Ready for a road trip? An all-day adventure date or a joyful act of resistance and resilience? A galvanizing reminder of the rich, robust, queer literary past?
Or maybe you’re looking for a heart-swelling sense of pride, one that can be found knowing that Central Florida and Tampa Bay are brimming with bookish outlets for the LGBTQ+ community.
Whether it’s in honor of this month’s Independent Bookstore Day or to turn the page on heavier news, you might enjoy a Do-It-Yourself LGBTQ+ book crawl across Central Florida and Tampa Bay. We’ve gathered a list of some of the spots you can visit in these pages, beginning in Cocoa Beach.
Head to Hello Again Books in the heart of Cocoa Village, maybe after sunrise. When married couple MerryBeth Burgess and Amy Elkavitch moved from Atlanta to Florida’s East Coast, they were looking for a safe space. They created one in 2020.
A small, independent, feminist and LGBTQ+ woman-owned bookstore carrying new and used books, Hello Again is also close to where cruise ship passengers from other places disembark. Burgess says visitors are happy to see this bookstore in Florida, with its girl power and “LGBTQ+ rainbow stuff.” With pride in her voice, Burgess says, “We have a lot of good, core, trans customers and friends.”
For adult readers, Burgess recommends “The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo” by Taylor Jenkins Reid and “Red, White and Royal Blue” by Casey McQusiton.
“We also host banned book events and we have a banned books section,” she says. “We keep a ton of Young Adult books on shelves that we recommend to people.”
Mark your calendar for upcoming events like Be the Rainbow on June 13 from 9:30 a.m.- 2 p.m. Hello Again Books is located at 411 Brevard Ave. in Cocoa Village. Learn more at HelloAgainBooks.com.
When you arrive in the middle of the state, get ready for a cluster of glorious stops, starting with BookBurn Cafe and Social, which seeks to create “a sanctuary in the heart of Orlando: a cafe, store and bar/lounge where banned books are revered, marginalized artists fill the walls, and trans and non-binary people and allies lead with power and love.”
If you get to talk with founder Jonny Cruz, prepare to feel his passion, emotion, dedication and gratitude. “I have an amazing team; I don’t think anyone could do this on their own,” he adds.
When asked for an LGBTQ+ book recommendation, Cruz mentions the audiobook of Jandy Nelson’s “I’ll Give You the Sun.” He also talks affirmatively about his preference for reading by listening vs. reading on the page because of his ADHD, a reminder that reading with your ears is as valid as reading with your eyes.
BookBurn’s mission includes dispelling stigma and amplifying marginalized voices, especially voices from Black, Brown, LGBTQ+ and neurodivergent communities, people with intellectual disabilities and women artists.
The banned book section of the store is meant to be read in the store. Mark the pages, Cruz says. Dog-ear them. Know that lots of other people have also read these same books in the space and know that you can read them here even if you can’t in your school library.
While you are at BookBurn, order from the cafe where the espresso flavors come from the Philippines and Cruz’s own childhood. Guests can also order beer and wine or buy from the package store.
“Everything about BookBurn reflects who I am as a brown, gay man who is specifically Filipino viewing the world through the lens of wanting to unite everyone,” Cruz notes.
Mark your calendar for Banned Books Drag Bingo on May 8 at 6:30 p.m. BookBurn Café and Social is located at 2425 E. South Street in Orlando. Learn more at BookBurnOfficial.com.
Before traveling to the next stop, let’s travel to the past.
LGBTQ+ people and their allies have been creating safe space amongst books for decades in Central Florida and Tampa Bay, an important reminder in times of increased book bans. Tomes and Treasures opened in the back of an LGBTQ+ restaurant in Tampa in 1987, and Out and About Books opened in Orlando in 1992.
In partnership with Rollins College students in Winter Park, David Matteson, Ph.D. and a past president of the LGBTQ+ History Museum of Central Florida worked to preserve the story of the latter.
“The pendulum of history certainly sees people turn to alternative modes of communication during crises of visibility. In the ‘80s and the ‘90s when the government wasn’t wanting to acknowledge the AIDS crisis, printed material was a place for people to get information and connect,” says Matteson. Alternative spaces were necessary for survival, he says, and helped people remember they were not alone in their struggles.
According to Tampa Bay historian David K. Johnson, Tomes and Treasures, which Bill Kanouff took over in 1992, was the site of Equality Florida’s first office. The organization is now the state’s largest LGBTQ+ organization and recognized Kanouff with a Lifetime Achievement Award last year.
“I’ve never done anything for award or for acknowledgement,” he said at the time. “I’ve always done what I thought was good and right for our community.”
Kanouff expanded the store into a community space with a coffee shop, readings and more. Likewise, Out and About Books was much more than a store. When it moved into Mills, supporters say it started the LGBTQ+ safe district and became a real community meeting space.
Matteson realizes we can order books online, but notes there’s something about these spaces that attract community members. People feel safe when they walk into an LGBTQ+ bookstore.
The LGBTQ+ Museum of Central Florida has digitized much of the Orlando shop’s collection, preserving Ground’s legacy as well as the newsletters of the Loving Committed Network, LCN Express, an Orlando-based lesbian newsletter about caretaking during the AIDS crisis.
These are available through the museum’s website and print materials can be found in UCF’s special collections. Tomes and Treasures and more are chronicled as a part Johnson’s Tampa Bay LGBT History Project. Learn more at FloridaLGBTQMuseum.org and TampaBayLGBTHistory.org.
Now that your heart has grown larger, take it to The New Romantics in Orlando. The store is mostly pink with a velvet couch under a neon sign for your well-posed and hashtagged pics — and even though the retail space is not expansive, you’ll find two entire cases devoted to LGBTQ+ books.
Founder Jane Rodriguez thinks being a romance-only bookstore is pretty special. She says the genre, and its LGBTQ+ sub-genre, is often so overlooked but is a massive part of the publishing industry. She loves that customers are often hyper-specific the about books they’re looking for.
“Honestly every positive interaction gives me hope,” she explains. “We’ve had folks get engaged in the store, and we had a couple get married in the store. Being part of other people’s love stories is so beautiful!”
The entire New Romantics team is obsessed with “Kiss Me Maybe” by Gabriella Gamez, so they made it their May 2026 Book Box. Mark your calendar for Queer Book Club April 27 at 7 p.m.
The New Romantics is located at 3018 Corrine Dr. in Orlando. Learn more at TheNewRomanticsBooks.com.
This trip’s last Orlando stop is Spiral Circle Bookstore in the same Mills 50 district where Out and About began. Owner Julie Wilder is quick to acknowledge that the store’s vibrant presence benefits from a long community history. Spiral Circle was founded 1975 by Beverly Ford and one of the first places LGBTQ+ folk could feel welcome, particularly in the AIDS crisis.
“The type of clientele that we attract are people living their lives bravely,” says Wilder. “People of all walks of life come in here, beyond gender identity and sexual orientation. Just incredible people doing incredible things. They often end up teaching classes.”
For parents discovering their child is gay and wanting to support them, Wilder often recommends “This Is a Book for Parents of Gay Kids: A Question & Answer Guide to Everyday Life” by Danielle Owens-Reid and Kristin Russo.
While Spiral Circle started as a New Age Bookstore, founder Ford listened to the patrons and diversified the book shelves.
For example, the Wisdom Tradition room is based on region of origin. The store’s internal culture is a source of pride and includes a Director of Conscious Culture on staff. Employees greet people without assuming gender, can talk about complexities and want to interact with care.
Spiral Circle Books is located at 750 N. Thornton Ave. in Orlando. Learn more at SpiralCircle.com.
Formerly in Kissimmee, White Rose Books & More has transitioned into an online and pop-up only bookstore that still holds its mission of resisting book bans. Its name was borrowed for a symbol of resistance from World War II.
Co-owner Erin Decker says that “anytime someone tells us that they know they are safe with us, that is what keeps us going day-to-day.”
She recommends “How the Boogeyman became a Poet” by Dr. Tony Keith Jr., a coming of age told in verse about being Black and queer.
Former school librarians, Decker and co-owner Tania Galinanes sought to create a safe space in our community. Their transition to a new way of operating includes opening a non-profit arm this year to directly purchase banned books and distribute them in communities in Central Florida.
Learn about White Rose Books & More at WhiteRoseBooksAndMore.com.
Back in your car, head to the West Coast of Florida for the final leg of the trip and maybe a glorious sunset. Start at the St. Petersburg staple Tombolo Books, which has an unmissably-colorful storefront and a playful vibe.
Alsace Walentine, founder and general manager, tells the story of one excited customer. “I’m so glad this store is here! You give me hope for humanity,” the customer shared when she saw the store’s “ICE OUT OF TAMPA BAY!” book display.
Douglas Stuart’s “John of John” is Walentine’s current reading obsession. “It’s got ‘Brokeback Mountain’ vibes, but set in Scotland!” she says. “If anyone’s looking for a queer Florida book my go-to is anything by Kristen Arnett or Tyler Gillespie.”
Candice Anderson, Tombolo’s co-owner and bookkeeper, recalls listening to a pair of kids browsing in the children’s section talking about books they like and recommending books to each other. It filled her with hope that stories and offline time still matters to youth.
For adults, she recommends “Stag Dance” by Torrey Peters and “The Dream of A Common Language: Poems 1974-1977” by Adrienne Rich.
Amanda Hurley, sales floor manager and children’s buyer, recommends the middle grade series “Sir Callie” by Esme Symes-Smith, which centers on a heroic nonbinary knight, and “The Pirate Moms” by Jodie Lancet-Grant for the littles.
Hurley says, “I love our store because it’s an inclusive and safe space for all walks of life, from little babies at storytime to adults and doggos.”
Kelsey Jagneaux, events and marketing manager, admires anything by Julia Armfield, specifically “Our Wives Under the Sea.” She says, “It is such a great piece of fiction exploring grief, love, nature and leans a bit into the speculative, so I think it appeals to so many readers! Local YA author Maria Ingrande Mora writes some beautiful queer novels — there are just so many!”
Tombolo Books is located at 21523 1st Ave. S. in St. Petersburg. Learn more at TomboloBooks.com.
Another bookseller in St. Petersburg, Tiffany Razzano, also works to serve the community of which she’s a part. Razzano explains that in the 1940s, Woodie Guthrie wrote “This Machine Kills Fascists” on his guitars — her pop-up bookstore is called This Bookstore Kills Fascists in tribute to this art-over-authoritarianism ethos.
Events are posted online and the moveable store sells a heavily curated collection of queer, feminist, anti-racist and banned books with a focus on board books and picture books. “We get a lot of fist bumps,” Razzano says. “Almost everyone is supportive.”
The pop-up is often paired with an event series. Razzano loves St. Petersburg and has been creating literary events since 2011. What started as a prose-only open mic series expanded into book-themed drag burlesque and murder-mystery events.
“I like to organize things and make stuff happen — and I needed to learn public speaking,” she says. Razzano likes to “get people out to support local writers, people who may not go to a traditional bookstore event.”
Popular books at Razzano’s pop-ups include “Big Wig” by Jonathan Hillman, about a kid who wants to do drag and “The Hips on the Drag Queen go Swish, Swish, Swish” by Lil Miss Hot Mess.
Razzano also fervently recommends Tampa Bay-based author Rob Sanders’ books, especially “Pride: The Story of Harvey Milk and the Rainbow Flag” and “Stonewall: A Building. An Uprising. A Revolution.”
Learn more by following them @ThisBookstoreKillsFascists on Meta platforms.
By now that you’ve crossed the whole state, have a bag full of books, have had lots of glorious conversation with queers and their allies, and surely feel bolstered by the pockets of safe space that exists across Florida.
Enjoy the setting sun on the West Coast and remember: you can repeat this day as much as you need to, even adding other inclusive spots in Central Florida, Tampa Bay and beyond.
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