Did you know stories have the power to change the world? 

Iconic author, speaker, and activist Lesléa Newman has been telling LGBTQ+ family stories for decades. Through her children’s books, novels, short stories, and poetry collections, generations of LGBTQ+ families have seen themselves reflected in mainstream media and countless allies have been empowered to create safer, more inclusive communities. 

As often happens in moments when the LGBTQ+ community gains momentum and visibility, Heather Has Two Mommies was met by backlash becoming the ninth most banned book in the 1990s. Even today, the book remains one of the most banned books in the United States — but Newman didn’t let the naysayers discourage her from continuing to bring visibility to LGBTQ+ families. 

In the years that followed Heather Has Two Mommies’ release, Newman published a number of other books featuring two-mom and two-dad families, including Belinda’s Bouquet; Saturday is Pattyday; Donovan’s Big Day; Felicia’s Favorite Story; Mommy, Mama, and Me; Daddy, Papa, and Me; and Joyful Song: A Naming Story, which was recognized as a 2024 Publishers Weekly Best Children’s Book. 

Newman has written more than 90 books throughout her career spotlighting LGBTQ+ families, challenging gender stereotypes, and celebrating LGBTQ+ characters. In a number of her works, she also tells the stories of the heroes of LGBTQ+ history whose lives were cut short by discrimination. 

Through these works, and corresponding lectures and talks, Newman keeps these stories alive, helping readers make sense of these staggering losses in our community’s history.  

Newman’s work to bring visibility to LGBTQ+ people is more important than ever, with school boards and politicians alike seeking to silence and erase our stories and histories. In 2024, the American Library Association tracked 821 attempts to censor library materials and services — affecting 2,452 unique titles. A majority of these books included LGBTQ+ characters or themes. 

Of these bans, Newman notes, “It makes me sad that people who need books like Heather Has Two Mommies or Sparkle Boy aren’t [getting] access to them. Children who are in families with two moms need to see themselves in a book to feel validated [and to] feel like they have a place in the world.” 

But these books don’t just bring visibility to a community that needs it — if they can reach allies, they have the power to change hearts and minds. 

“Children who are not in those families need to see [these] books [too],” she says. “So they can see that there are all different kinds of families, [and] the most important thing about a family is that all the people in it love each other.” 

In addition to writing, Newman visits elementary and high schools across the country, advocating for safe, inclusive school curricula and programs like Gay-Straight Alliances. 

Newman is a prime example of how one person’s voice can make a difference. Newman’s life and legacy are a reminder of the power of one person’s voice to make a difference. As close friend and former Hostetter-Habib Family Award honoree, Peggy Gillespie, writes, “Her commitment to LGBTQ+ people and families, most especially to our children, has been life-changing for so many of our families.  She never stops writing and speaking on behalf of our community.”