Queer as Folklore by Sacha Coward

Forma

A celebration of queer history like you've never seen it before. Queer as folklore travels across centuries and continents to reveal the unsung heroes and villains of storytelling, magic and fantasy. Featuring images from archives, galleries and museums around the world, each chapter investigates the queer history of different mythic and folkloric characters, both old and new.

Leaving no headstone unturned, Sacha Coward takes you on a wild ride through the night from ancient Greece to the main stage of RuPaul’s Drag Race, visiting cross-dressing pirates, radical fairies and the graves of the ‘queerly departed’ along the way. Queer communities have often sought refuge in the shadows and created safe spaces in underworlds. But these forgotten narratives tell stories of resilience that deserve to be heard.

Join any Pride march and you will see a glorious display of papier-mâché unicorn heads, drag queens in mermaid tails and more fairy wings than you can shake a trident at. These are not just accessories: they are queer symbols with historic roots. To truly understand who queer people are today, we must confront the twisted tales of the past.

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t:Paperback / softback 352 pages, 35 black & white illustrations
Publisher:Manchester University Press
Imprint:Manchester University Press
ISBN:9781807070397
Published:18 Nov 2025
Classifications:Of specific Gay & Lesbian interest, Folklore, myths & legends, Gay & Lesbian studies, Monsters & legendary beings
Weight:304g
Dimensions:253 x 179 x 3 (mm)