We're Here, We're Queer!: A History of LGBTQ+ Activism:

by David Roberts

A gorgeously illustrated, accessible celebration of queer activism—its history, people, and culture—by the New York Times best-selling creator of Suffragette.

This illustrated history of LGBTQ+ activism brings to life stories of resistance, friendship, love, fear, division, unity, and astonishing perseverance in the face of discrimination and oppression. From the secret slang adopted by gay Londoners in the 1960s to decades of sit-ins and marches, from the Stonewall uprising to the dazzling history of drag, this is a wide-ranging and inclusive account of a multifaceted movement that continues to this day. Evocative prose puts readers deeply into key moments and showcases the words and personalities of figures from queer history, including Harvey Milk, Julian Hows, Carla Toney, Crystal LaBeija, We’wha, Vincent Jones, Marsha P. Johnson, Alan Turing, Sylvia Rivera, and many more. Masterful and joyful artwork by beloved author-illustrator David Roberts makes this a keepsake book for queer families and anyone who values the history of this struggle. David Roberts includes hundreds of portraits, giving faces AND voices to often overlooked heroes. He includes a personal introduction and fact-filled timelines; back matter includes a bibliography and an afterword from This Book Is Gay author Juno Dawson.

Genres: Nonfiction, LGBT, Queer, History

224 pages, Hardcover

Published October 6, 2026

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author by this name in the Goodreads database.
David Roberts is an English editor and novelist.
Roberts worked for several years as a book editor at Chatto and Windus, Weidenfeld & Nicolson, and Michael O'Mara Books. Since 2000 he has been a full-time writer, best known for a series of crime novels set during the late 1930s, and featuring the joint adventures of Lord Edward Corinth and Verity Browne. The novels use actual historical events as a backdrop and there is an Author's Note at the back of the books briefly outlining what happened to the historical characters subsequently.
Publishers Weekly has described his novels as "well-researched" and "first-rate fun".

Reviews

[Bree Burgett · Rating 5 out of 5]

Standing ovation for this book, right now. This book blended accessibility, history, diversity, and entertainment is such an artistic way that it made education feel fun. I learned so much and really appreciated the way the author introduced each decade with timelines to keep you engaged.
This book shines a spotlight on important parts of queer history in a way that just screams “We will not be silenced. We will not be forgotten. You cannot erase us.” It is exactly what the community needs in a time when our history and voices are being erased and silenced.
Would rate this higher if I could!

Thank you to NetGalley and Candlewick Press for gifting this ARC. These are my 100% honest and own opinions!

[Alicia · Rating 3 out of 5]

A collection of activist stories from England and the United States to capture all of the work that has been done and still is happening for queer people. With bright colors and a collective biography integrated with a chronology, it is a mix of history and people.

[Oli R · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love books that make education accessible and interesting and this book does it so well. The graphics are colorful, unique and eye catching and it's broken up in such a way that makes the information easy to understand and read while not being overly simple or too complicated.

In a time when diverse voices in history are being erased, this book shines a spotlight on important parts of queer history that need to be remembered.

Thanks to NetGalley and Candlewick Press for the ARC.

[Lindsey · Rating 5 out of 5]

✨ Review ✨ We're Here, We're Queer! A History of LGBTQ+ Activism, Written and Illustrated by David Roberts

Thanks to @candlewickpress and @tandemcollectiveglobal for the gifted advanced copy/ies of this book!

This is such a beautiful collection of short essays about queer activists, events, and other as activism related happenings from the 1950s-1990s in the US and UK. Each pair of pages (ish) includes almost an encyclopedia entry about an important person or moment in this history, along with Roberts's colorful illustrations.

For example, on these pages you'll find stories like
-Harvey Milk's election
-the 1959 Cooper Do-nuts uprising in LA (never heard of it, neither had I!)
-the AIDS memorial clinic
-the creation of the ball scene
-and much much more

Because they're so short, it's easy to pick this up and read a couple pages at a time! I might scan a few pages to share with my Women and Gender history class next time I teach it.

Each decade section also includes a short timeline and a page with some key figures and quotes (it's cuter than it sounds here!)

This is a great way to introduce yourself to a half century of activism. While it's limited in only covering these two places, it is transparent that this was the plan and it clearly makes a great effort to be inclusive in featuring a big range of queer identities as well as people of color and other marginalized folks.

This would also be easily accessible for teens wanting to learn more of this history too!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Genre: non-fiction, illustrated, queer History
Setting: US and UK
Pub Date: Oct 5, 2026

Read this if you like:
⭕️ Accessible queer history
⭕️ Short entries with lively illustrations
⭕️ Learning about new people and events!

[Val · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
⭐⭐⭐
A really accessible and informative look at the history of LGBTQ+ activism. I learned a lot from this one, and I thought the graphic format worked really well for telling these stories without making all of the history feel overwhelming. The artwork was great, the stories were interesting, and I appreciated learning more about the people and movements that helped get us where we are today.
A solid, educational graphic nonfiction read!