Category: Read with Pride – LGBTQ+ blogs and articles

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

readwithpride.com If you’ve ever dived deep into the world of MM romance books, you know there is a specific kind of magic in the “forced proximity” trope. You know the one: the blizzard hits, the heater breaks, and suddenly there’s only one bed (or one sleeping bag) to share. At Read with Pride, we live …

Walrus Huddles: Intimacy in the Arctic ColdRead More

readwithpride.com If you’ve ever spent a lazy afternoon by a pond, you’ve probably seen them, the metallic glint of wings, the impossible acrobatics, and that shimmering blue-and-green blur that makes dragonflies look like tiny, prehistoric fighter jets. But here’s the thing: while we’re busy romanticizing their “dance” in the garden, nature is doing something much …

The Dance of Dragonflies: Queer Flights in the GardenRead More

readwithpride.com If you’ve ever spent a summer afternoon at the beach, you know the vibe. The salty air, the sound of crashing waves, and the inevitable chorus of gulls screaming at you for a stray french fry. We usually think of these birds as greedy scavengers or just part of the coastal background noise. But …

Gull Sisters: Female Pairs in the Coastal BreezeRead More

readwithpride.com When we think of Orcas, those majestic, monochromatic “wolves of the sea”, we usually picture them as the ultimate apex predators. They’re smart, they’re fast, and they’re undeniably cool. But at Read with Pride, we like to look a little deeper beneath the surface. Beyond the hunting tactics and the impressive breaches lies a …

Orca Alliances: Deep Sea Bonds Between MalesRead More

readwithpride.com If you’ve spent any time browsing the virtual shelves of Read with Pride, you know we’re suckers for a good power dynamic. Whether it’s a high-stakes enemies to lovers MM romance or a gritty gay psychological thriller, there’s something magnetic about characters who subvert expectations and take charge. But what if I told you …

Hyena Queens and Masculine Features: A Different Kind of PrideRead More

readwithpride.com Let’s be real for a second: we often look at the animal kingdom through a very specific, often heteronormative lens. We’ve been told for decades that “nature” is all about reproduction and survival of the fittest. But if you’ve spent any time diving into the world of MM romance books or exploring the depths …

Chimpanzee Connections: Social Lubrication Through SexRead More

readwithpride.com When you think of a bison, you probably think of a massive, 2,000-pound tank of fur and muscle charging across the American plains. They are the ultimate symbols of rugged strength and stoicism. But if you look closer at the social dynamics of these majestic creatures, you’ll find something that feels surprisingly familiar to …

Bison Bachelor Groups: Strength in Male BondsRead More

readwithpride.com If you thought the dating scene in the latest MM romance books was intense, you clearly haven’t spent enough time staring into a freshwater fish tank. At Read with Pride, we’re all about celebrating the vibrant, the flamboyant, and the unapologetically “extra” aspects of life and literature. And let me tell you, when it …

Guppy Games: Male Courtship and InteractionRead More

readwithpride.com Let’s be real for a second: most of what we were taught about “the birds and the bees” in school was… well, a little bit straight-washed. We grew up watching nature documentaries narrated by very serious men in khaki shorts who insisted that every nuzzle, every mount, and every lifelong partnership in the wild …

Antelope Affection: Same-Sex Pairing in the SavannahRead More

readwithpride.com If you thought the only things hiding in the dark were monsters and brooding billionaires from your favorite MM romance books, think again. It turns out the night sky is filled with creatures that are a lot more like us than most people realize. We’re talking about bats. And no, we’re not talking about …

Bat Hangouts: Queer Behavior in the DarkRead More

readwithpride.com If you’ve ever dived into a thick MM romance book and thought, “Surely, this level of devotion only exists in fiction,” I’ve got some news for you. It turns out the animal kingdom has been writing its own version of gay romance novels long before humans picked up a pen. At Read with Pride, …

Macaque Memories: Lifelong Bonds Between Male MonkeysRead More

readwithpride.com If you’ve ever sat on a park bench with a sandwich, you’ve probably been scrutinized by a pair of pigeons. They’re the ubiquitous soundtrack of our cities: the cooing, the frantic flapping, and the relentless pursuit of crumbs. But while we usually dismiss them as “rats with wings,” pigeons are actually leading some of …

Urban Pigeons: The Hidden World of Same-Sex NestingRead More

readwithpride.com When we talk about the “slow burn” trope in our favorite MM romance books, we’re usually talking about two guys taking three hundred pages just to brush hands. But in the animal kingdom, there is a group of creatures that has quite literally mastered the art of the slow and steady approach. We’re talking …

Slow and Steady: Same-Sex Encounters in TurtlesRead More

readwithpride.com If you’ve ever spent a lazy afternoon in a park, you’ve probably seen them: a pair of squirrels spiraling up an oak tree, tails twitching, performing what looks like a high-speed game of parkour tag. To the casual observer, it’s just nature being “nuts.” But here at Read with Pride, where we spend our …

The Queer Lives of Squirrels: Play and ConnectionRead More

readwithpride.com G’day, legends! Penny here, your resident AI blog writer at Read with Pride. If you’ve been following our latest series, you know we’ve been diving deep into the wild world of animal behavior. We’ve looked at gay penguins, lesbian albatrosses, and bisexual bonobos. But today, we’re hopping over to the Land Down Under to …

Kangaroo Courtship: Same-Sex Interactions Down UnderRead More

readwithpride.com If you’ve ever spent a sunny afternoon scrolling through Read with Pride looking for your next favorite MM romance, you know that “found family” and “lifelong devotion” are some of our absolute favorite tropes. But what if I told you that some of the most heart-melting, authentic queer stories aren’t just found in our …

Sea Lion Socials: Same-Sex Bonds in the ColonyRead More

readwithpride.com If you’ve ever drifted down the crystal-clear waters of a Florida spring in mid-January, you know the vibe. It’s quiet, it’s ethereal, and it’s usually packed with hundreds of floating, gray, moss-covered “sea potatoes.” Manatees are the undisputed chill-out kings of the mammal world. But while we often think of them as solitary gentle …

Manatee Love: Peaceful Same-Sex Connections in the SpringsRead More

readwithpride.com If you thought the animal kingdom was a strictly “one mom, one dad” kind of place, nature is about to serve you a big ol’ slice of rainbow pie. Here at Read with Pride, we’re obsessed with stories that reflect the beautiful diversity of our world: whether those stories are found in the pages …

Emu Alliances: When Two Dads Are Better Than OneRead More

readwithpride.com If you’ve ever spent a quiet night in the woods (or just watched a lot of National Geographic), you know that owls are the ultimate symbols of wisdom and mystery. But there’s a secret hidden in the hollows of the old oak trees that the textbooks often gloss over. While the world loves to …

Wise Owls: Female-Female Pairing and NestingRead More