A reading list of inspired and informative, liberating and enlightening texts about the spirituality of love between men.
C19 and more ancient roots:
Walt Whitman
Leaves of Grass (especially the sections Song of Myself and Calamus)
19th century poetic visions of love between men
Edward Carpenter
Iolaus (1902)
“…draws on and quotes from a panoply of impressive sources, from the Iliad and Tacitus’s military commentary to Saint Augustine and Herman Melville’s account of his 1841-5 journey through the Pacific Islands, to explore the idea of “friendship”-that is, male homosexuality-in cultures around the planet and throughout history.”
Intermediate Types among Primitive Folk (1914)
“…explores the role that intermediate types played amongst early civilisations as well as in religion and military situations. Whilst later civilisations tended to look down on those who did not fit into traditional gender roles, some early peoples saw intermediate types as important figures in their social organisation.”
1970s Gay Liberation also released the gay spirit…
Radically Gay: Harry Hay – Gay Liberation in the Words of Its Founder (1997)
Will Roscoe presents speeches and writing from Hay, a founder of the Mattachine Society in the 1950s and the Radical Faerie Community in the late 70s.
Arthur Evans
Witchcraft and the Gay Counter-Culture (1978)
“…uncovers the hidden mythic link between homosexuality and paganism in an elegy for the world of sex and magic vanquished by Christian civilization. From Joan of Arc to the Cathars and the underground worshippers of Diana, the author shows how every upwelling of gender transgression and sexual freedom was targeted by the authorities for total and often violent repression or appropriation.”
Larry Mitchell
Faggots and their Friends between Revolutions (1977)
“…a gay manifesto written by Larry Mitchell as a fable, with illustrations by Ned Asta. The book grew from the author’s experience of queer communal living in the 1970s, with particular emphasis on topics of sexual liberation and anti-assimilationism.”
Mitch Walker
Visionary Love: A Spirit Book of Gay Mythology and Transmutational Faerie (1980)
Has been described as the original manifesto of the Radical Faeries. A powerful and inspirational read.
Judy Grahn
Another Mother Tongue (1984)
“…weaves history with myth, tribal traditions with the occult, and interviews with personal experience to unfold the rich pattern of gay life that has existed from ancient times to the present.”
The AIDS Years brought deep searching:
Mark Thompson
Gay Spirit:Myth and Meaning (1987)
Gay Soul: Finding the Heart of Gay Spirit and Nature (1994)
Gay Body: A Journey through Shadow to Self (1999)
A trilogy of books exploring gay male spirituality, Gay Soul featuring interviews with queer pioneers including Will Roscoe, Joseph Kramer, Harry Hay, James Broughton, Andrew Harvey, Clyde Hall, Paul Monette, Malcolm Boyd, and Ram Dass.
Andrew Ramer
Two Flutes Playing: A Spiritual Journeybook for Gay Men (1997)
Written during the AIDS crisis… “When Two Flutes Playing was first published it was revolutionary: it offered gay men a spiritual mythology that gave deep meaning to their desire. For those of us who grew up with the shaming culture of Judeo-Christian teachings on same-sex love this book was profoundly healing. Now, more than twenty-five years later it is still revolutionary. In a time where gay marriage encourages assimilation, Two Flutes Playing celebrates what makes us different and honors the unique gifts gay men bring to humanity–gifts that are essential to the planet’s healing. It helps us recognize and recover the ancient wisdom of our hidden tradition.”
Randy P Connor
Blossom of Bone (1993)
“The first multi-cultural exploration of the sacred experience, roles, and rituals of gay and gender-bending men, from the ancient priests of the goddess to Oscar Wilde and pop music icon Sylvester–a rich tradition of men who have embodied the interrelationship between androgyny, homoeroticism, and the quest for the sacred.”
Cassell’s Encyclopedia of Queer Myth and Symbol (1997)
“Did you know that in medieval French folklore a person might change sex by passing under a rainbow? Or that same-sex unions have been celebrated by peoples of the ancient Mediterranean, Africa, China, and Indigenous America? Or that Sappho, da Vinci, Emily Dickinson, Nijinsky, Benjamin Britten, Mishima, Adrienne Rich, Audre Lorde, Keith Haring, Boy George, and Derek Jarman number among those who have explored the spiritual dimension of gender and sexuality in their works? While the terms many of us employ today to identify ourselves – ‘queer’, ‘lesbian’, ‘gay’, ‘bisexual’, ‘transgendered’ – differ markedly from those of peoples of other times and places, we are nevertheless the bearers of a rich spiritual history that has been ignored or suppressed, a history encoded in sacred texts as well as in works of art, music, dance and other media. Drawing upon religion, mythology, folklore, anthropology, history and the arts, the Encyclopedia is a cornucopia of queer spirituality, containing over 1,500 alphabetically arranged entries from Aakulujjuusi to Zeus.”
Will Roscoe
Queer Spirits: A Gay Men’s Myth Book (1995)
“Reclaiming unexpected myths and archetypes for gay men from origins as diverse as Greek mythology, Hans Christian Andersen, traditional African stories, and Walt Whitman, the author creates a sourcebook for gay men and recounts his own spiritual journey.”
Uranus in Aquarius 1996-2003: A SURGE OF QUEER LIBERATION
Andrew Harvey
Gay Mystics (1997)
“Poems and quotes by such notables as Sappho, Sophocles, Walt Whitman, Shakespeare, Emily Dickinson, Thoreau, Melville, Cocteau, Virginia Woolf and many more, attest to their same sex muses and partners and their brilliance in elucidating their feelings.”
Winston Leyland (editor)
Queer Dharma: Voices of Gay Buddhists (1998)
“Over 35 writers are featured in this pioneering book discussing how they integrate being gay and their spirituality as Buddhists.”
Christian de la Huerta
Coming Out Spiritually: The Next Step (1999)
Investigates the world’s traditions’ attitudes, teachings, and policies toward homosexuality and “synthesizes ten spiritual roles or archetypes people we now call gay or queer have often assumed and continue to enact today: creators of beauty, consciousness scouts, mediators, shamans, and healers, among others. Drawing on these models while acting as a guide to the queer community, the author shows how to look deeper inside; to reach higher than ever before; to step forth more fully into a rightful self. An impassioned call to action, Coming Out Spiritually alternatively touches, challenges, encourages, and supports the queer community to fully reclaim its spiritual heritage.”
Toby Johnson
Gay Spirituality: The Role of Gay Identity in the Transformation of Human Consciousness (2000)
“…offers a sensible, modern and enlightened understanding of spiritual consciousness for gay men who are so often faced with misunderstanding and conflict dealing with traditional religion. Acclaimed author Toby Johnson presents a bold perspective: being the outsider and consciousness scout allows cutting edge insight.”
Gay Perspective: Things Our Homosexuality Tells Us about the Nature of God and the Universe (2003)
“…further explicates his visionary stance that gay people’s nature as outsiders gives them a uniquely powerful perspective on the nature of God and religion. By living outside gender norms, gay people are more open to seeing across boundaries of gender and gain access to a less dualistic outlook on the nature of life.”
Finding Your Own True Myth (2017)
“From Joseph Campbell, the renowned comparative religions and mythology scholar, Toby Johnson derived his central insight that there is a “new myth” arising in human consciousness. This is the understanding of the nature of myth itself, a “meta-myth,” the “myth of myth,” according to which our lives are always giving us clues to the secret of our true and deepest nature, and our salvation comes from following our own unique clues.”
John P Stowe
Gay Spirit Warrior (1999)
“Explores seven archetypes: Magic Boy, Androgyne, Lover, Elder, Shaman/Healer, Warrior, and Explorer.”
David Nimmons
Soul Beneath the Skin (2003)
“…radically reinterprets gay men’s sexuality, intimate relationships and ethics by looking at seven patterns of behavior widely practiced by gay men but rarely acknowledged: non-violent public culture; high rates of altruism, service, and volunteerism; robust sexual caretaking; friendship patterns of diffuse intimacies; friendship with women; diverse forms of sexual union; and unique forms of bliss and pleasure seeking.”
Christopher Penczak
Gay Witchcraft: Empowering the Tribe (2003)
“… a complete book of theory and spiritual practices of Witchcraft for the gay community. Penczak’s writing will make it much easier for gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender people interested in practicing any form of Witchcraft. Exploring the history of Paganism and offering a compendium of spells, meditations, ceremonies, and affirmations.”
Michael Thomas Ford
The Path of the Green Man: Gay Men, Wicca, and Living a Magical Life (2005)
“…thought-provoking and engaging guide is filled with a wide range of practical information and step-by-step plans for beginning your study and personal practice.”
Crossing the Gender Frontier:
Raven Kaldera
Hermaphrodeities: The Transgender Spirituality Workbook (2010)
“…explores both our spiritual history and our modern predicaments, shaping the outline of a contemporary spiritual path for those of us who don’t fit into just one gender box… features third gender myths, deities, personal and group exercises, community service project suggestions, rituals, and interviews with people from all over both the transgender spectrum. We are all sacred and it is time that the world knew it.”
Arcane Perfection: An Anthology by Queer, Trans and Intersex Witches (2017)
“…mixes personal stories with mythology, spiritual and political visions, and actual witchcraft, including rituals and spells such as the “Queer Sovereignty Spell for Pride, Power and Protection,” and the “Deadname Decoy Spell.” Articles like “Queer Bears & Berserkers,” “Candles for Queer Magic,” “The Transgender Body as Holy and Liminal Witchcraft,” and “A Trans Positive Ritual Space” are some of the explorations of queer- and trans-centric magickal practice.”
The Path Goes Deeper:
G. Winston James & Lisa C. Moore
Spirited: Affirming the Soul and Black Gay/Lesbian Identity (2006)
“…more than 40 writers address the question of how we, as same-gender-loving black people, affirm ourselves as sexual and spiritual people. These sacred narratives are a canon for our survival—holy texts proclaiming the divinity of our lives, the righteousness of our love, and the sanctity of our being.”
Salvatore Sapienza
Gay Is A Gift (2009)
“…shares the spiritual wisdom of gay shamans throughout history, from the Native American “Two Spirits” to contemporaries like Ram Dass.”
Will Roscoe
Jesus and the Shamanic Tradition of Same Sex Love (2013)
“… a passionate exploration of the history of Western religion as seen through the queer eye of one of the most widely acclaimed authors in gay spirituality. Drawing on recently discovered ancient sources, Will Roscoe offers a striking new view of Jesus as a charismatic mystic, whose teachings on love and the kingdom of heaven were complemented by a secret rite that served to impart the experience of entering heaven.”
Gilles Herrada
The Missing Myth: A New Vision of Same Sex Love (2013)
“…tackles the many questions about the role and meaning of homosexuality in the evolution of our species and the development of civilization: what evolutionary edge same-sex relationships have provided to the human species; what biological mechanisms generate the sexual diversity that we observe; why homosexual behavior ended up being prohibited worldwide; why homophobia has persisted throughout history; why the homosexual community resurfaced after World War II; and others”.
Bruce P. Grether
The Secret of the Golden Phallus: Male Erotic Alchemy for the 21st Century (2016)
“Major taboos remain around male genitals and eroticism, taboos that you must dissolve in order to reclaim who and what you really are. It is time on our rapidly changing planet to merge the erotic with the sacred, and for you to reclaim your body as a temple. Revealed here as never before, is the authentic phallic wisdom of Male Erotic Alchemy for too long deliberately obscured by the dominant cultures. Ancient wisdom combines with cutting-edge practices that are simple, yet powerful tools you can actually use.”
Tomas Prower
Queer Magic: LGBT Culture and Spirituality from around the World (2018)
“Explore fascinating insights into queer relationships and spiritual practices from different historical eras and regions of the world. Discover inspiring contributions from contemporary LGBT+ Pagans, Catholics, Buddhists, Muslims, and others as they share personal stories of their experiences and queer-focused spells, prayers, and meditations. Learn about deities, heroes, and historical figures who embody the power of the queer spirit.”
Lee Harrington & Tai Fenix Kulystin
Queer Magic: Power Beyond Boundaries (2018)
“…a diverse and passionate collection of authors and artists who … explore how being LGBT+ is not just acceptable when exploring magic, but powerful.”
Ruth Hunt (editor)
The Book of Queer Prophets (2020)
“…contains modern-day epistles from … thinkers, writers and activists: Jeanette Winterson tackles religious dogma, Amrou Al-Kadhi writes about trying to make it as a Muslim drag queen in London, John Bell writes about his decision to come out later in life, Tamsin Omond remembers getting married in the middle of a protest and Kate Bottley explains her journey to becoming an LGBT ally.”
Shokti (Mark Whiting) – me!
From AIDS to Eternity (2021)
“From Smalltown Boy to Queer Spirit Warrior, from gay bars to Radical Faerie gatherings, here is a tale of awakening to a multi-dimensional reality and of discovering the hidden spiritual history of gay/lesbian/bi/trans/queer people and how that spirit is manifesting in the world today. AIDS took Shokti to the twilight world between life and death, a place where realities merged and spirit entered. HIV opened his mind to the fact that humanity needs to awaken and realise that we are cut off from our true source and nature, to understand that: Healing Is Vital – healing of our belief in separation. AIDS became his Accelerated Individual Discovery of Self.”
I hope you have enjoyed this journey through the library of Gay Spirituality and that you go on to have many enlightening reads!
I have been studying the historical relationship between queer people and the spirit realm for 30 years, plus exploring what that means for us today among the Radical Faeries, in the Edward Carpenter Community and as an organiser of Queer Spirit Festival.
As well as this website, I also blog about gay/queer/trans history and spirit at
rainbow messenger 
I have read and own many of these. Thanks for the comprehensive list!
LikeLike