There are so many exciting books by and about trans and nonbinary people coming out this year, and I’m sure we’ll find out about even more in months ahead. I struggled to put together this list because of the abundance of options to choose from! So please, don’t consider this a complete list of new trans and nonbinary books out in 2025; I’ll be talking about many more in the Our Queerest Shelves newsletter throughout the year.
Because this is a selection of upcoming releases, I didn’t include trans and nonbinary books that have already come out this year, like The In-Between Bookstore by Edward Underhill and Hammajang Luck by Makana Yamamoto. Also check out the most-anticipated queer books of 2025 and your most anticipated queer books of 2025, which both include even more nonbinary and trans books to preorder.
And if you can’t get enough new LGBTQ books, All Access members can find a list of 24 new LGBTQ books out this week at the end of this list. All Access members get access to all the bonus content across 20+ Book Riot newsletters, including Our Queerest Shelves.
Now, onto 12 of the most exciting trans and nonbinary books out in 2025!
Paper Doll: Notes From A Late Bloomer by Dylan Mulvaney (March 11)
Dylan Mulvaney publicly documented her transition in her “Days of Girlhood” series, which brought her a lot of support…until a completely innocuous post made her the target of right-wing hatred. It’s hard to overstate just how much vitriol she faced at that time. In her memoir, she describes her life pre- and post-transition, including how she handled this firestorm of transphobia. This comes highly recommended by celebrities like Kristin Chenoweth, Glennon Doyle, and Paris Hilton.
Stag Dance: A Novel & Stories by Torrey Peters (March 11)
Torrey Peters’s critically acclaimed 2021 debut novel Detransition, Baby quickly became one of the most popular and well-known trans novels ever written. Needless to say, her follow-up is highly anticipated! It includes three short stories and a novel. Stag Dance follows a group of lumberjacks who plan a dance that requires some of them to volunteer to dance as women. I’ll let the description say the rest: “When the broadest, strongest, plainest of the axmen announces his intention to dance as a woman, he finds himself caught in a strange rivalry with a pretty young jack, provoking a cascade of obsession, jealousy, and betrayal that will culminate on the big night in an astonishing vision of gender and transition.”
We Are Villains by Kacen Callender (March 25)
From the author of Felix Ever After and many others comes a new dark academia YA novel. Trans guy Milo has returned to Yates Academy to investigate his best friend Ari’s death—he doesn’t believe it was an accident. Liam is the King of Yates, the son of a wealthy, powerful family. But when he begins to receive threatening letters accusing him of killing Ari, he enlists Milo’s help to clear his name. The problem is, Milo isn’t so sure Liam is innocent.
Kacen Callender also has another book with trans representation out this year! Chaos King is the second book in the Infinity Alchemist YA fantasy series, and it’s out on April 15.
Notes from a Regicide by Isaac Fellman (April 15)
From the author of Dead Collections comes a trans family saga with a sci-fi twist. Griffon escaped his abusive family with the help of his second parents, who supported him through his transition. Now that they’ve died, though, Griffon is discovering a different side to them. Through his father’s journal, written from a jail cell, Griffon learns more about the past that scarred his second parents, including the failed revolution that sent them fleeing from their homeland.
Beyond They/Them: 20 Influential Nonbinary and Gender-Diverse People You Should Know by Em Dickson, illustrated by Cameron Mukwa (May 6)
This illustrated middle grade nonfiction book explores the stories of nonbinary, Two-Spirit, and gender-diverse people from Janelle Monáe to Sarah Gailey, Judith Butler, Joshua Whitehead, and many more. These 20 biographies offer a “celebration of nonbinary joy” that shows that “there has been, and always will be, a place for people of all genders.”
So Many Stars: An Oral History of Trans, Nonbinary, Genderqueer, and Two-Spirit People of Color by Caro De Robertis (May 13)
Caro De Robertis is an award-winning writer best known for their literary fiction, including queer novels like Cantoras and The Gods of Tango. In this nonfiction collection, they draw on hundreds of hours of interviews to create an oral history of a generation of trans, nonbinary, genderqueer, and Two-Spirit elders of color. This looks like a powerful work that will add to the canon of trans history.
Trans History: A Graphic Novel: From Ancient Times to the Present Day by Alex L. Combs and Andrew Eakett (May 13)
This YA graphic nonfiction book explores gender diversity throughout history, from the Roman emperor Elagabalus to LGBTQ rights activist Sylvia Rivera. It also traces how gender and sex have been conceptualized throughout time, including the science of sexology. In addition to biographies of trans and gender diverse people, there are also interviews with activists, scholars, and artists about the diversity of trans experiences.
In Case You Read This by Edward Underhill (May 20)
Yes, in addition to The In-Between Bookstore, Edward Underhill has another trans book out in 2025! In this YA romcom, two teen trans guys meet in the lobby of a motel in Nebraska. Arden is reluctantly moving with his family from Los Angeles to Winifred, Michigan, where he worries about losing queer community and support. Gabe is excited to relocate from small town Shelby, Illinois, to the city of Pasadena, California. During the one evening their paths intersect, Arden and Gabe form an unforgettable connection—but they leave only knowing each other’s first names. Can they find their way back to each other?
Marsha: The Joy and Defiance of Marsha P. Johnson by Tourmaline (May 20)
I’m having trouble trying to summarize Tourmaline’s accomplishments: TIME 100 Most Influential Person in the World awardee, Guggenheim Fellow, award-winning filmmaker, a permanent art installation in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and so much more. Now, she’s written the “first definitive biography” of one of the most prominent figures in LGBTQ history: Marsha P. Johnson. Published simultaneously is a picture book version: One Day in June: A Story Inspired by the Life and Activism of Marsha P. Johnson by Tourmaline and illustrated by Charlot Kristensen.
And They Were Roommates by Page Powars (May 27)
From the author of The Borrow a Boyfriend Club comes a second chance YA romcom. Charlie starts at Valentine Academy for Boys determined to fly under the radar as the school’s only trans student. But then, disaster strikes: he’s placed with Jasper as his roommate: his ex-boyfriend, who broke his heart a year before he transitioned. Only…Jasper doesn’t recognize him. Charlie has a plan to get the room to himself before Jasper connects the dots, but it involves writing love letters with Jasper to other students. What could go wrong?
Costumes for Time Travelers by A. R. Capetta (May 27)
A. R. Capetta’s agender YA romance The Heartbreak Bakery is one of my all-time favorite books, so I can’t wait to read their nonbinary YA fantasy that—at least judging from the cover—also looks delightfully cozy. Pocket is the first place that time travelers arrive at after leaving their time, and it’s also Calisto’s home. They love working at their grandmother’s shop, crafting era-appropriate costumes for time-travelers. But when Fawkes arrives in Pocket, he recognizes Calisto—from events that haven’t happened yet. Now, they’re on the run together to escape from the villains threatening to erase them, Pocket, and other time travelers.
Hot Girls with Balls by Benedict Nguyễn (July 1)
Six and Green are two Asian American trans women who are dating. Together, they are competing in the men’s pro indoor volleyball league—but on rival teams. They travel around the world to compete, broadcasting their relationship to parasocial fans, but when their teams face off against each other in the championship, they also face a P.R. crisis that could blow up their reputations. This is an “outrageous and deeply serious satire,” and I can’t wait to read it!
As much as I’d like to talk about dozens more trans and nonbinary books out this year, I’ll stop here for now! If you’d like to learn about even more new queer books, All Access members can find a list of 24 new LGBTQ books out this week below, including A Good Kind of Trouble by Brooke Blurton and Melanie Saward and I Think They Love You by Julian Winters.
24 New LGBTQ Books Out This Week: January 28, 2025
The comments section is moderated according to our community guidelines. Please check them out so we can maintain a safe and supportive community of readers!
