20 of the best LGBTQIA+ works of science fiction
The Left Hand of Darkness (Cover image via Ace Books)
1. The Left Hand of Darkness
It’s hard to understate just how big The Left Hand of Darkness is in terms of both the science fiction genre and LGBTQIA+ representation in sci-fi.But, it’s not LGBTQIA+ representation in the same way that you might think. Under the care of legendary writer Ursula K. LeGuin, it’s a broader commentary on gender, sexuality, and what it means to be truly alien.
Generally, the novel follows Genly Ai, a standard-issue (well, to us) human who has been sent to the planet of Gethen. He’s an envoy from the Ekumen, a cooperative group of planets that wants Gethen to be its next member. But, it’s not as simple as walking up to a leader and giving them a 20-minute Powerpoint presentation.
What’s Genly’s problem? It has to do with the way Gethenian biology has affected their varied cultures. Also, as a quick side note: LeGuin deserves to be lauded for recognizing that an entire planet can contain different cultures, governments, and religious movements. All too often, science fiction writers get lazy and make the people of a planet a huge cultural monolith.
Gethenian gender
Anyway, Gethenians are “ambisexual”. This means that they have no fixed sex. For most of their biological cycle, in a period of time called somer, they are androgynous and generally uninterested in sexual contact. But during the brief kemmer period, they become either biologically female or male. Then, they can find a mate and reproduce and even bear children.
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What would a largely genderless society look like? In LeGuin’s book, the people of Gethen are generally not inclined to war (though that changes as the story progresses). Some violent crimes, are practically unknown.
That doesn’t mean there isn’t plenty of political and personal intrigue in The Left Hand of Darkness, however. While he’s dealing with his own cultural confusion, the human Genly Ai will have to deal with plenty of peril, too.
With that, we’ve wrapped up 20 of the best LGBTQIA+ works of science fiction. Happy reading!