True Colors Book Club

The True Colors Book Club is hosted by Bloomington Public Library, PFLAG Bloomington-Normal, and Prairie Pride Coalition. It is welcoming of all age groups and any member of the public who can respect this safe space for our LGBTQ community. The group will discuss books with themes relevant to the LGBTQ+ community. In addition to book discussion and socializing, the group will also serve as a source of support and safety for all members. A specific novel, story collection, or non-fiction title is selected in advance for discussion, although general discussion about LGBTQ+ literature may follow the discussion of the selected title.

The True Colors Book Club meets quarterly. Upcoming book club meetings are listed to the right. Registration is required and can be completed online. Click on the date you would like to attend to register online. You may also register by calling 309.590.6168 or by visiting us in person at the library Help Desk on the second floor. Meetings are held at Unitarian Universalist Church.

The Library receives extra print copies of book club books leading up to the date of the meeting. To reserve one of the extra print copies of the next title to be discussed, contact the Help Desk by phone at 309.590.6168 or by email to reference@bloomingtonlibrary.org. Digital copies of each title (eBook or eAudiobook) may also be available through the Libby or Hoopla Apps. 

March 13, 2025

Fourteen-year-old Aiden Rothe's life is full of secrets, and his sexuality is only the tip of the iceberg. While his high school wrestling team views gay and strong as mutually exclusive, Aiden is determined to prove them wrong. It's time for a gay athlete to take top prize... if only he wasn't crushing hard on Mateo Hernandez, captain of the JV wrestling team and a major heartthrob.

June 12, 2025

Schuyler Bailar, offers an essential guide about gender and identity. Trans people are under attack in sports, healthcare, school curriculum, bathrooms, bars, and nearly every walk of life. This book compassionately addresses topics like why being transgender is not a choice and why pronouns are important, to more complex issues including how gender-affirming healthcare can be lifesaving and why allowing trans youth to play sports is good for all kids.

September 11, 2025

Set in 1952, the Lamontaine family are reeling after the death of Irene Lamontaine, head of the famous Lamontaine soap empire. Irene’s recipes for her signature scents are a well guarded secret―but it's not the only one behind these gates of Lavender House. This estate offers a unique freedom, where none of the residents or staff hide who they are. But to keep their secret, they've needed to keep others out. And now they're worried they're keeping a murderer in.

December 11, 2025

Julia Shaw probes the science and culture of attraction beyond the binary. From the invention of heterosexuality to the history of the Kinsey scale, as well as asylum seekers trying to defend their bisexuality in a court of law, there is a lot to explore. Drawing on her own original research—and her own experiences—this is an exploration of the complexities of the human sexual experience and a declaration of love and respect for the nonconformists among us.

March 12, 2026

 Washington's Gay General: The Legends and Loves of Baron von Steuben by Josh Trujilo

In this graphic novel biography, author Josh Trujillo and illustrator Levi Hastings tell the true story of one of the most important, but largely forgotten, military leaders of the American Revolution, Baron Von Steuben, who brought much-needed knowledge to the inexperienced and ill-prepared Continental Army. As its first Inspector General, Von Steuben created an organizational framework for the US military, which included writing the Blue Book guide that became the standard for training American soldiers for more than a century.

June 11, 2026

  Disco Witches of Fire Island by Blair Fell

It’s 1989, and Joe Agabian and his best friend Ronnie set out to spend their first summer working in the hedonistic gay paradise of Fire Island Pines. Joe is desperate to let loose and finally move beyond the heartbreak of having lost his boyfriend to the HIV/AIDS epidemic. The two friends are quickly taken in by a pair of quirky, older house cleaners. But something seems off, and Joe starts to suspect the two older men of being up to something otherworldly. In truth, Howie and Lenny are members of a secret disco witch coven tasked with protecting the island—and young men like Joe—from the relentless tragedies ravaging their community. The only problem is, having lost too many of their fellow witches to the epidemic, the coven’s protective powers have been seriously damaged. The Disco Witches need to find help—fast—if they’re to save Joe and the island from the Great Darkness.

September 10, 2026

 First Man-Made Man: The Story of Two Sex Changes, One Love Affair, and a Twentieth-Century Medical Revolution by Pagan Kennedy

In the 1920s when Laura Dillon felt like a man trapped in a woman's body, there were no words to describe her condition; transsexuals had yet to enter common usage. And there was no known solution to being stuck between the sexes. Laura Dillon did all she could on her own: she cut her hair, dressed in men's clothing, bound her breasts with a belt. But in a desperate bid to feel comfortable in her own skin, she experimented with breakthrough technologies that ultimately transformed the human body and revolutionized medicine. From upper-class orphan girl to Oxford lesbian, from post-surgery romance with Roberta Cowell (an early male-to-female) to self-imposed exile in India, Michael Dillon's incredible story reveals the struggles of early transsexuals and challenges conventional notions of what gender really means.

December 10, 2026

  Cosmic Love at the Multiverse Hair Salon by Annie Mare

Tressa Fay Robeson has never been shy, which is how she’s made a name for herself as an in-demand hairstylist and social media star. So she can admit that spending her days at her hair salon and her nights with her tight-knit group of friends (and one grumpy cat) is not the kind of exciting life she’d hoped for. When a misdirected text from a stranger leads to a flirty exchange, she surprises herself by suggesting an impulsive meetup. But the woman, Meryl, never shows. Tressa Fay brushes it off—until Meryl’s sister and friend show up at the salon demanding to know what’s going on. Because, you see, there’s no way Meryl could have texted her. Meryl has been missing for a month.