Queer/Trans Sci-Fi and Fantasy

The Left Hand of Darkness has a human species (the diaspora changes over the time and galactic distances involved, to produce more than one homogeneous species of human) which switches between sexes and gender when it comes time for them to mate. So, they may be 'mother' to one child, but 'father' another in a different 'breeding cycle', if you will. It is a brilliant book, but could be considered heavy-going. I read it in chunks, allowing digestion/cogitation time.

There's a species in Becky Chambers' TLWTASAP which changes sex over it's life span, starting off female, but being male later.

James Tiptree Jr covered a lot of gender and sexuality issues.
 
Coming back with a few more suggestions that bubbled up in my brain since my last post.

All City by Alex DiFrancesco, near future SF with trans POV character. A wonderful book, but could be a tough read due to disaster and trauma in the setting.

The Untamed - Chinese TV series based on a novel. Wuxia magic fantasy with "sword gays" - unsubtle cryptic m/m romance to get past Chinese censors.

A Memory Called Empire by Arkady Martine - Far future scifi. Queer MC, f/f romance, other queer rep.

The Outside - By Ada Hoffman - Far future SF queer MC.

All of above and in my previous post I've read or watched and enjoyed and they have my endorsement.

Final suggestion I haven't read but the title is funny and the roster of authors look excellent:

The Queers Destroy (Science Fiction / Horror / Fantasy) issues of Lightspeed Magazine: QUEERS DESTROY Special Issues - DestroySF
 
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Our own @Amelia Faulkner writes some good LGBTQ+ urban fantasy: AK Faulkner | Award-Winning LGBTQ+ Urban Fantasy Author

I particularly enjoyed Jack of Thorns, which dealt with dark themes without being gritty, and portrayed a gay relationship with wonderful sensitivity.

My only criticism is that I prefer her original covers to the newer revised ones:

Jack of Thorns: Volume 1 (Inheritance) : Faulkner, Amelia: Amazon.co.uk: Books

Jack of Thorns: Volume 1 (Inheritance) : Faulkner, Amelia: Amazon.co.uk: Books
www.amazon.co.uk
 
Rich Larson has a duology The Violet Wars
I'm currently reading the first one - Annex
It's just been revealed in the story that one of the two main protagonists is trans.

So far it's a fairly interesting Alien Invasion story. Seems good!
 
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A lot of current sf has a fluid approach to sexuality and gender. A Memory Called Empire, which just won the Hugo is a good example. It doesn’t place gender themes centrally exactly, but it would probably appeal in its treatment of sexuality/gender. The author is gay I believe, if that makes any difference for you. I liked it anyway.
 
If you don't mind a graphic novel, On a Sunbeam by Tillie Walden, absolutely. And it's also still available for free online as a webcomic, but if you like it I highly recommend buying it. The book is gorgeous.
 
Adding another one I came across in as I was scrolling through my library ebook app.

Vermilion by Molly Tanzer - genderfluid MC, steampunk fantasy western with ghosts, conspiracy, magic, and a health spa.
 
The Voyages of Cinrak the Dapper by A.J. Fitzwater. A lesbian capybara pirate. Lots of fun. Collection of mostly previously published short stories in chronological order - episodes from the life of.
 
When Gravity Fails by George Alec Effinger certainly has trans themes.

In the Culture people can change sex by willing it but I’m not sure it would be considered trans by today’s definition. It’s so common there it’s considered odd if a person doesn’t do it at least once in their life.
 
I don't think sexual politics comes up often as it's largely irrelevant to the story.

I always felt that Anne Rice's Lestat books had quite a homerotic subtext.

Iain M. Banks's Culture books, whilst not a queer or trans centric story, do have the ability to changes sexes over a period of time.

I've heard that Ursula Le Guin's Left Hand Of Darkness (i think), has quite a unique look at the genders.
 
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Surprised that I'm the first to recommend RJ Lemberg, and also Mercedes Lackey's First Herald-Mage trilogy.

I think out since the OP asked you get Muir's Gideon the Ninth, Parker-Chan's She Who Became The Sun, Clark's The Unbroken, and Suri's The Jasmine Throne, among others.
 
The Light From Uncommon Stars by Ryka Aoiki is a really good sci-fantasy story that happens to have a trans queer MC and was also written by a trans woman.

It's one of the first books that made me think, I wish books had soundtracks.
 
I'm currently reading Scum of the Earth by Cody Goodfellow.
It has a space pirate lesbian captain, but I'm not sure if it counts....she has an alien polymorph (inevitably known as Polly) shapeshifter as captive/new crew member, this unfortunate is coerced to keep changing into different females so the lesbian captain has a very varied sex life.
As I say I'm not sure if it counts because it's actually interspecies sex.
 
"Blackfish City" by Sam Miller. A climate-apocalypse story set in a floating city - one POV character is gay, another is non-binary.
 
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