Introduction

It was late in the evening one July, in a small apartment in the city. A Mother and her Child were preparing to go to sleep. After dinner, they had brushed their teeth, put on their pajamas, and gone into the Child’s bedroom.

“Read me a story," said the Child. “I won’t go to sleep unless you read me a story.”

The Mother leaned over to the small, wooden bookshelf and picked up a book of fairy tales. She ran her hand over the cover. The words “The Other Side” were inscribed in shiny, gold letters on a deep blue background, surrounded by intricate, woven designs. Inside, the pages were old and yellowed, with tears at the edges from years of reading.

“Alright. Which story would you like to hear?”

“All of them,” said the Child.

“How about just the first one?” said the Mother, settling down next to her son. She opened the book, turned a few pages, and began.

This storybook will feature stories about LGBTQ+ people and families. The title “The Other Side” refers to the stories which are less often publicized, but which are lived by regular people every day. These stories will be based on existing folktales and some will feature characters whose gender and/or sexual identity has been modified to fit the theme. The intention of this storybook is not to reject the original version of these stories; instead, it should add diversity to the heteronormative collection of stories that we hear and pass on to the next generation.

This collection will feature stories from several different countries and cultures. In addition, the emphasis will be on seeing happy endings and normal life (at least, as normal as one can expect from a fairy tale). With that in mind, enjoy this storybook.

Image: Goodnight by Alex Dodd