Five queer Canadian authors and their noted works 

Support and celebrate queer literature by checking out these reads.

In today’s world, the need for LGBTQ+ inclusion and representation is paramount. Acceptance is not only important for society to progress, but also for the queer community to feel included, respected, and, most of all, human. 

Here is a list of Canadian queer authors and their most notable works concerning gender, sexuality and identity. 

5. Samra Habib, We Have Always Been Here  

Samra Habib is a Pakistani-Canadian queer author, photographer, and activist. Habib has lived in Toronto since 1991 in a Muslim household and was supposed to have an arranged marriage before they had come out as queer. 

Habib’s award-winning work, We Have Always Been Here, is a riveting, sort-of autobiography that talks about Habib’s personal struggles with queer identity and how they have battled both Muslim extremism and Western homophobia throughout their lives.  

Their story intersects themes of bullying, racism, poverty, and representation with a need for acceptance and survival. Habib, through self-exploration and delving into art, love and sexuality, finally uncovers the truth that lies within themselves and others like them. This novel allows queer readers like Habib to find a place of belonging and understanding dysmorphia. 

We Have Always Been Here has received many accolades, including the 2020 Winner of Canada Readsand the 2020 Lambda Literary Award Winner. 

4. Joshua M. Ferguson, Me, Myself, They 

Joshua M. Ferguson is an Ontario-born queer activist, writer, filmmaker and alchemist. On May 7, 2018, Ferguson made history as the first person to receive a non-binary birth certificate, with the gender simply labelled as “X” within the province of Ontario.  

Me, Myself, They tells the story of Ferguson’s struggle with the evolution of their identity from an early age, and dealing with trauma stemming from sexual assault, violence, bullying, and gender conversion therapy.  

Ferguson stresses the importance of empathy and self-love in the book, all the while critiquing the male and female gender roles from a personal point of view. Ferguson also hones in on the shifting attitudes of sex and gender, while suggesting that society should educate itself on a broader, more nonconformist understanding of non-binary folk. Ferguson’s storytelling takes readers on an in-depth, personal, and impassioned journey about reclaiming one’s identity and living and existing beyond the gender binary. 

3. Jen Currin, School 

Jen Currin is a Canadian-American non-binary award-winning writer and poet who teaches creative writing and English at the Kwantlen Polytechnic University in British Columbia.

Currin’s School is a wake-up call anthology of poems that highlights political and environmental issues. Presenting itself almost as an instruction manual, it challenges the readers to bring reform through a shared effort of love and community. School expands on the tethered connections between humans embracing change and ensuring safety for many generations to come. 

Eclectic Ruckus says School “offers wit, precision of speech, weird connections, odd juxtapositions, jarring images, & a variety of moods in a swirl of sentences that refuse to stay still but argue with each other & with their readers. This School is well worth attending.”

Lambda Literary Review calls Currin’s poetry  “a subversion of the dominant paradigms in this country . . . one ride that will leave you gripping both sides of the canoe.”

2.  Wes Funk, Wes Side Story 

The late Wes Funk was a gay Canadian author known for his several novels and short stories. He also hosted Lit Happens, a weekly television series based in Saskatchewan. 

Funk’s Wes Side Story is a memoir written with biting and brutal honesty, a work in which Funk tells the raw coming-of-age story of his real life. Chapters are riddled with humorous anecdotes and thought-provoking moments as he shares his experiences going from being a confused young farm boy to an openly gay, confident, groundbreaking author and publisher. Funk’s accomplishments make for an inspiring page-turner for audiences wanting to see life through the lens of a gay Canadian man whose struggles shaped him. 

4. Amber Dawn, Fist of the Spider Woman 

Amber Dawn is an unflinching, strong-willed, and unapologetic writer and performance artist based in Vancouver, B.C. Her works are harshly critical and sarcastic towards societies that demand the truth but want to silence those — namely, writers — who dare to speak it.  

Dawn’s Lambda-nominated Fist of the Spider Woman puts a new twist on traditional horror femmes. It tells a multitude of stories by and about queer and transgressive women who, in a witty, sexy and humorous way, disrupt the stereotypical sexy, powerful villainess or the innocent, victimized heroine. The characters are said to evoke fear and arousal while turning old horror traditions on their heads. 

Dawn uses gothic, noir, and speculative writing styles to make readers look within themselves and confront who they truly are. Fist of the Spider Woman begs two questions: 1) What do queer women fear most?, and 2) What do queer women desire most? 

This list is just a small sample of all the wonderful, inspiring works by Canadian queer authors. For society to progress in diversity and acceptance, we must always pay attention to the writings of the marginalized.