You want to put WHAT in my YA?
June is National Pride Month. As today is the last day of June, my co-worker and fellow teen enthusiast Christie Gibrich presents a wrap up of her presentation from the 2012 ALA Conference on GLBTQ trends in teen fiction. Don’t forget to check out TLT blogger Stephanie Wilkes Top 10 list of GLBTQ titles.
GLBTQ books started out as pulp fiction passed around after WWII much like you might have snuck around to read the Harlequin romances your mom had stashed away in the bedroom. From there, they moved to small presses and self-published works. Large publishers released books with gay and lesbian characters, but it was much like Brandon from the movie Easy A: a side character, easy forgotten, and often not necessary. And unlike Brandon, who got his dancer in the end, all of the gay and lesbian characters had a bad end – death, madness, loneliness – no one got past the first kiss. It wasn’t until John Donovan’s “I’ll Get There, It Better Be Worth the Trip” (1969) that someone survived, and even then, it wasn’t really the fairy tale of happy ever after. It was as if publishing decided that mainstream wasn’t ready for GLBTQ population to have their Disney Cinderella ending, so it shouldn’t be published.
What publishing says seems to go. While we as a profession are making a difference in getting GLBTQ materials to our patrons, we are fighting an uphill battle. As librarians, we have to find these books, which is an issue when they are not being cataloged or tagged by the publishers as GLBTQ. We have to source reviews from publications, which are few and far between. When we do get them in the collections, they are oftentimes challenged or the books themselves are censored, such as in the public library in Kansas City or the Shawnee Mission School District, or most recently in Davis County, Utah.
But when we are successful, the benefits are immense. Statistical estimates suggest that 1 out of every 10 people is gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgender, and those are just statistics that can be gathered by those who report it. Throw in teenagers who are questioning everything they know, and the number is sure to skyrocket. And like all teens, they’re looking for models in reading: something to escape in, but also something to let them know that they’re not alone, that there are others out there like them. They may not be able to come out to their families, or their friends, or their teachers- but they may be able to find their answers in books. And, if you’re the person who can give them that peace, they may feel comfortable enough to come back and talk to you. That’s why it’s so important to have not only books with GLBTQ material in them, but also a quality and well rounded GLBTQ collection.
YA in general is very fickle and faddish and has terminal ADD, and once something is determined to be “popular” you get a bazillion knock-offs. There weren’t a ton of vampire books until Twilight got popular, and now you’ve got at least 10 series with more on the way about vampires and werewolves. Then it was angels and fallen angels –very popular. Post-apocalyptic/dystopias and zombies are huge since the end of the world predictions have come around again. It cycles like crazy, faster than a merry-go-round on fast forward. With a library’s ever dwindling collection budget, you have to be careful, or in two years, all you’ll have is vampire dystopias, and teens will have moved on to empowering faith fiction.
GLBTQ books mirror not only the YA publishing in general but also the topical news cycle. There were books on gay bashing and bullying, but in 2010 when the first cluster of gay suicides hit national news media, the major publishing houses took note, and then we got tons of bully books…and we still have them coming.
There have always been relationship books in GLBT YA, and there always will be because there are relationship books in YA. On the bright side, we’re getting further with those relationships, because publishing has decided teens need things edgier. Something new is that we’re getting more bisexual interests, and love triangles, and trans relationships in there – I AM J was a HUGE leap forward. Boyfriends with Girlfriends. Positive romances like Will Grayson, Will Grayson, and Putting Makeup on the Fat Boy. Positive friend relationships like Sister, Sister. Modeling in the books that a GLBTQ teen can find if they want it, without the cover shouting out IT’S A QUEER BOOK!!!!!! Another trend that’s starting to show up is the straight members of families dealing with their not-so-straight siblings and parents. That’s right, mom/dad has come out of the closet! Now what?
As for non-fiction for YA, it’s non-existent unless it’s separate but equal. Dealing with your two mommies. Your two daddies. How to date gay. That’s lovely, but that’s not working with anymore with teens and tweens- they DON’T SEE IT THAT WAY. Want to help erase the stigma of being gay? BE INCLUSIVE! We need biographies about GLBTQ pop stars that are relevant, not the same age as their parents. We need books on the GLBTQ movement written on the YA level – they’re not there. We need dating and GLBT chapters in the sex ed books that are published for girls/guys.
GLBTQ YA material has come a long way from its birth in 1969, but still has so much room for improvement. With each generation, we’re getting closer to the point where GLBTQ is simply part of the norm, so why shouldn’t publishers do the same?
Looking for recommended GLBTQ YA materials?
Rainbow List: a joint project of the GLBT-RT and SRRT of ALA, this committee publishes a recommended booklist every Midwinter Meeting of new books for birth through 18: http://glbtrt.ala.org/rainbowbooks/
Lambda Literary: Giving out an award every year in a variety of categories including LGBT Children’s/Young Adult, Lambda Literary is also an excellent source for reviews: http://www.lambdaliterary.org/
Stonewall Children’s and Young Adult Award: founded in 2010, this awardrecognizes an English-language children’s book “of exceptional merit relating to the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered experience.” :https://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/rts/glbtrt/stonewall/honored/index.cfm
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About Karen Jensen, MLS
Karen Jensen has been a Teen Services Librarian for almost 30 years. She created TLT in 2011 and is the co-editor of The Whole Library Handbook: Teen Services with Heather Booth (ALA Editions, 2014).
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