Aesop Queer Library Returns To New York City For Pride
A beloved way to acquire LGBTQ+ books, for free, is returning for its fifth year.
Aesop Queer Library will return this Pride season with pop-ups in New York City, Los Angeles, and Toronto from Thursday, June 26 through Sunday, June 29. And in a year when corporate pride initiatives are notably stifled, this Australia-based fragrance brand is continuing it's June traditions.
Each year at selected boutiques, Aesop removes their products from the stores and uses the shelving space to offer books by and about queer people, all on the house. Select stores will also offer reading nooks, and guests can each leave with a free title.
In 2025, the Aesop Queer Library theme will be 'In Other Words -language as liberation', with titles including bestsellers curated in partnership with Penguin Random House and the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), an organization instrumental in defending freedom of speech and expression. Featured authors at the library include Ocean Vuong, Tourmaline, and Miranda July. For those who can't make it to the pop-up, a full reading list from a diverse range of queer authors can be found on Aesop's website.
'In a moment when many queer voices face silencing, the act of sharing LGBTQIA2S+ literature becomes all the more essential,' shared a spokesperson for Aesop. 'These stories transcend reductive narratives, illuminating the richness, resilience, and nuance of queer experience… Our 2025 theme, In Other Words—Language as Liberation, underscores the role of words as both refuge and resistance—revealing how language not only describes the world but dares to remake it. These books are bridges: between generations, identities, and imaginations."
Inside an Aesop Queer Library Aesop
Aesop's connection to literature connects back to the brand's name, inspired by the legendary teller of fables, Aesop.
With each year of the pop-up library, attendance has grown.
'The Aesop Queer Library continues to evolve as a sincere and intentional celebration of queer storytelling—rooted in generosity, cultural contribution, and care,' shared the Aesop spokesperson. 'Each year, we expand its reach to bring the library to more communities, reaffirming our belief in the power of literature to foster connection, understanding, and self-expression.'
In 2025, Aesop's queer libraries can be found at three stores in three cities:
New York City: Aesop Rockefeller Center at 610Fifth Avenue, Suite 7
Los Angeles: Aesop Larchmont at 128 N Larchmont Blvd
Toronto: Aesop Yorkville at 94 Cumberland Street, Unit 3 More LGBTQ+ Books in New York City
Beyond the four-day pop-up, there are plenty more spaces to find curated selections of LGBTQ+ books in New York City.
The Bureau of Queer Services, General Division, located inside the LGBT Center in Greenwich Village, offers a wide selection of LGBTQ+ literature, art books, indie zines and more. In Brooklyn, Hive Mind offers new and used LGBTQ+ titles in Bushwick (plus a cafe offering seasonal coffee and tea drinks), and the Nonbinarian Bookstore in Crown Heights offers a wide variety of LGBTQ+ books and gifts.
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