Answers in the Pages

by David Levithan

“Hello,” Curtis said softly. I could see a few people on the stage lean forward to hear him. “My name is Curtis. Mr. Howe is my teacher. I want to tell everyone here that I am gay. I think it’s important you know that. A lot of the people here have been talking like there aren’t any gay kids in Mr. Howe’s class. They say that kids like me aren’t ready to read about Rick and Oliver. But they have that wrong. There are plenty of fifth graders who are LGBTQIA+. Some of us are ready to talk about it. Some of us want to keep it to ourselves. Some of us still need to figure it out. Being ready is our choice, not yours. My parents say that telling someone who you really are is a gift you give to them, not something you owe them. My parents are right. You cannot completely ignore us. You cannot say there can’t be books about kids like us. You can’t say you’re protecting us when you’re trying to stop us from being ourselves. I just want to tell you that I loved The Adventurers and I love Mr. Howe’s class. I think if you want to know what kids really need, then you should talk to us. So now I’m telling you what we need: more books, not fewer books. More love, not less love. Thank you.”