The Rainbow Ain't Never Been Enuf

On the Myth of LGBTQ+ Solidarity

By: Kaila Adia Story

Narrated by: Crystal Clarke

A queer Black feminist debunks the myth of rainbow solidarity, repositioning Black and Latinx LGBTQ+ people at the forefront of queer pasts, presents, and futures

Your favorite Black queer studies professor Kaila Adia Story says the rainbow ain’t never been enough in this introduction to the current state of queer intersectionality, or lack thereof. Story argues that to be queer is to be political, and the carefully glittered façade of solidarity in the pride movement veils dangerous neoliberal ideals of apolitical queer embodiment. The rainbow as a symbol of communal solidarity is a hollow offering when cis white LGBTQ people are allowed to opt out of divesting from white supremacy, misogyny, and transphobia.

The Rainbow Ain’t Never Been Enuf fills a necessary gap in our understanding of how racism, transphobia, and antiblackness operate in liberal spaces. Black feminist and queer theorist Kaila Adia Story blends analysis, pop culture, and her lived experiences to explore the silencing practices of mainstream queer culture. She touches on cornerstone issues of the movement like

• the whitewashing of queer history and commodification of pride celebrations
• the appropriation of the Black and Latinx ball scene and culture
• the racialized and gendered violence inflicted upon Black trans women
• the exclusion of the lives and work of activists like Marsha P. Johnson, Sylvia Rivera, Stormé DeLarverie, and CeCe McDonald from queer history
• the lack of remembrance and respect for the lives of the Black and Lantinx queer and trans people who have always been on the frontlines of queer liberation

Expanding beyond the classroom, Story utilizes her expertise as a scholar of queer theory to offer readers a comprehensive understanding of how racism operates in these spaces and what we can do to create a more equitable future.

Excellent

Kaila Adia Story delivers a powerful and necessary critique of the fractures within the LGBTQ+ community in The Rainbow Ain’t Never Been Enuf. This book is an unflinching examination of how racism, sexism, and transphobia continue to operate, often unchecked, within queer spaces that claim to be inclusive.

With clarity, scholarly rigor, and deep personal insight, Story dismantles the myth of automatic solidarity among marginalized identities. She highlights how Black queer and trans people, especially women and femmes, are too often erased or tokenized in broader queer discourse. Rather than shying away from hard truths, this book insists we confront them.

What makes Story’s work especially compelling is the intersectional lens she applies throughout. This isn’t just a critique. It’s a call to action for deeper accountability, more nuanced allyship, and a reimagining of what real solidarity could look like.

A must-read for anyone who cares about justice within and beyond the LGBTQ+ community. Challenging, illuminating, and deeply important.