Author: Read with Pride

If you’ve spent any time in the more “eclectic” corners of the queer internet, you’ve probably noticed that we don’t just collect houseplants and overpriced iced coffee. Sometimes, we collect tension wrenches. Welcome to the world of locksport, the art of opening locks without a key, purely for the thrill of the mechanical puzzle. At …

Queer Hobbies Explained in Under 3 Minutes: The Strange Appeal of LockpickingRead More

Let’s be real for a second: building intimacy in queer relationships isn’t always as simple as the movies make it out to be. While we all love a good “happily ever after” in our favorite MM romance books, real-life connection requires a bit more than just a perfectly timed rainstorm and a grand confession. In …

The Ultimate Guide to Building Intimacy: Everything You Need to Succeed in Queer RelationshipsRead More

Let’s be honest: the best part of any MM romance isn’t the grand confession or the final fireworks. It’s the quiet, tension-filled moments leading up to it. It’s the “accidental” hand brush over a shared bag of potting soil, the stolen glances across a crowded board game table, and the slow realization that you’ve spent …

25 Creative Queer Hobbies You’ve Never Thought Of (That Feel Like a Slow Burn Romance)Read More

So, you’ve got a story burning a hole in your hard drive. Maybe it’s a steamy MM romance about two rival hockey players sharing a single bed, or perhaps it’s a heartfelt gay romance novel set in a cozy small town where the grumpy baker finally falls for the sunshine-infused newcomer. Whatever your flavor of …

The Ultimate Guide to Self-Publishing MM Romance: Everything You Need to Succeed on Read with PrideRead More

Welcome back to the morning installment of our massive 100-post series here at Read with Pride! We’ve been diving deep into everything from digital life to professional niches, and today we’re getting a little more… hands-on. Let’s be real: we’ve all finished one of the best mm romance books 2026 has to offer and thought, …

15 Queer Hobbies to Try if You Want to Live Out Your Favorite MM Romance TropeRead More

Let’s be real for a second: the publishing world hasn’t always been our best friend. For years, LGBTQ+ authors, especially those of us writing MM romance books or steamy gay romance novels, have had to jump through more hoops than a circus performer just to get our stories seen. We’ve been told our stories are …

The Ultimate Guide to Our Free Global Portal: Everything You Need to Succeed as an LGBTQ+ AuthorRead More

Let’s be real for a second: being part of the LGBTQ+ community is a beautiful, vibrant experience, but it also comes with a unique set of bruises. Whether it’s the sting of a family that didn’t quite understand, the quiet ache of a “missed” childhood, or the heavy weight of collective loss, we’ve all carried …

The Ultimate Guide to Queer Healing: Navigating Loss and Building LGBTQ+ ResilienceRead More

Let’s be real: as much as we love a good circuit party or a drag brunch that ends in three carafes of mimosa, the “standard” queer social scene can get a little… repetitive. If your social life feels like a revolving door of dating apps and loud bars where you have to scream “WHAT DO …

Queer Hobbies Matter: Why Finding a Niche Passion Is the Secret to a Better Social LifeRead More

Let’s be real for a second: the standard “life script” can be a bit of a yawn. You know the one: finish school, get a 9-to-5, find a spouse (of the opposite gender, naturally), buy a house with a white picket fence, and pop out 2.5 kids. For many of us in the LGBTQ+ community, …

The Ultimate Guide to Queer Life Milestones: Redefining Success Outside the NormRead More

Let’s be honest: we’ve all been there. You’re reading one of those top-tier MM romance books where two best friends spent ten years pining for each other while doing something perfectly mundane: like sharing a bowl of popcorn or arguing over a game of Scrabble: and you think, “Why can’t my Tuesday nights feel this …

25 Creative Queer Hobbies That Feel Exactly Like Friends to Lovers MM Romance StoriesRead More

Let’s be real for a second: the traditional publishing world can feel a bit like a “straight-sized” box that doesn’t quite fit our stories. Whether you’re writing a steamy MM romance, a heart-wrenching lesbian historical fiction, or a high-stakes gay thriller, you’ve probably felt the frustration. You know the one: where your book is labeled …

How to Start Your LGBTQIA+ Author Journey Using Our Free Publishing PortalRead More

Let’s be real: as queer people, we’ve already mastered the most difficult hobby of all: navigating a world that wasn’t exactly built with our floor plan in mind. We’ve spent years curating our aesthetics, perfecting our coming-out monologues, and finding the best lighting for our Instagram thirst traps. But what happens when you want to …

Queer Hobbies 101: A Beginner’s Guide to Mastering Everything From Archery to LockpickingRead More

Listen, we’ve all been there. You have this incredible story living in your head, a slow-burn, enemies-to-lovers MM romance that’s so steamy it could fog up a mirror from three rooms away. You’ve spent late nights typing away, falling in love with your characters, and now you’re ready to share them with the world. But …

How to Publish Your First MM Romance Ebook for Free: The Ultimate Guide for LGBTQ+ WritersRead More

Let’s be real for a second: growing up queer often feels like navigating a world that didn’t exactly print a map for you. Between the systemic hurdles and the personal “wait, am I the only one?” moments, the journey toward queer healing can feel pretty heavy. We’ve all been there: carrying the weight of grief, …

The Ultimate Guide to Queer Healing: How Storytelling Builds LGBTQ+ ResilienceRead More

Let’s be honest: as much as we love a good cocktail and a flashing dance floor, the “gay bar as the only community center” era is getting a serious run for its money. In 2026, the queer community is officially in its “Side Quest Era.” We’re trading hangovers for recurve bows and sticky floors for …

Queer Archery to Lockpicking: 20 Queer Hobbies to Get You StartedRead More

Let’s be real for a second: most of us grew up with a very specific, very rigid instruction manual for life. It’s called the “Heteronormative Script,” and it goes something like this: have a crush at thirteen, go to prom at seventeen, find “the one” in your early twenties, get a mortgage, have 2.5 kids, …

Why Navigating Your First Queer Relationship Will Change the Way You See Life MilestonesRead More

Let’s be real: as much as we love a neon-lit dance floor and a cocktail that costs as much as a small car, sometimes we want to meet people without having to shout over a remix of a Lady Gaga deep cut. Building community in the LGBTQ+ world shouldn’t just happen at 2:00 AM on …

25 Creative Queer Hobby Ideas for Building Community (Beyond the Usual Bars)Read More

So, you’ve got a story burning a hole in your heart? Maybe it’s a high-stakes gay spy romance, a steamy MM romance set in a small town, or a sweet lesbian romance that finally gives your favorite tropes the queer ending they deserve. We get it. Writing is a wild ride, and the journey from …

The Ultimate Guide to the Read with Pride Author Portal: Everything You Need to SucceedRead More

Let’s be real: the standard “rise and grind” morning routine is tired. If I see one more TikTok about a 5 a.m. cold plunge followed by a three-course kale smoothie, I might actually delete the internet. As queer folks, we’ve always been the masters of subverting the norm. So why are our mornings still stuck …

15 Queer Hobbies Like Archery and Lockpicking to Shake Up Your Morning RoutineRead More

Let’s be real for a second: the traditional publishing industry hasn’t exactly been a rainbow-covered paradise for queer writers. For years, we’ve been told our stories are “too niche,” our romances “too explicit,” or our characters “not relatable enough” (which usually just means “not straight enough”). Whether you’re writing heart-pounding MM romance, sweet sapphic stories, …

The Ultimate Guide to Our Free Global Publishing Portal: Everything You Need to Succeed as an LGBTQ+ WriterRead More