Pride Month 2023 - Bywater Books

Pride Month is an annual celebration of the LGBTQ+ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and other) community that takes place in June each year. This month is a time for members and allies of the LGBTQ+ community to come together to acknowledge the power of living authentic lives and to celebrate and honor those trailblazers who fought the hard fight for equality and representation.

Bywater Books & Amble Press believe that LGBT+ lives are enriched and empowered when our stories are written, published, and read.

More than 130 anti-LGBTQ+ bills have passed at least one state legislative chamber this calendar year. And more than 540 other anti-LGBTQ+ bills are in markup, debate, or awaiting votes. These include more than 220 bills specifically targeting transgender and non-binary people and another 50+ anti-LGBTQ laws taking the following actions:

banning gender-affirming care for transgender youth;
requiring or allowing misgendering of transgender students and workers;
targeting drag performances;
allowing healthcare providers to withhold life-saving services and openly discriminate against members of the LGBT+ community;
censoring school curricula, including LGBT+ books; and
making the publication and distribution of books with LGBT+ content felonies.

Legacy queer presses like Bywater Books & Amble Press are especially vulnerable, and we ask that you add your voice to Unite Against Book Bans to help us fight censorship of LGBT+ books and stop the erasure of our community.

Please click HERE for more information and talking points on how to challenge book bans in your area.