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Discover weekly, the best short stories

Looking for a steady supply of lgbtq+ short stories? Every week thousands of writers submit stories to our writing contest.

150+ Lgbtq+ Short Stories to read

Submitted by writers on Reedsy Prompts to our weekly writing contest. Discover incredible works of queer fiction right here, on this page of fresh new LGBTQ+ stories.

Lgbtq+ Short Stories – Page 10 of 10

The Fate That Feeds

Submitted to Contest #291

Pain makes even the innocent man a liar, but I was no man, and I’d forsaken innocence in pursuit of something greater.Whatever becomes of me tonight will forever be who I am, but if it is not she who is beside me, let death be kinder than I ever was.─── ⋆⋅ ♰ ⋅⋆ ───The Tree from which wicked roots grew started as a myth among the Shadehaven’s feminal diaspora – if entered, there was no guarantee of exiting without being… changed by it in some way. It was awfully vague, and amateur in style; no more a fable to keep us dutiful first years at th...

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Shepherd's Pie

Submitted to Contest #291

It’s raining. It always is. This city is burning itself into extinction like a cigarette dying in the embrace of yellow-lighted streets. I sit in my empty office with a bottle of cheap booze in my hand, pretending I don’t hear the footsteps in the hall. My eyes quickly flock to the portrait of the Mayor hanging on the wall. Thomas Kingsley and his ever-watchful gaze. Over me.And then his spitting image is there, leaning against my doorway wearing a leather jacket. Like I never let him leave.“Hello, Jack.”Hearing my name i...

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A THREAT TO DECENCY AND NATIONAL SECURITY

Submitted to Contest #291

This story is set during the Lavender Scare, a real historical event in which thousands of LGBTQ+ individuals were investigated, fired, and blacklisted from U.S. government jobs as “security risks.” This piece is based on extensive historical research to ensure accuracy in language, government policies, and cultural attitudes. The quote from the 1950 Senate report, “Employment of Homosexuals and Other Sex Perverts in Government,” is taken directly from historical documents and has not been altered or fabricated. While the characters are ...

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The Kiss

Submitted to Contest #290

“Hey Auntie, why aren’t you married?” My niece asked during our family’s yearly Christmas celebration as she was playing with a toy barbie and ken she got for christmas. “Sweetie, it’s not okay to ask someone that.” My brother-in-law said, surprised that such a thing would exit a sweet little child’s mouth. “But mommy said that people who aren’t married by their thirties will grow up to be sad lonely cat ladies” My niece recalled her mother say. “Well, your mother isn’t always right. I’m not lonely, and I don’t have a single cat. At least fo...

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For the Names I Dare Not speak

Submitted to Contest #290

My fingers trembled as I typed ‘PLEASE READ ALONE’ in the email title. I didn’t want to write an email. I’d written the letter twice already, first in pencil, then in ink. My hands hurt. My heart hurt. Every letter I typed hurt. It was a resignation to our friendship, the final nail in my coffin. But I couldn't wait another week to hand over the carefully written letter. It felt so impersonal—an email. It was time to unfollow Thalia on all her social media. I didn’t want to see any reply from her. I couldn’t. Or maybe I could and that was th...

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Sacred Vow

Submitted to Contest #290

Forgive me Lord, for I have sinned. Sister Helena sat at a small desk in the convent library writing a confession in her diary. The Abbess says we must dedicate our lives to serving God, not ourselves. She says we must banish any selfish notions from our minds, lest we forget our true purpose. But I am plagued with wickedness, Lord. Sister Helena’s trembling hand hovered over the page. These feelings, these desires… Would it dishonor God to put them to paper? She needed to express them somehow, she knew, or they would consume her. She ste...

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Johnny, at Last

Submitted to Contest #290

The first time Robert William Blackwood laid eyes on Professor Louis Annesley, he was holding Henry’s hand in the middle of a crowded London street, gesturing dramatically as he recounted what appeared to be some grand tale to the boy. Henry, entranced, hung onto every word, his small fingers clutching the professor’s as if he had known him for years.Robert had been frantic before he spotted them. His son had vanished from their townhouse hours earlier, prompting every available servant and constable in the vicinity to search for him. Just a...

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Last Run

Submitted to Contest #290

She held my hand so tightly I thought it was going to break. We didn’t think, we just ran; the woods were still wet from the rain the night before, but tonight the sky was clear and the moon was shining. The stars were endless, but at the time, we didn’t even look up. We just looked ahead. We just ran. And I can still remember her hand in mine, the softness of her palm and the way she gripped me tightly. We skidded to a stop at the crossroads, our hearts beating wildly as we both panted. She turned to me, her eyes wild. I gazed down at her a...

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Saint Valentine

Submitted to Contest #290

"Put that away, Augustus," Felix said, gesturing toward my unlimited entry pass. "You're here so often you might as well be part of the furniture," he chuckled, "so to speak. He's with a tour group right now," he cut me off with a rather bold assumption. "But he'll be done in ten minutes.""You know," I said, pocketing my pass, "I don't only come here to see him.""Yet, all the two of you do here is talk for hours—""It's strictly business," I snapped, slipping past him towards the ruins."On Valentine's Day?" Felix called out. I cringed. "Is th...

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Love and Time

Submitted to Contest #290

"I don't want to waste your or my time, so I will get to the point. Are you dating with the intent to marry?" She had said that to the last few folks who sat in front of her. So, I was prepared for the question, unlike the others before me. This event, one my buddy talked me into attending, was like musical chairs for singles. All black ties and slim dresses, pretty candles on ornate tables. The thing was, some folks pulled the tab for sitting at tables while the others pulled for leapfrogging to a few different ones as they saw fit. I was a...

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The Knight and the Mage

Submitted to Contest #290

Bea heard the faint sounds of the king’s soldiers getting closer to the center of the forest. Gripping her greatsword tighter, she glanced over her shoulder at Hallie. “They found our tracks,” she whispered. “It’s only a matter of time before they find this place.” “I’ve almost got it,” Hallie replied, her back to Bea. She was standing at the threshold of a massive tree, trying to figure out how to dispel the magic protecting it so that she could extract the briarheart from the trunk. “Just hold them off until I’m done.” “Of course,” Bea sai...

8 likes 5 comments 5
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Like Freshly Cut Grass

Submitted to Contest #290

I am ten years old and am playing hopscotch in my driveway. As an only child, I have grown accustomed to playing games by myself. “Hey little girl!” someone screams behind me. I turn and there is a boy leering at me across the street. My chest tightens and I want to run away. The boy is Arnold Stevens. He is the kind of boy that makes the neighborhood keep their pets indoors. He crosses the street and though I want to yell for my mother who is inside, I don’t. My throat is tight. My feet are frozen in place. “What are you doing??” he asks, n...

8 likes 4 comments 4
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Fallen Angel in Waiting

Submitted to Contest #290

'NUMBER 26 PLEASE PROCEED' "Callie, you're finally ready for your match?" "Yeah, my parents made me understand more." "It's totally understandable to be confused." "It is?" "Of course! Your body wants to attract a mate, so your body can have babies. It isn't proper to act on those feelings because?" "Feelings lead to negative emotions that would not be productive in repopulating the earth into a kinder and stronger race. We need to have a stronger population to better distribute resources for the future." "Exactly. You are one of our kindest...

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scratches on my vinyl... the melody is love

Submitted to Contest #290

1996. Chicago. The Red Mill. Hot. Sticky. Sunday. That night, I fell in love with Daniella Rae. Or maybe I’d always been. I remember the sun was long gone, but the heat wouldn’t leave. All the hours I spent pressing the kinks out of my hair had gone to waste. My roots reverted from the sweat. My heart was pounding against my ribcage as my feet slammed against the pavement. Malcolm was up ahead, his tiny head bobbing. The mill was still blocks away, but music was spilling onto the streets. It was so loud that in a different neighborhood, they...

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Do You Want A Ride?

Submitted to Contest #290

A lot of people are going to blame Romeo and Juliet. Even more are going to blame Rachel—God, she’s already been through enough. I can see her in the front of the cathedral, her pale white cheeks wet with fresh tears. She’s struggling through a couple of Bible quotes, something about forgiveness. I can’t hear her—the melancholy music is much too loud. So, I can only imagine what she's actually saying, but instead, I'm remembering the phantom whispers of the theater department from weeks past. When those vultures so vocally prayed for her dow...

10 likes 4 comments 4
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RBE | Illustrated Short Stories | 2024-06

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