Things I want to see (or see more of) in YA LGBT fiction
This is February's topic for Cayce's LGBT reading challenge. Since I'm a writer myself, it's part-wishlist, part-worklist. :)
1. I want to see more YA LGBT fiction that doesn't revolve around sexual orientation. Queerness is not a personality trait and has to stop being treated as such. It's also a problem when the entire plot of a book can be described as "this character is queer." Surprise, LGBT teens DO have lives that extend beyond the angst of being not-straight! Seriously, let's move on.
2. In connection to number one, I want to see more YA LGBT stories outside the contemporary and romance genres. Queer people are allowed to exist in mystery books, fantasy books, sci-fi books, horror books, etc. It is not necessary to "justify" their existence in other genres by giving them a plot arc focused on their non-straightness. A queer person in a zombie book would be way too busy trying to stay alive to wax poetry about how hard it is to be queer.
3. I want to see more YA LGBT books address intersectionality. Queer people are not all white and able-bodied. There are people who are POC, disabled, and queer ALL AT ONCE. The breadth of human experience is almost endless, so why is it that most fiction doesn't reflect this? We've got work to do, yo.
1. I want to see more YA LGBT fiction that doesn't revolve around sexual orientation. Queerness is not a personality trait and has to stop being treated as such. It's also a problem when the entire plot of a book can be described as "this character is queer." Surprise, LGBT teens DO have lives that extend beyond the angst of being not-straight! Seriously, let's move on.
2. In connection to number one, I want to see more YA LGBT stories outside the contemporary and romance genres. Queer people are allowed to exist in mystery books, fantasy books, sci-fi books, horror books, etc. It is not necessary to "justify" their existence in other genres by giving them a plot arc focused on their non-straightness. A queer person in a zombie book would be way too busy trying to stay alive to wax poetry about how hard it is to be queer.
3. I want to see more YA LGBT books address intersectionality. Queer people are not all white and able-bodied. There are people who are POC, disabled, and queer ALL AT ONCE. The breadth of human experience is almost endless, so why is it that most fiction doesn't reflect this? We've got work to do, yo.
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