Midsumma Festival

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.

Discover some LGBTQIA+ reading recommendations below.

Updated January 4, 2026
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Queer : a graphic history
Barker, Meg-John
Paper Book
'Queer: A Graphic History Could Totally Change the Way You Think About Sex and Gender' Vice Activist-academic Meg-John Barker and cartoonist Jules Scheele illuminate the histories of queer thought and LGBTQ+ action in this groundbreaking non-fiction graphic novel. ...
Who's afraid of gender?
Butler, Judith
Paper Book
Judith Butler, the ground-breaking philosopher whose work has redefined how we think about gender and sexuality, confronts the attacks on gender that have become central to right-wing movements today. Global networks have formed 'anti-gender ideology movements' dedicated to circulating a fantasy...
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...
Cecilia
Chang, K-Ming
Paper Book
An erotic, surreal novella from the author of Organ Meats and Bestiary. Seven, who works as a cleaner at a chiropractor's office, reencounters Cecilia, a woman who has obsessed her since their school days. As the two of them board the same bus--each dubiously...
The secret lives of country gentlemen
Charles, KJ
Paper Book
Abandoned by his father, Gareth Inglis grew up lonely, prickly, and well-used to disappointment. Still, he longs for a connection. When he meets a charming stranger, he falls head over heels-until everything goes wrong and he's left alone again. Then Gareth's father dies, turning the shabby London...
Rainbow rainbow : stories
Conklin, Lydia
Paper Book
Longlisted for The Story Prize & the PEN/Robert W. Bingham Prize for Debut Short Story Collection A fearless collection of stories that celebrate the humor, darkness, and depth of emotion of the queer and trans experience that's not typically represented: liminal or uncertain...
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...
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.<...
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....
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...
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,...
Unfamiliar waters
Grey, Andrew (Novelist)
Ebook
With the pressures of the job bearing down on him, police officer Garrett Wreckley needs a vacation--in fact, he isn't given a choice in the matter. Since the water has always soothed Garrett's soul, he heads to the Caribbean, hoping some time alone sailing on the open water will help him pull...
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...
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...
365 gays of the year (plus 1 for a leap year) : discover LGBTQ+ history one day at a time
Laney, Lewis
Paper Book
A fun and fascinating compendium of LGBTQ+ icons, one for every day of the year, and a celebration of queer history - or as RuPaul would say; Herstory!  Discover your queer hero and learn something new every day with 365 Gays of the Year, an...
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...
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? ...
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...
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...
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...
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 ...
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,...
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.     
Atmosphere : a love story
Reid, Taylor Jenkins
#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * GOOD MORNING AMERICA BOOK CLUB PICK * From the author of The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo and Daisy Jones & The Six comes an epic new novel set against the backdrop of the 1980s space shuttle program about the extraordinary lengths we go...
Ordinary love
Rutkoski, Marie
Paper Book
A page-turning, irresistible novel of class, ambition, and love, this is the breathtaking story of a woman risking everything for a second chance at the one who got away * "A brilliant examination of queerness, friendship, motherhood, longing and ambition. It's funny and moving and sexy. Above...
The Secret Public : How LGBTQ Performers Shaped Popular Culture (1955-1979)
Savage, Jon
Paper Book
Jon Savage, the author of the canonical England's Dreaming, explodes new ground in this electrifying history of pop music from 1955 through 1979. In demonstrating that gay and lesbian artists were responsible for many of the greatest cultural breakthroughs in the last half of the twentieth...
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...
At Her Service
Spalding, Amy
Paper Book
Fans of Casey McQuiston, Alexis Hall, and Meryl Wilsner will fall for this sweetly sexy, gloriously relatable sapphic rom-com about self-improvement, chasing your dreams, and writing your own Hollywood love story - from the acclaimed author of For Her Consideration. Max...
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...
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 An ambitious, delirious novel that tangles with queerness, spirituality,...

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