LGBTQ Poetry Themes For Pride Month
“[Poetry] lays the foundations for a future of change, a bridge across our fears of what has never been before.”
—Audre Lorde
Pride month is nearly here! There are numerous ways to celebrate: march in a pride parade, donate to an organization aiding LGBTQ+ that are present and need support from causes, queer-owned businesses, education about current issues facing the LGBTQ+ community, and consuming queer content.
Here at little infinite, one of our favorite ways to get into the spirit of Pride is by digging deep and reading/writing LGBTQ poetry themes that amplifies queer voices. Let’s take a look at must-read queer poetry collections and the recurring themes woven throughout!
7 Powerful LGBTQ Poetry Themes To Dive Into:
Coming Out & Self-Acceptance
Coming out is a significant moment for anyone who chooses to do so. It takes courage to live so authentically. The resulting empowerment of such self-acceptance is revolutionary and can give others permission to pursue their own self-acceptance journey.
Closet Haikus by R.R. Noall
Funded by a Kickstarter campaign, this collaborative coming out poetry collection is meant to share the diversity of identities within the LGBTQ+ community and a variety of coming out experiences.
Love, Longing & Queer Romance
Themes of longing pervade queer poetry: longing for love, acceptance, connection, a sense of self, and safe spaces. LGBTQ+ poets have discovered a wealth of complexity within this theme.
Love Is for All of Us by James Crews and Brad Peacock
This luminous and open-hearted LGBTQ+ poetry anthology proves that there is nothing more universal than love.
This lgbtq poetry theme is also exemplified in a selection from award-winning gay poet, Tommy Pico:
“We drive for hours because it’s an excuse to sing
together and I forget other people
are around and we’re driving
to the coast and the radio is cranked all the way up
and our inhibitions cranked all the way
down…”
Feed by Tommy Pico
Feed asks what’s the difference between being alone and being lonely? Can you ever really be friends with an ex? How do you make perfect mac & cheese? Feed is an ode of reconciliation to the wild inconsistencies of a northeast spring, a frustrating season of back-and-forth, of thaw and blizzard, but with a faith that even amidst the mess, it knows where it’s going.
Gender Identity & Expression
Gender is foundational to our overall identity. Queer poets are masters of questioning and exploring gender identity, its meaning, and how to express it.
Poetry about gender identity can help readers have a better understanding of the diversity of self-perception. Also, this theme in LGBTQ+ poetry helps break down relational and societal barriers put in place by rigid gender roles and their unrealistic expectations.
Selected Poems by Adrienne Rich
Rich was the singular voice of her generation, bringing discussions of gender, race, and class to the forefront of poetical discourse.
Life of the Party by Olivia Gatwood
A dazzling collection of raw and explosive poems from a thrilling new feminist voice.
Queer Joy & Liberation
While there’s certainly still plenty of work to be done, a great deal of progress has been made and many are leaning into and living out that progress. These poems about the LGBTQ+ experience tend to be more celebratory in nature.
Woke Up No Light by Leila Mottley
A poignant, rousing debut book of poetry, from the former Youth Poet Laureate of Oakland, California—this collection is a Black girl’s saunter turned to a woman’s defiant strut.
Desire, Eroticism & the Body
The LGBTQ+ community has not always had the freedom to openly share intimate experiences. Now, LGBTQ+ poets are at the forefront of breaking taboos and challenging the norms so that passion can be more freely addressed by all.
A Hundred Lovers by Richie Hofmann
An erotic journal in poems, from a rising star in the American poetry scene.
Found Family & Belonging
Any marginalized group or individual can attest to the beauty and hope that found family provides. Found family offers a safe haven from isolation and judgment which, perhaps, a family of origin failed to provide.
Black Girl, Call Home by Jasmine Mans
From spoken word poet Mans comes a love letter to the wandering Black girl and a vital companion to any woman on a journey to find truth, belonging, and healing.
Trauma
Enduring at least some trauma is inevitable in this life. Many of the queer community have experienced more than their fair share. But trauma, with all of its hardships, is survivable.
Time is a Mother by Ocean Vuong
In this deeply intimate second poetry collection, T.S. Eliot Prize winner, Vuong, searches for life among the aftershocks of personal and social loss, embodying the paradox of sitting in grief while being determined to survive beyond it.
Bluff by Danez Smith
Smith’s powerful reckoning with their role and responsibility as a poet and with their hometown of the Twin Cities. This 2025 Pulitzer Prize finalist is a book of awakening out of violence, guilt, and critical pessimism to wonder and imagine how we can strive toward a new existence in a world that seems to be dissolving into desolate futures.
Instagram Poetry Accounts
Also, if you’re looking for a daily dose of LGBTQ+ poetry, look no further than your Insta feed! Here are some accounts that belong to LGBTQ+ poets worth checking out:
Nikita Gill, author of Wild Embers
Natasha Miller, author of Butcher
As you enjoy queer poetry for Pride month, consider how you might get involved in the celebration of Pride. Remember, as you can, promote acceptance, love, and inclusion!
