Out of the Closet: A Collection of Early LGBTQ+ Fiction


Read by LibriVox Volunteers

(3.9 stars; 5 reviews)

This is a collection of 22 LGBTQ+ stories published between 1841-1923, covering a wide span of authors, genres, and literary traditions. Some stories are coded and euphemistic, often framing their central relationships as friendships or familial bonds. Others are surprisingly brazen and bold for their time, courting controversy for their refusal to obscure the sexuality of their chararcters. Some tales come from canonical, widely known authors (Whitman, Chopin, Wilde, Cather), while others emerge from obscurer and less recognized writers (Thanet, Cooke, Bunner). Some are tragic and self-critical, clearly the byproducts of when they were written. Others are lightly comedic or triumphant, bucking the conventions of the time. Throughout each story, however, persists a desire to represent the seemingly unrepresentable, finding expression for the “love that dare not speak its name.”
- Summary by ChuckW (18 hr 15 min)

Chapters

The Child's Champion 24:18 Read by Tasha C Mapes
In the Tules 39:25 Read by Cavaet
The Falling in Love of Fedora 6:45 Read by Tasha C Mapes
The Man who thought Himself a Woman 49:27 Read by Yuhan L Jiang
Pearl Hunting in the Pomotous 27:52 Read by whisperintoearth
Twin Love 38:24 Read by VachaT
Portrait of W.H. Chapter 1 30:15 Read by Philip Erickson
Portrait of W.H. Chapter 2 & 3 29:28 Read by Philip Erickson
Felipa 52:31 Read by Anamika
My Visitation Part 1 29:51 Read by WendyKatzHiller
My Visitation Part 2 34:49 Read by WendyKatzHiller
A Scrap of Paper part 1 43:57 Read by Chuck Williamson
A Scrap of Paper part 2 44:18 Read by Chuck Williamson
The Man who became a Woman part 1 47:49 Read by ashleighjane
The Man who became a Woman part 2 46:37 Read by ashleighjane
Out of the Deeps 23:16 Read by Tomas Peter
There and Now 35:05 Read by Nancy Halper
Marjorie Daw 48:01 Read by Christine Rottger
Two Friends 26:56 Read by Colleen McMahon
Martha's Lady 38:33 Read by EliseDee
My Lorelei: A Heidelberg Romance 46:00 Read by PinewoodMists
Our Aromatic Uncle 34:31 Read by Joanna Schreck
The True Story Of A Vampire 21:16 Read by Tomas Peter
The Heart’s Desire 4:47 Read by Tasha C Mapes
Two Gentlemen of Kentucky" (part one) 45:56 Read by Mark Nelson
Two Gentlemen of Kentucky" (part two) 22:41 Read by Mark Nelson
A Boy's Discovery 18:58 Read by Donald Cummings
Paul’s Case: A Study in Temperament 1:04:19 Read by WendyKatzHiller
The Prussian Officer (Chapter 1) 25:00 Read by VachaT
The Prussian Officer (Chapter 2) 27:43 Read by VachaT
"Aquae Multae Non––" (Part I) 30:16 Read by Devan Tatlow
"Aquae Multae Non––" (Part 2) 36:30 Read by Devan Tatlow