June is Pride Month, a time when we commemorate the Stonewall uprising and how the LGBTQ+ community has fought for equal rights—and continues to do so! The creative arts community has always been influenced by queer artists, and that includes creative writing. To celebrate Pride Month, Writer’s Relief has put together a list of great literary quotes that uplift queer voices and experiences.

12 Literary Quotes To Commemorate And Celebrate Pride Month

“Gender preference does not define you. Your spirit defines you.”

― P.C. Cast, Awakened

“The world isn’t binary. Everything isn’t black or white, yes or no. Sometimes it’s not a switch, it’s a dial.”

― Jeff Garvin, Symptoms of Being Human

“This is why homophobia is a terrible evil: it disguises itself as concern while it is inherently hate.”

― Tyler Oakley, Binge

“Jack, in his dark camp, saw Ennis as night fire, a red spark on the huge black mass of mountain.”

― Annie Proulx, Brokeback Mountain

“First of all, being gay is far from a curse. It’s more like an extra order of fries at Wendy’s because the lady in the window isn’t paying attention while she fills your bag. It’s awesome.”

― Jeffery Self, Drag Teen

“‘The Gay’ is not infectious, the world is not coming to an end, and people are happy. Gosh, how about that.”

― Kelley York, Dirty London

“Somebody, your father or mine, should have told us that not many people have ever died of love. But multitudes have perished, and are perishing every hour—and in the oddest places!—for the lack of it.”

— James Baldwin, Giovanni’s Room

“Where there is great love there are always miracles.”

— Willa Cather, Death Comes for the Archbishop

“I mean, I never even had to really come out to my parents. They always knew, and it was always okay. Or not even okay, better than that. Not something that had to be evaluated at all. It just was. Like having brown hair.”

― Julie Buxbaum, Tell Me Three Things

“There’s a saying in Tamil that a thousand lies can make a marriage. Here’s the truth: I’m tired of lying.”

― SJ Sindu, Marriage of a Thousand Lies

“What sexual preference do you hope she has?” “Happiness. Isn’t that cool?”

― Francesca Lia Block, Weetzie Bat

“Two dudes met. They fell in love. They lived. That’s our story.”

― Adam Silvera, They Both Die at the End

If you enjoyed reading the quotes, be sure to add these books to your summer reading list! Have a happy Pride Month full of joy, celebration, and rainbows.

Question: Which quote did you find most meaningful?