Because Pride is lived as much in the street as in the books, têtu· has selected essays that tell our memories, question our identities, and nourish our struggles.
By Laure Dasinieres, Florian Ques and Marine Pattyn
Our Favorite
Usually, Olivia Laing writes cultural criticism for the Guardian and the New York Times. Then a breakup leads her to discover loneliness, the real one, the kind that ends up making any contact with others painful. From this emerges the idea for this inquiry into artists who, while living in the heart of New York, experienced it as well. Andy Warhol, Klaus Nomi, Edward Hopper, David Wojnarowicz… So many solitudes placed in dialogue in this essay, nourished by substantial documentary work that does not erase sensitivity. Without turning isolation into a romantic refuge, the book seems to seek consolation from Susan Sontag, Maggie Nelson, Nan Goldin or Sarah Schulman, queer artists and writers who also tell themselves by exploring others, and vice versa. It follows that the absence of others can be a creative engine as much as a burden, even a tragedy. Along the way, Olivia Laing dissects the roots of her subject: precarity, grief, homophobia, violence, mental illness, illness… Her quest particularly focuses on the HIV/AIDS epidemic, the ravages of which we know this had on the New York artistic community. Between art history, intimate exploration and political reflection, this book digs and stirs. Magnificent.
Lonely City, by Olivia Laing. Gallimard Editions.
Pop
Aficionado of hip-hop culture, journalist Nicolas Rogès dwells on his most gay figure, the Californian Frank Ocean, with this singular biography where the story of a friend’s grief intertwines with the thorough decryption of an elusive artist, whose radiance lights up an entire music industry.
Boys Never Cry, by Nicolas Rogès. JC Lattès Editions.
Mémoriel
A figure of ACT UP New York until she left to co-found the first Dyke March in 1992, Sarah Schulman traces the history of the HIV/AIDS activism group, based on nearly 200 interviews. A fascinating work of oral history.
Let the Record Show, by Sarah Schulman. Libertalia Editions.
Éclairant
“Fag”, “dyke”, “monster”… What are we really doing by turning the stigma of the insults hurled at us? In a short and brisk essay, Anthony Vincent revisits the question about his craft, turning the updated fire of our era upon it. A useful examination, also to offer to the “nasty bitches”.
The Insult – From insult to solidarity, by Anthony Vincent. Les Liens qui Libèrent Editions.
Doublet fier
Proud double feature for the La Meute publishing house, which releases two “clarifications” as sapphic as necessary: It’s Because You Haven’t Found the Right One Yet, a witty and liberating essay by journalist Marie Kirshen on lesbian coming out, and You Can’t Do That at Home, No?, a bold and salvific text by comedian Tahnee about the closet injunction and the right to visibility.
It’s Because You Haven’t Found the Right One Yet, by Marie Kirshen and You Can’t Do That at Home, No?, by Tahnee. La Meute Editions.
C’est parce que t’es pas encore tombée sur le bon, by Marie Kirshen and Vous pouvez pas faire ça chez vous, nan ?, by Tahnee. La Meute Editions.
Collectif
Who are bisexuals in France in 2026? Between the joy of fluidity, self-affirmation and a place not always easy to find, the Bi·es collective, notably composed of Amandine Gay, Pauline Harmange and Morgan N. Lucas, provides an instructive state of play capable of turning laughter into tears.
Bi·es, coordinated by Camille Regache. Points Editions.
Oval, Yes
When rugby brushes against drag, we say yes twice. Photographer Blandine Vives, a contributor to têtu·, questions masculinity and gender stereotypes in sport, with portraits of players in makeup and queens in the locker room… or the other way around, it’s hard to tell.
Rugby Queen, by Blandine Vives.
Érudit
If Eurovision is capable of triggering the greatest passions, no francophone academic work had yet been devoted to it. This is now the case with a collection of articles that brings together the humanities and social sciences to analyze the contest’s stakes.
Understanding Eurovision, edited by Lisa Bolz and Sébastien Appiotti. MKF Editions.
Didactique
Intended for cisgender and heterosexual people, a compact book to understand, act and resist as allies of queers with concrete tools: a glossary of words to know and those to avoid, ways to react and to support on social networks, with family, at work or in public space.
The Little Guide for Allies – Supporting and Defending the LGBTQIA+ Community in Everyday Life, by Marie Furlan. First Editions.
