Category: Read with Pride – LGBTQ+ blogs and articles

readwithpride.com Mother’s Day is a complicated beast in the LGBTQ+ community. For some, it’s a day of brunch, bouquets, and genuine gratitude. For others, it’s a stinging reminder of a phone that doesn’t ring or a relationship that feels more like a minefield than a safety net. But here’s the thing about being queer: we …

Chosen Mothers: Why Every Gay Man Needs a Mother FigureRead More

readwithpride.com When we think of Mother’s Day, our minds usually drift to brunch, bouquets of carnations, and sentimental cards. But here at Read with Pride, we like to dig a little deeper into the dusty archives of history. If we look back at the American Old West through a queer lens, we find that “motherhood” …

Mother’s Day on the Frontier: A Queer History PerspectiveRead More

readwithpride.com If you’ve spent any time in the queer parenting corners of the internet lately, you might have stumbled upon a word that’s causing a bit of a stir: the “Maddy.” A portmanteau of “Mommy” and “Daddy,” it’s a term that many gay men are reclaiming to describe the unique, nurturing, and often “traditionally maternal” …

The Modern ‘Maddy’: Gay Men Navigating Motherhood RolesRead More

readwithpride.com If you’ve ever curled up with a spicy MM romance book featuring a “found family” trope, you’ve felt the echoes of a history that was written in the glitter and grit of 1980s New York City. While the world outside was often cold, judgmental, and increasingly dangerous due to the HIV/AIDS epidemic, a vibrant …

1980s New York: Ballroom Culture and the ‘House Mother’Read More

readwithpride.com When we think of Ancient Greece, our minds usually drift to sun-drenched marble, philosophical debates in the agora, and, let’s be honest, the legendary bonds between men. We’ve all devoured those MM romance books that paint a picture of stoic warriors and brilliant scholars finding love in each other’s arms. But there’s a side …

Ancient Greece: Honoring the Matriarch in Same-Sex HouseholdsRead More

readwithpride.com Wake up, choomba. It’s May 11th, 2077. The neon lights of the sprawl are flickering in a rhythmic pulse that matches your neural link’s morning notification. You’ve got a calendar alert screaming at you in hot pink digital ink: Mother’s Day. Now, back in the early 2020s, this day might have been a straightforward …

The Cyberpunk Mother’s Day: Queer Parenting in 2077Read More

readwithpride.com Mother’s Day in a small town is an event. It’s not just a date on the calendar; it’s a performance. There are the specific pastel dresses at the Methodist church, the three-hour wait at the only “fancy” diner in the county, and the aggressive scent of lilies wafting from every corner store. For a …

Small Town Pride: A Gay Man’s Mother’s Day TributeRead More

readwithpride.com Let’s be real for a second: Mother’s Day is a beautiful, floral-scented whirlwind of brunch reservations and frantic last-minute card shopping. We celebrate the women who gave us life, the women who raised us, and the women who kept us from sticking forks into electrical outlets. But as we move further into 2026, the …

The ‘Guncle’ Who Is Basically Mom: A Mother’s Day StoryRead More

readwithpride.com When we think of the Middle Ages, we often conjure up images of knights in shining armor, towering cathedrals, and perhaps a bit too much mud. But behind the tapestries and stone walls, there were real people with complex emotions and families. For the queer men of the era: those who didn’t quite fit …

Medieval Musings: How Queer Men Honored Their MothersRead More

readwithpride.com The 1920s weren’t just roaring; they were screaming with a newfound sense of liberation, sequins, and the rhythmic pulse of jazz that refused to stay quiet. While history books often focus on the economic boom or the rise of the flapper, there’s a vibrant, shimmering thread of LGBTQ+ history woven into the fabric of …

The Jazz Age: Gay Men and Their Bold Mothers in the 1920sRead More

readwithpride.com Let’s be real for a second: Mother’s Day can be a bit… predictable. Flowers? Check. A brunch where the mimosas are overpriced and the eggs are slightly cold? Check. A card with a generic poem about “guiding lights” that makes you both cringe just a little? Double check. But as we roll into May …

Traveling with Mom: A Gay Man’s Mother’s Day AdventureRead More

readwithpride.com Mother’s Day is usually a sea of pastel greeting cards, brunch reservations, and flower deliveries. But for many of us in the LGBTQ+ community, the word “Mother” carries a weight that doesn’t always align with a biological family tree. For some, it’s a word tinged with the sting of rejection; for others, it’s a …

The Spiritual Mother: Finding Guidance in the Queer CommunityRead More

readwithpride.com The 1950s were a time of crisp aprons, manicured lawns, and a very specific, very rigid definition of the “American Dream.” For the “confirmed bachelor” living in a quiet cul-de-sac, that dream often felt like a costume: a set of starched collars and polite nods designed to deflect the prying eyes of the neighbors. …

1950s Suburban Secrets: Celebrating Mom Behind Closed DoorsRead More

readwithpride.com Let’s be real: the traditional calendar wasn’t exactly designed with our families in mind. For decades, the second Sunday in May (or March, depending on where you’re reading this!) has been a sea of pink carnations, “World’s Best Mom” mugs, and brunch menus that assume a very specific, very heteronormative family structure. But as …

The Non-Binary Parent: Redefining Mother’s Day for Gay DadsRead More

readwithpride.com There is a specific kind of magic that happens in Paris during the month of May. The chestnut trees are in full bloom, the air carries a hint of jasmine and expensive espresso, and the city seems to vibrate with an energy that says, “Anything is possible, especially if it involves a glass of …

A Mother’s Day in Paris: A Gay Man’s Romantic Tribute to His MomRead More

readwithpride.com Mother’s Day isn’t just about brunch and bouquets; for the LGBTQ+ community, it’s a day that carries a profound, often complex weight. For many gay men, our mothers were our first protectors, our first confidantes, and sometimes, our first heartbreaks. As we navigate 2026, a year where queer identity is more visible than ever, …

The Legacy of Love: How Our Mothers Made Us the Men We AreRead More

readwithpride.com If you thought the “forced proximity” trope in your favorite MM romance books was intense, you clearly haven’t spent a spring morning in the limestone caves of Manitoba, Canada. Imagine tens of thousands of slender, cold-blooded bodies emerging from a winter slumber, all looking for one thing: a connection. But in the world of …

Serpentine Secrets: Same-Sex Mating Balls in SnakesRead More

readwithpride.com When we talk about diversity in the wild, we usually think of sprawling coral reefs or the vast Amazon rainforest. But sometimes, the most interesting stories of love and identity are happening right in our own backyards, or tucked away under a pile of crisp autumn leaves. At Read with Pride, we are obsessed …

Spiky Sweethearts: Same-Sex Behavior in HedgehogsRead More

readwithpride.com If you’ve spent any time browsing the virtual shelves of Read with Pride, you know we’re all about celebrating love in all its messy, beautiful, and sometimes unexpected forms. Usually, we’re talking about the latest MM romance books or heart-wrenching queer fiction that keeps us up until 2 AM. But today, we’re taking a …

Koala Cuddles: Same-Sex Bonding in Australia’s IconsRead More

readwithpride.com If you’ve spent any time scrolling through the latest MM romance books or diving deep into queer fiction, you know that the “found family” trope is an absolute top-tier vibe. There is something incredibly moving about individuals coming together, defying expectations, and building a life based on mutual support and deep, often misunderstood, bonds. …

Gentle Giants: Male Alliances in African ElephantsRead More