Since April is Poetry Month and Queer and Fearless: Poems Celebrating the Lives Of LGBTQ+ Heroes is due mid-April I felt this was as good as any time to read and review this Rob Sanders book. The idea is of course, Heroes of the Movement. We see the men and women that started the pathway for others. There are names you’ll probably know, such as Marsha P. Johnson and Harvey Milk, but a few were new to me and possibly to you as well (or other readers). However, some of the “lesser known” names have had some recognition outside of the community, such as in the picture book Two Grooms on a Cake: The Story of America’s First Gay Wedding (the story of Michael McConnell and Jack Baker) so you might have heard of them.
The poems range from all types of styles, but each one highlights someone that was historically influential even in the littlest way. They published a magazine, they got married, they marched in and on Washington, they were drag kings, they started a riot (one was a riot of a drag king), they influenced a king (one of Dr. Martin Luther King advisors). There are rhyming poems as well as straight prose, and we find out which is which at the end where we also have a glossary of terms. 
The main book is boldly, colorfully, busily illustrated by Harry Woodgate. These images bring to life each person mentioned. They are both character and supporting character of the subject matter. Each person is given a poem (one to two pages long) and a longer biography highlighting their accomplishments. From drag queens and kings to transgender people to gay men and women, each person comes to life.
Read via an online reader copy
