What are some good LGBTQ dharma books?

We recommend some great books by LGBTQ Buddhist teachers and practitioners.

Lion’s Roar Staff
13 November 2019
Illustration of a aeditator in front of a pride flag
Illustration by Nolan Pelletier.

Question: As a queer person, I’d like to read some dharma books written by and for people like me. Can you recommend some books on Buddhism by LGBTQ teachers and practitioners?

Answer: There is a wide range of excellent dharma books by LGBTQ teachers. Among those we recommend are: The Way of Tenderness: Awakening Through Race, Sexuality, and Gender, by Zenju Earthlyn Manuel (Wisdom); Radical Dharma: Talking Race, Love, and Liberation, by Rev. angel Kyodo williams and Lama Rod Owens (North Atlantic); Awakening Together: The Spiritual Practice of Inclusivity and Community, by Larry Yang (Wisdom); Most Intimate: A Zen Approach to Life’s Challenges, by Roshi Pat Enkyo O’Hara (Shambhala); and Wholehearted: Slow Down, Help Out, Wake Up by Koshin Paley Ellison (Wisdom).

For memoirs by LGBTQ practitioners, check out Let the Whole Thundering World Come Home: A Memoir, by Natalie Goldberg (Shambhala); My Buddha Is Pink: Buddhism for the Modern Homosexual, by Richard Harrold (Sumeru); and The Narrow Way: A Memoir of Coming Out, Getting Clean, and Finding Buddha, by Chris Lemig (Mantra).

Lion s Roar Staff

Lion’s Roar Staff

Lion’s Roar is the website of Lion’s Roar magazine (formerly the Shambhala Sun) and Buddhadharma: The Practitioner’s Quarterly, with exclusive Buddhist news, teachings, art, and commentary. Sign up for the Lion’s Roar weekly newsletter and follow Lion’s Roar on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest.