon interviews with a wide range of people across the asexual spectrum, Eris Young is here to take you...
All this could be different
Mathews, Sarah Thankam
Paper Book
2022 NATIONAL BOOK AWARD FINALIST ONE OF THE LOS ANGELES TIMES' TOP 5 FICTION BOOKS OF THE YEAR ONE OF TIME AND SLATE'S TOP 10 BOOKS OF THE YEAR Named one of the BEST BOOKS OF 2022 by NPR, Vogue, Vulture,...
Arthur and Teddy are coming out
Love, Ryan
Paper Book
The feel-good read of 2024. Perfect for fans of Mike Gayle, Beth O'Leary and Alice Oseman's Heartstopper.Selected as one of the Independent's 19 debut authors set to make their mark in 2023 'Gentle, honest and beautifully authentic' Julietta Henderson 'Touching and...
Baby making for everybody : family building and fertility for LGBTQ+ and solo parents
Rachlin, Ray
Paper Book
This inclusive, straightforward guide to fertility is What to Expect Before You're Expecting for families outside the heterosexual nuclear family model--perfect for LGBTQ+ and solo parents who want to have kids but don't know where to start.     
Bad gays : a homosexual history
Lemmey, Huw
Paper Book
These "very funny-deep dives into the lives of the most dastardly queer people in history" offer a passionate argument for rethinking gay politics beyond identity (Vogue). What can we learn from the homosexual villains, failures, and baddies of our past? ...
Big love : reclaiming myself, my people, my country
Blurton, Brooke
Paper Book
A raw, moving and uplifting memoir about courage, resilience and the transformative power of love, from one of Australia's most captivating personalities 'Powerful, heartbreaking and beautiful ... a story of incredible triumph fuelled by love and compassion' Osher Gunsberg 'Brooke...
Burning my roti : breaking barriers as a queer Indian woman
Dhaliwal, Sharan
Paper Book
Part memoir, part guide, Burning My Roti is essential reading for a new generation of South Asian women. With chapters covering sexual and cultural identity, body hair, colourism and mental health, and a particular focus on the suffocating beauty standards South Asian women are...
City of Laughter
Verbitsky, Misha
Paper Book
A rich and riveting debut spanning four generations of Eastern European Jewish women bound by blood, half-hidden secrets and the fantastical visitation of a shapeshifting stranger over the course of 100 years.The City of Laughter follows a young queer woman stuck in a thicket of...
The DC book of pride : a celebration of DC's LGBTQIA+ characters
Axelrod, Jadzia
Paper Book
Celebrate Pride with DC's LGBTQIA+ Super Heroes. Written and curated by DC expert Jadzia Axelrod, The DC Book of Pride profiles more than 50 LGBTQIA+ characters in detail, including Harley Quinn, Superman, Nubia, Robin, Batwoman, Aqualad, Dreamer, Green...
Fat girl dancing : a memoir
Kneen, Krissy
Paper Book
How does a person come to know that they are different from the children around them? To measure themselves against a set normal and find themselves lacking? When did I know that I was plump, and then fat? Fat child, self-denying adolescent,...
Forging Queer Leaders : How the LGBTQIA+ Community Creates Impact from Adversity
Fram, Bree
Paper Book
LGBTQ+ individuals disproportionately encounter bias, adversity, stigma, and marginalization throughout their lives. It's an enormous obstacle - but also prepares them for leadership in a fast-moving, volatile, uncertain, complex, and adaptive working world. The book explores the unique and...
Growing up queer in Australia
Law, Benjamin
Paper Book
'No amount of YouTube videos and queer think pieces prepared me for this moment.' 'The mantle of "queer migrant" compelled me to keep going - to go further.' 'I never "came out" to my parents. I felt I owed them no explanation.' 'All I heard from the pulpit...
Guest Privileges
Adams, Gaar
Paper Book
Upon moving to the Gulf States - where penalties for queer acts include deportation, imprisonment, torture and death - Gaar Adams wants to understand why LGBTQ+ migrants might choose to live amid such peril. From the UAE to Bahrain and Oman to Saudi Arabia - a region where four out of five residents...
Heretic : a memoir
Kadlec, Jeanna
Paper Book
A memoir of leaving the evangelical church and the search for radical new ways to build community.  Jeanna Kadlec knew what it meant to be faithful--in her marriage to a pastor's son, in the comfortable life ahead of her, in her God--but there was no denying the truth...
Hijab Butch Blues: A Memoir
H., Lamya.
Paper Book
A queer hijabi Muslim immigrant survives her coming-of-age by drawing strength and hope from stories in the Quran in this "raw and relatable memoir that challenges societal norms and expectations" (Linah Mohammad, NPR). "A masterful, must-read contribution to conversations on...
In/out
Lentz, Steph
Paper Book
'Steph takes you into her world with refreshing honesty. Her voice is that rare combination of conviction and vulnerability' Kumi Taguchi 'With In/Out, Steph Lenz shows that if love does not conquer all, something has gone very badly wrong' Ed le Brocq In January 2021, Steph Lentz...
It gets better . . . except when it gets worse
Maines, Nicole
Paper Book
NATIONAL BESTSELLER . The irreverent and candid coming-of-age memoir of Nicole Maines, trailblazing trans actress, activist-and sometimes someone who's just existing, which is actually pretty hard! Nicole Maines knows a little something about "happily ever after"-not just because...
The Lgbtq+ History Book: Big Ideas Simply Explained
Dorling Kindersley Ltd.
Paper Book
Discover the rich and complex history of LGBTQ+ people around the world - their struggles, triumphs, and cultural contributions. Exploring and explaining the most important ideas and events in LGBTQ+ history and culture, this book showcases the breadth of the LGBTQ+ experience....
Live, Laugh, Lesbian : Navigating Life as a Lesbian in the 21st Century
Scott, Helen.
Paper Book
"Sometimes, it's easy to feel like the only lesbian in the world - let alone in the village. But wherever you are with your sexuality, you've just picked up a book with the word 'lesbian' in the title and I know baby you would be so proud." From strap-ons and Lesbian Bed Death to...
Love that story : observations from a gorgeously queer life
Van Ness, Jonathan
Paper Book
Queer Eye star Jonathan Van Ness dives into his favourite subjects in Love That Story, a new collection of heartfelt and entertaining essays. From experiencing heartbreaking grief to uncovering the hidden LGBTQ history of his hometown, Quincy, from overcoming body...
The making of the Victorian Pride Centre
Buckrich, Judith Raphael
Paper Book
Mood
Bellamy, Roz
Paper Book
Mood is a memoir that perfectly suits our times, and our collective journey to understand how we are shaped by our identities. It is a testament to hard-won growth through self-knowledge. Roz Bellamy is a first-generation Jewish Australian who identifies as non-binary. They met their...
Moonlite
Linnell, Garry
Paper Book
Charismatic, intelligent and handsome, George Scott is unlike any other bushranger. Born into a privileged life in famine-wracked Ireland, Scott's family loses its fortune and is forced to flee to New Zealand. There, Scott joins the local militia and fights as a soldier against the Maori in the...
Nothing to hide : voices of trans and gender diverse Australia
Elkin, Sam
Paper Book
Nothing to Hide is Australia's first mainstream anthology of trans and gender-diverse writing, a powerful contribution to Australian letters.
Oh Miriam! : stories from an extraordinary life
Margolyes, Miriam
Paper Book
'Oh Miriam! risks the curse of the sequel, and pulls it off . . . A force of nature, a tour de farce. Bold, brave and bright, but also revealing, shocking and touching. Miriam is an icon, a cocksucker - and the star of her show' ROBERT McCRUM, Independent ...
Perfectly queer : facing big fears, living hard truths, and loving myself fully out of the closet
Abby, Jillian
Paper Book
Jill had a happy, healthy 20-year relationship with her college sweetheart, two wonderful kids, and rescue cat from the Humane Society. They lived in a nice suburban home with a white picket fence and owned a small bar that was rated one of the "Best Mom & Pop" businesses in Tampa Bay. From the...
Perfume and Pain
Dorn, Anna.
Paper Book
"Perceptive and witty--like a Sally Rooney novel set in Southern California." --Star Tribune (Minneapolis) "It's this author's best work yet. A Sapphic roller-coaster ride." --Kirkus Reviews (starred review) A controversial LA...
The queen's wife
Drayton, Joanne
Paper Book
A memoir of a turbulent time - and a chess game that broke all the rules. In 1989, two married women met by chance. They instantly hit it off, but little did they know that their new relationship would turn their lives upside-down. This is the true...
Queer as folklore : the hidden queer history of myths and monsters
Coward, Sacha
Paper Book
THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER Queer as Folklore takes readers across centuries and continents to reveal the unsung heroes and villains of storytelling, magic and fantasy. Featuring images from archives, galleries and museums around the world, each chapter...
The queer film guide : 100 great movies that tell LGBTQIA+ stories
Turner, Kyle
Paper Book
Beginning with early trailblazers like Different from the Others, Kyle Turner has selected 100 of cinema's greatest queer films to guide you through the eras. From Hitchcock's Rope and cult classic The Rocky Horror Picture Show through the New Queer Cinema movement of the 90s to the...
Queer heroes of myth and legend : a celebration of gay gods, sapphic saints and queerness through the ages
Jones, Dan
Paper Book
Hidden in the margins of history books, classical literature, and thousands of years of stories, myths and legends, through to contemporary literature, TV and film, there is a diverse and other-worldly super community of queer heroes to discover, learn from, and celebrate. Be captivated by stories...
Queer villains of myth and legend : a revelry of queer rogues and outlaws through the ages
Jones, Dan
Paper Book
Every good hero needs a villain! Explore the hidden world of magnetic and mysterious villains, often cast aside and misunderstood in tales of mythology and folklore. Through the pages of Queer Villains of Myth and Legend, discover a diverse community of fascinating characters, ranging from...
Queer X design : 50 years of signs, symbols, banners, logos, and graphic art of LGBTQ
Campbell, Andrew Raymond
Paper Book
The first-ever illustrated history of the iconic designs, symbols, and graphic art representing more than 5 decades of LGBTQ pride and activism. Beginning with pre-liberation and the years before the Stonewall uprising, spanning across the 1970s and 1980s and...
Queerly beloved : a novel
Dumond, Susie
Paper Book
A people-pleasing baker tries to find her place as a bridesmaid-for-hire. Will she finally find her happily ever after--and her own voice? "A delightful debut, perfect for any person who's ever created their own place to belong."--Casey McQuiston, bestselling author of Red,...
Rainbow history class : your guide through queer and trans history
McElhinney, Hannah
Paper Book
Rainbow History Class is your entry into LGBTQ+ history, sharing queer and trans stories from Ancient civilisations all the way up to the internet.  So much of queer and trans history and culture has been erased, but Hannah McElhinney, writer and...
Rainbow rainbow : stories
Conklin, Lydia
Paper Book
A collection of stories that celebrate the humour, darkness and depth of emotion of the queer and trans experience that's not typically represented: liminal or uncertain identities, queer conception and queer joy. In this delightful debut collection of prize-wining stories,...
The Secret Public : How LGBTQ Performers Shaped Popular Culture (1955-1979)
Savage, Jon
Paper Book
A monumental history of the LGBTQ influence on popular culture, from the award-winning, Sunday Times bestselling author Jon Savage.
A short history of queer women
Loehr, Kirsty
Paper Book
No, they weren't 'just friends'! Queer women have been written out of history since, well, forever. 'But historians famously care about women!', said no one. From Anne Bonny and Mary Read who sailed the seas together disguised as pirates, to US football captain Megan Rapinoe declaring 'You...
Skin And Its Girl
Cypher, Sarah.
Paper Book
A young, queer Palestinian American woman pieces together her great-aunt's secrets in this "enchanting, memorable" (Bustle) debut, confronting questions of sexual identity, exile, and lineage.   "As beautifully detailed as a piece of Palestinian embroidery, this...
Transformer : a story of glitter, glam rock, & loving Lou Reed
Doonan, Simon
Paper Book
In this funny and poignant memoir and cultural history, the television personality, columnist, and author of Drag pays homage to Lou Reed's groundbreaking album Transformer on its fiftieth anniversary and recalls its influence on his coming of age and coming out through glam rock.<...
Unbounded : manifesting a life without limits
Thattil, Maria
Paper Book
What would you change in your life if you could silence the voice that tells you- you're not enough, keep quiet, you can't do it, or there is no space for you? As a queer child of immigrants, Maria Thattil knows what it is like to struggle with belonging. In Unbounded, she shares...
Who's afraid of gender?
Butler, Judith
Paper Book
An Instant Sunday Times Bestseller One of the most anticipated books of 2024 according to The Times, Guardian, Financial Times, New Statesman, The Independent, The Scotsman, Time and more Shouldn't we know what we're arguing about?...

Library staff! You can create and contribute to lists. Contact your catalog administrator or log in here.