Book Releases: 2021 Books With Non-Cis Protagonists

I didn’t want to just use an umbrella term, which is why this post isn’t titled “2021 Trans Books”, although it might have worked too. But let’s go with “non-cis” as something broader, since there will be books on this list with agender characters, genderqueer, genderfluid, sci-fi novels with approach to gender like we don’t have here & now.

Like in my post of last year, I decided to only include books featuring main characters falling into any of those non-cis categories. I allowed myself also love interests or parents, or really major side characters. But on the whole, the idea was to have an actual rep, not a trans character mentioned in passing on page 275.

I’m sure I have missed some books and will update the post a few times throughout the year. Please leave a comment, if you know of any books I didn’t put in yet! And as always, books by LGBT authors have a rainbow emoji next to the title.

See also: trans books of 2020 and trans books of 2019

Persephone Station by Stina Leicht (Latina mc, sapphic & nonbinary mcs) tw torture, violence
🌈 Detransition, Baby by Torrey Peters (trans bi/pan mc, trans side character)
🌈 Earth Reclaimed by Sara Codair (nonbinary & trans mcs)
Love Kills Twice by Rien Gray (f/nb relationship, bi mc)
Skeleton Key by Piers Anthony (trans mc)

🌈 Wolf Moon: The Invasion of the Dolls by Ceeley Mack (trans mc)
🌈 The Greatest Superpower by Alex Sanchez (trans father) tw transphobia
🌈 Principled Perversions by Eli Wray (nb/nb relationship)
Dark Currents by Doug Burgess (trans mc)
🌈 Girl With a Pearl Earring by Claire Rudy Foster (trans mc, f/f relationship)

All Our Hidden Gifts by Caroline O’Donoghue (sapphic mc, genderfluid li)
🌈 Billions of Beautiful Hearts by Kevin Craig (nb/nb elationship)
Voidbreakers by David Dalglish (trans mc)
🌈 The Galaxy and the Ground Within by Becky Chambers (nonbinary mcs)
Spin With Me by Ami Polonsky (pan mc, nonbinary mc)

🌈 Leather and Lace by Magen Cubed (pan genderqueer mc, gay mc)
🌈 Sun-Daughters, Sea-Daughters by Aimee Ogden (bi & trans mcs)
Dead Space by Kali Wallace (lesbian amputee mc, nonbinary li)
🌈 Luckmonkey by Alysia Constantine (trans mc)
🌈 Can’t Take That Away by Steven Salvatore (genderqueer mc) tw suicidal ideation, depression, assault, transphobia, misgendering, homophobia, bullying, Alzheimer’s, death of a grandparent

🌈 A Queer Little Book of Tales by H.R. Harrison (short stories; trans & nonbinary characters, m/m relationship)
🌈 The Swinger Set by Eli Wray (nb/nb relationship)
By Way of Sorrow by Robyn Gigl (trans mc)
🌈 Local Star by Aimee Ogden (bi/pan mc, polyam relationship, nonbinary characters)
🌈 Middletown by Sarah Moon (gender non-conforming sapphic mc)

An Ordinary Wonder by Buki Papillon (intersex trans Yoruba mc)
🌈 Between Perfect and Real by Ray Stoeve (trans mc, trans & nonbinary characters, lesbian character, bi Japanese-American character, Black gay character) tw mention of suicide, transphobia, violence, fighting, implied deadnaming, misgendering, outting, unsupportive parent, dysphoria
I Am Chris by R Kent (trans mc)
Victories Greater Than Death by Charlie Jane Anders (bi/pan mc, trans female bi/pan li, nonbinary characters)
Born Ready by Jodie Patterson & Charnelle Pinkney Barlow (Black trans mc)

🌈 The Queen Has a Cold by Jane Kolven (f/nb relationship)
🌈 The Edge of the Ocean by LD Lapinski (sapphic mc, nonbinary character, trans character)
Sistersong by Lucy Hounsom (transmasc mc, genderfluid character)
🌈 The Companion by EE Ottoman (trans mcs, m/f/f relationship )
🌈 Too Bright to See by Kyle Lukoff (trans mc)

🌈 For the Love of April French by Penny Aimes (trans mc)
🌈 Green Glass Ghosts by Rae Spoon & Gem Hall (nonbinary mc)
🌈 Dream Dungeon by Eli Wray (nb/nb relationship)
🌈 Meet Cute Diary by Emery Lee (Afro-Puerto Rican, Japanese & American trans bi mc, gay li, Cuban nonbinary ace character with anxiety, Cuban lesbian character)
All Kinds of Other by James Sie (trans gay mc, gay mc)

🌈 Summer Fun by Jeanne Thornton (trans mc)
Arcadia by Emmanuelle Bayamack-Tam, trans. by Ruth Diver (intersex mc)
🌈 May the Best Man Win by Z.R. Ellor (trans gay mc, m/m relationship)
Embodied by various authors (poetry anthology)
🌈 How to Become a Planet by Nicole Melleby (sapphic mc, nonbinary li)

🌈 What Are Your Words? by Katherine Locke & Anne Passchier (genderqueer mc)
🌈 The Boi of Feather and Steel by Adan Jerreat-Poole (nonbinary mc)
🌈 The Witch King by H. E. Edgmon (trans gay mc, Black achillean li, Native American bi ace side character, nonbinary lesbian side character, sapphic side character, side polyam relationship, side sapphic relationship) tw transphobia, abuse (verbal and physical), blood, gore (chapter 14 & 15), panic attacks, fire, burning, mention of past sexual assault
🌈 The Passing Playbook by Isaac Fitzsimons (biracial Black achillean trans mc, gay li, nonbinary character, bi character)
🌈 The (Un)popular Vote by Jasper Sanchez (transmasc mc)

Future Feeling by Joss Lake (trans mcs)
🌈 The Ghosts We Keep by Mason Deaver (nonbinary mc)
🌈 Both Can Be True by Jules Machias (genderfluid mc)
🌈 Gentleman’s Club by N.T. Herrgott (trans mc)
Transmutation by Alex DiFrancesco (trans characters)

Violet Ghosts by Leah Thomas (trans mc)
And Then the Gray Heaven by RE Katz (nonbinary li)
🌈 Indestructible Object by Mary McCoy (bi mc, polyamory, queer/nonbinary parents)
Blood Like Magic by Liselle Sambury (trans li, trans side character, lesbian demi side character)
🌈 A Psalm for the Wild-Built by Becky Chambers (agender mc)

🌈 She Who Became the Sun by Shelley Parker Chan (Chinese & Mongolian cast, nonbinary lesbian mc, lesbian mc, gay mc, bi mc)
Savage Bounty by Matt Wallace (nonbinary characters)
🌈 Rebel Boys and Rescue Dogs, or Things That Kiss with Teeth by Brianna R. Shrum (trans li) – August 3 moved to 2022
Perhaps the Stars by Ada Palmer (genderqueer mc)
Cheer Up!: Love and Pompoms by Crystal Frasier & Val Wise (half-white Latinx trans sapphic mc, lesbian mc, side nonbinary character)

🌈 The Second Rebel by Linden A. Lewis (pan nonbinary mc, gay ace mc, bi mc)
🌈 Both Sides Now by Peyton Thomas (trans mc) tw racism, transphobia, homophobia, misgendering *
🌈 In the Watchful City by S. Qiouyi Lu (nonbinary characters)
🌈 Act Cool by Tobly McSmith (trans mc, trans side character) tw transphobia, homophobia, misgendering, deadnaming, suicidal thoughts and ideation, religion, conversion therapy
🌈 Obie is Man Enough by Schuyler Bailar (trans mc)

No Gods, No Monsters by Cadwell Turnbull (trans mc)
A Touch of Ruckus by Ash Van Otterloo (sapphic mc, nonbinary li)
🌈 Light from Uncommon Stars by Ryka Aoki (trans mc)
🌈 The Heartbreak Bakery by A. R. Capetta (agender mc)
Frankie & Bug by Gayle Forman (trans mc, gay character)

The Dog Knight by Jeremy Whitley & Bre Indigo (nonbinary mc)
🌈 Trousers and Trouble by Kara Jorgensen (genderfluid mc, lesbian mc)
The Fabulous Zed Watson! by Kevin Sylvester & Basil Sylvester (nonbinary mc)
🌈 Girl Haven by Lilah Sturges & Meaghan Carter (trans mc)
🌈 Colour Theory by K. Leigh M. (bi trans mc)

🌈 Love Bleeds Deep by Rien Gray (bi mc, nonbinary li, f/nb relationship)
Stop and Stare by Katia Rose (nonbinary mc, pan mc, nb/f relationship)
🌈 The Calyx Charm by May Peterson (trans mc, f/m relationship)
🌈 Bloodline of the Ancients by Ian Madison Keller (trans achillean mc, m/m relationship)
Foxfire in the Snow by J. S. Fields (nb/f relationship)

Far Patrol by Alex Powell (nonbinary mc)
🌈 Hold Fast Through the Fire by K. B. Wagers (bi mc, pan mc, nonbinary mc)
🌈 Fake It by Lily Seabrooke (bi trans mc, bi mc, f/f relationship, nonbinary side character)
The Left Hand of Dog by Si Clarke (aroace agender mc)
🌈 Her Countess to Cherish by Jane Walsh (f/nb relationship)

🌈 To Summon Nightmares by J.K. Pendragon (trans mc, m/m relationship)
🌈 A Dream of a Woman by Casey Plett (trans mcs)
🌈 Home Within Skin by Jem Zero (disabled bi trans mc, m/m relationship) tw disability/ableism, PTSD from past abuse, homelessness/classism/poverty, ghosting, bigotry
🌈 The Spectacular by Zoe Whittall (bi mc, trans li, f/m relationship, lgbt side characters)
🌈 Goddess of Limbo by Lea Falls (trans man mc, nonbinary mc)

🌈 The Gold Persimmon by Lindsay Merbaum (nonbinary mc)
All You Knead is Love by Tanya Guerrero (gnc mc)
Trouble in the Stars by Sarah Prineas (genderfluid mc)
Flight of the Puffin by Ann Braden (nonbinary mc)
Mission Multiverse by Rebecca Caprara (nonbinary character)

🌈 Funky Dan and the Pixie Dream Girl by Courtney Lanning (trans mc)
The Street Belongs to Us by Karleen Pendleton Jimenez (gnc mc)
Stormbringer by Erinn Harper (nonbinary mc?)
🌈 Fair Youth by Laynie Bynum & M. Dalto (bi mcs, trans li)
The Accursed Vampire by Madeline McGrane (nonbinary mc)

MOONLIGHT, Book I: Dusk by Beau Van Dalen (trans mc)
Anne sin filtros by Iria G. Parente (bi mc, trans li, lesbian side)
🌈 Love All Year 2021: A Holidays Anthology ed. by Elizabeth Kahn (m/m relationship, f/nb relationship)
🌈 The Fox’s Tower and Other Tales by Yoon Ha Lee (nonbinary characters)
🌈 Tell Me I’m Worthless by Alison Rumfitt (trans mc)

🌈 Another Name For the Devil by Mason Deaver (nonbinary mc, nb/m relationship)
The Goddess of Nothing At All by Cat Rector (genderfluid mc, bi mc)
Until We Fall by Nicole Zelniker (trans mc)
The Loudest Bark by Gail Schwartz, Lucie Gagnon, Amélie Ayotte (trans mc)
🌈 Another Kind by Trevor Bream & Cait May (nonbinary mcs)

🌈 The Art of Growing by Jacqueline Ramsden (sapphic demi mc, nonbinary sapphic li)
🌈 Specter Inspectors by Bowen McCurdy & Kaitlyn Musto (sapphic mcs, nonbinary mc)
Urchin by Kate Story (nonbinary mc)
🌈 Kennedy Is King by Cameron James (gay mc, trans li, m/m relationship)
🌈 Names for the Dawn by C.L. Beaumont (trans mc, m/m relationship)

The Perks of Loving a Wallflower by Erica Ridley (nonbinary lesbian mc, nb/f relationship)
Saffron Alley by A. J. Demas (genderfluid mc, m/gf relationship)
Strong Wine by A. J. Demas (genderfluid mc, m/gf relationship)
🌈 Deep Wheel Orcadia by Harry Josephine Giles (trans mc)

* Please note that since this was posted, it has come to our attention that the book in question contains uncontested racism (e.g. having a South Asian character use the n-word without being called out, prioritising (white) transness above discussing the issues of racism that arise in the plot) and antisemitism (e.g. having the main antagonist be a rich Jewish girl who is often described as manly and hairy).

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