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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.

1790+ 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 2 of 120

To Want A Guy Like Me

Submitted to Contest #302

To Want A Guy Like Meby Zan HoughThe calendar flipped to July, and in no time at all, the Ionia Free Fair was here. This was a big deal across Michigan and beyond because people came from all over for the Free Fair, including politicians, national talent such as country music stars, and celebrities of all walks. This was a place to be seen, promoted, discovered, or elected. It was Kevin’s first time, and he didn’t expect such a big deal. Vince Gill was on stage when they arrived, so there were wall-to-wall people.“This is your first. Your fi...

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The Grieved

Submitted to Contest #302

It’s fascinating how families can maintain their mythology, how they rewrite history through selected photographs and curated anecdotes. James’ family excelled at this. When Uncle’s gloom grew too obvious, he became a creative. When Grandmother’s confusion passed into malice, it was her age. Reality is malleable in families. Standing in his childhood living room, musty with disuse, James could see this process unfold again. The wall that had once displayed a chronological gallery of family photos now contained a conspicuous gap. Pictures fr...

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Jam

Submitted to Contest #301

The plates in the sink were unusually grimy today.Not the usual filmy residue of leftover food— that has a significantly different feeling. It was sticky and viscous like tar, it clung to the man’s fingers and left tracks of redit could be jamThe man pondersHe thinks the kid quite liked jam, maybe he had spilt it on the plate by mistakeBut then again, the jam he bought wasn’t smooth, pieces of fruit usually interfered with the uniform textureAnd hadn’t David told him that he was allergic to the red jam?He can’t quite remember why, maybe it w...

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The Way Summer Tastes

Submitted to Contest #301

Sidney looks around to see the mess hall, a sea of red and blue tee-shirts, campers decked out in face paint and colorful wristbands. His gaze lingers on familiar red hair. Scarlett smiles at him, setting her plate down beside his. “Are you excited?" she asks, leaning forward in her chair “Last capture the flag game ever,well until we become camp counselors of course.”Sidney only nods pushing a sausage around his plate with his fork; he'd much prefer to spend the day inside, maybe in the art studio working on a project or tracing maps in the...

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Every Fairytale has an Ogre

Submitted to Contest #301

Jenna-Rose never stopped believing in fairytales. Her earliest memories were of watching Disney princess movies and making her Barbie dolls re-enact them. Every single one of her report cards said she “spent too much time daydreaming” but she figured why focus on math when you can imagine a knight in shining armor storming through the classroom door and whisking you away? As she grew up, she found romance novels which only made her fantasies wilder. In college, she backpacked through Europe, stopping at every castle she could find and even s...

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Coming to Terms

Submitted to Contest #301

“I have a soft spot for romance. I’ve always yearned for my own, admiring that of others. I would talk with my best friends about crushes, be that wingman to spark conversation between them. But every time, I end up watching others from the sidelines.” I typed into my laptop. I stared at the screen, rereading my work.“No, too angsty.” I backspaced, deleting everything. I leaned back in my chair, closing my eyes. It is the truth though, I thought. Everybody is going on dates, but I haven’t gone on any. I sat back up in my chair, focusing agai...

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Dissolving

Submitted to Contest #301

Trigger Warning: This story contains elements of physical violence and bullying. I wake up with the taste of iron in my mouth. Almost as if I bit my tongue in the middle of the night. Everything’s quiet. The kind you hope for on a Saturday morning — this is wrong. Hollow. Too still, like the world forgot to hit play today. My head aches. Not like a normal headache — it’s… deeper. Like something behind my eyes is pulsing. I sit up and realize I’m still in my jeans, my shoes, even my hoodie. Damp. Cold. Like I slept in a puddle or— No. That ...

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When Men Are Planning...

Submitted to Contest #301

WHEN MEN ARE PLANNING… Blessed are the obsessed, for they see the face of their God. While the rest will always be searching for meaning, reason, truth, and proof, they don’t need any of it. Living in the now, they create their meaning and truth at their will, as they go. I’m one of those, and I was blessed with the obsession twice: first with Music, then — with Love. If the first blessing will be with me until my dying breath, the other one is eternal only in my mind. In real life, it is as whimsical and fleeting as a mirage in a desert. A...

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Messy Magic on the Rooftop

Submitted to Contest #301

Messy Magic on the Rooftop When meticulous planner Jules throws a rooftop birthday bash to mend her best friend Sam’s broken heart, an unexpected downpour, a mischievous magic charm, and a parade of see-through white party clothes unravel every plan—but also reveal truths about love, friendship, and the courage to come out of hiding.Perfect for fans of Casey McQuiston, Emily Henry, and Becky Albertalli, this sparkling queer romantic comedy proves that the best kind of magic is the mess we make together. Jules didn’t believe in luck; she beli...

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Tales of a Baby Gay Part 1

Submitted to Contest #301

Sensitive Content Disclaimer: This story contains references to mental health issues, as well as mature content and light cursing.I couldn’t be sure what had caught my attention in Sonja’s online dating profile. Sonja had posted two photos instead of the recommended six, which was already suspicious. One was a blurry selfie taken at a subway station in Manhattan, Sonja’s red basketball shorts and gold cross necklace looking garish in the dim light; the other was a full-body bikini shot taken at a foreign beach, maybe Brazil or the Philippine...

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Grand River

Submitted to Contest #301

Grand River1985 Kevin Woodward thought his life was over at sixteen, uprooting himself from the only life he knew in Atlanta. His brother had outed him to his mother, and she freaked out, then sent him to live with his dad. Kevin didn’t know his father well and hadn’t seen him since he was twelve. He was now 800 miles away from anyone he knew, on a farm in rural western Michigan that mainly grew corn. There was no time for his inexperienced father, Charles, to register him for school. Kevin wasn’t even sure his father knew how to parent at...

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Mystery Host

Submitted to Contest #300

There it is! The cabin I saw from afar while I was hiking over a hill earlier. Good thing I, like a good wildlife biologist, marked it on my map as a potential shelter. One can’t predict bad luck, like the sudden storm that flooded my camp, but when you plan to work in a place as luck depended as the wilderness, you must try. Getting closer I notice that despite the downpour, the cabin looks pristine and modern unlike the moldy, abandoned place I was expecting. The logs it’s made from are synthetic, the porch covered in blooming flowers and ...

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The Stranger From the Snow

Submitted to Contest #300

Blood dripped into moonlit snow as I trudged towards either life or death. The healer inside the cottage was my only hope. But as I wrapped my cloak tighter around my body, knowing what I had just done, I feared she would turn me away. Or worse. Murder wasn’t typically in a healer’s wheelhouse, but I knew what she thought of me. Or at least what I imagined she thought of me. Or maybe just what my terrible, self-hating inner monologue assumed she thought about me. Maybe I deserved death.Or maybe, just maybe, she would spare the dying.Though I...

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Ghostly Encounters of the Angry Poltergeist

Submitted to Contest #300

I, Aamon—Arch-Demon of Wrath and Grand Marquis of Hell—am quite easily frightened by the disembodied spirits of the dead. While it’s an embarrassing weakness to have in Hell, here on Earth, I can fortunately play it off as having a socially acceptable, perhaps even a healthy amount of superstition.Having been banished to Earth toward the end of my losing battle against the Heavens, I have taken on the appearance of a mundane human in order to fulfill a contractual obligation to my new human companion, Alex. And although he is concerningly su...

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L’Chaim

Submitted to Contest #300

Note from the author: This story contains mature content. The night before her flight to Sydney, Leah visits Coney Island Beach for the last time. Luna Park is still open for one more week of its summer season, but the beach is surprisingly empty. The moon is obscured by periwinkle clouds and the air feels thick, pregnant with an impending storm. Leah can hear the electrical hum of summer insects between the rhythm of shrieks from the Cyclone and Thunderbolt. She removes her socks and shoes, and the sand is cold beneath her feet. It’s hard ...

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RBE | Illustrated Short Stories | 2024-06

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