Like every other millennial, I have an ever-growing rotation of tote bags with varying degrees of nonsensical sayings on them. Most are utterly meaningless (“CIAO,” “PICKLES”), but there is one I happen to agree with. The bag, an outline of two women whispering to each other, reads “All the cool girls are lesbians,” and I have to say, I stand by this sentiment without question. It’s 2025, and the “It Girl” is gay.
Before you get offended, my point is more nuanced than you might think. It’s not about queerness, per se, but a nod to what it represents: a defiance of the norm. Anyone who has gone through the trouble of coming out has had to take a hard look at the default settings of their life and make the honest proclamation that something isn’t working. Likewise, the It Girl is authentic. The It Girl is real. The It Girl does what she wants because of this deep inner work and is unapologetic while doing so.
It may sound counterintuitive, but I don’t believe this ethos is unique to queer people; rather, I maintain that most humans will experience their own particular “coming out” moment in life. Living an intentional life means continuously taking stock of reality and having the courage to say “This is right,” and also the much harder thing: “This isn’t.” Maybe it comes in the form of realizing “I crave more than what this marriage alone will give me,” a sentiment that resonated with the millions of women who openly wrestled with Miranda July’s provocative, autofictional bestseller, All Fours. It could be coming to terms with being polyamorous, asexual, or unpartnered. It could mean deciding to be childfree in a society that places motherhood at the height of what it means to be a woman. It could mean choosing celibacy in a world obsessed with sex.
Is it a coincidence that, as I write this, the ACLU is tracking 578 pieces of anti-LGBTQ legislation? In my view, the current political rise of homophobia, bigotry, and so-called “traditional values” only underscores the fact that women are resisting the confines of a patriarchal society, and doing so en masse. While more and more folks choose to “come out” and live in their truths, the powers that be are sending a message: stay in the lane you’ve been given. Managing to be yourself in a nation that is built on repression and patriarchal norms? That takes guts. And, dare I say it, pride.
These are some of the books I’ve read and listened to this year that felt like a giant exhale in what can seem like an increasingly hostile world. They felt like walking into my favorite queer bar and being hugged by an old friend after a day of heteronormative microaggressions. They reminded me of home, found family, queer joy, and the beauty and power that comes from living an original life, regardless of what form that may take. I feel so lucky that books like this exist, and after listening, I think you will, too.
Mother Tongue* is a novel about a woman who wakes from a coma suddenly speaking French and decides to put her new skills to good use. So she moves to Paris and starts a new life. What sounds whimsical and perhaps a bit silly is actually a plot that catapults itself from the mundane to the extraordinary. The story is deep, wrenching, and multi-layered. It’s perfect for any woman finding her way.
This debut novel by Dutch author Yael van der Wouden follows a peculiar romance budding in the 1960s Netherlands. While accepting her award for the Women's Prize for Fiction, Van der Wouden used her speech to come out as intersex. “All at once my girlhood became an uncertain fact," she said. "I am receiving truly the greatest honour of my life as a woman, presenting to you as a woman and accepting this Women’s prize and that is because of every single trans person who’s fought for healthcare, who changed the system, the law, societal standards, themselves. I stand on their shoulders.”
Penned by the award-winning author of the short story collection Rainbow, Rainbow, Lydi Conklin’s debut novel is as weird as it is wonderful. The story follows a budding musician as she works to untangle herself in all the many forms that process takes: her sexuality, her art, her moral compass—or lack of one. The tale is almost alarmingly original and sure to captivate any person searching for the meaning and truth in their own lives. Conklin even collaborated with a bunch of musicians who took fragments of songs from the book and created their real-life versions, compiling them into a Spotify playlist.
Bestselling author Melissa Febos made it clear in her interview with editor Kat that she used to be what many call a “serial monogamist.” “I was basically in nonstop romantic relationships,” she said. “Right before I decided to spend some time celibate, I had a very unhealthy relationship that was incredibly obsessive ... On the heels of that breakup, I surveyed my life and I thought, ‘How have I gotten here?’” It was this experience that inspired Febos’s year of celibacy, which morphed into a year of reflection on all the many aspects of life that have the capacity to swallow us whole, should we let them.
This novel is written in the raw, confessional way of your best friend sending you voice notes on the way home from a date. The story follows Max, a trans woman who finds herself rethinking her quest for love. Could good old-fashioned heteronormativity be the answer? The way things are going, it might be worth a try. What happens next is real, interesting, and um … disappointing. I found the novel to be a meditation on the true meaning of the word “love.”
This book is truly worth the listen. It’s fun, it’s interesting (especially if you’re a die hard L Word fan), and it’s heartfelt, too. I found myself laughing one moment and getting choked up the next. At its core, So Gay For You is not a book about a TV series; it's a book about the importance of platonic love and chosen family, one that somehow does what The L Word did all those years ago: capture the particular, beautiful, and nearly intangible aspects of queer life.
Journalist and nonfiction author Kate Fagan makes her fiction debut with this undeniable pulse-pounder. The plot boils down to three names: one is the name of the world’s most famous author, one is the name used to introduce herself to the woman she loves deeply, and another is a name no one knows. Who is she, really? The twists will keep you listening, and the romance will make you glad you did.
Actor and TikTok star Dylan Mulvaney might just be the quintessential "It Girl" of 2025. After breaking into the queer cultural lexicon with her “Days of Girlhood” TikTok series, Mulvaney continues to delve deep in her memoir, Paper Doll. Mixing journal entries with personal essays and reflections on her first year after coming out as trans, Paper Doll is a deeply personal and heartfelt behind-the-scenes look at all the highs and lows of her very public journey. This audiobook is just as brave, honest, and funny as the rest of her work. Check out our interview with Dylan Mulvaney here.
Pulitzer Prize-winning essayist and critic Andrea Long Chu delves into the roots and meaning of authority in her bold exploration of literature, television, and the role of cultural criticism. The collection is narrated by Chu, who also voiced her previous work, females. With the release of Authority, the famously acerbic critic told editor Michael Collina, “I’d like to think I’ve become more judicious about how I use negativity. Attacking out of resentment or malice can provide some momentary satisfaction. But the real task is to attack out of love.”
The artist, author, and originator of the “Bechdel test” is back with a novel that's not about her—really. In Spent, Alison Bechdel discusses the pandemic, intergenerational disparities as they relate to queerness, and the uncomfortable truths that come with privilege. While it goes without saying that the iconic cartoonist is funny, with her latest work Bechdel brings heart even to characters who might not deserve her warmth, like the main character’s homophobic sister. Bechdel believes we are all more alike than we care to admit, and in her latest hilarious novel, she shows us exactly how.
I first fell in love with Miranda July’s earnest, offbeat writing when I Inhaled No One Belongs Here More Than You more than a decade ago and have reveled in all that she has put forth since. Everything she touches, from her exhilarating novel The First Bad Man to her films and art exhibits, feels uniquely her: almost painfully honest, clever, absurdly romantic, deeply insightful, and downright funny. In her latest novel, a semi-famous artist plans to drive from LA to NY. Thirty minutes after leaving her husband and child at home, she spontaneously exits the freeway, checks into a motel, and immerses herself in an entirely different journey. With July’s perfect comic timing, unabashed curiosity, and palpable delight in pushing boundaries, All Fours tells the story of one woman’s quest for a new kind of freedom.
In 2021, Torrey Peters burst onto the literary scene with her debut novel, Detransition, Baby. Four years later, Peters returns with another riveting listen that interrogates gender, queerness, and binaries of every kind. Consisting of a novel and three supporting novellas, Stag Dance delivers four unique narratives (and performances) that all push listeners to sit with their discomfort and face unnerving situations, characters, and concepts head-on. Check out our interview with Peters here.
Set in the same world that Yours for the Taking created, Gabrielle Korn’s latest work of climate fiction imagines a chilling and dystopian reality, following those left out of the government's last resort to save its people from the fatal fate of the planet. While intense wildfires and political tensions pull apart the country, the only chance of survival lies in taking care of each other. In this listen, you’ll find queer love, redemption, and very likely, a dose of hope and inspiration.
