The Great Gay Checklist
In relation to that post on Hero, this is what I am doing. I'm going to read or reread every YA/JFIC book I can involving or relating to GLBTQ characters, take notes, and see how they fare.
Here is the list of things I am looking for:
- name calling - malicious name calling; faggot, dyke, fucking homo, etc.
- destruction of personal property - includes but is not limited to lockers, lawns, cars, posters advertising glbtq clubs, etc
- homophobic parents - "I didn't raise you to be queer."
- homophobic friends - "I hate queers."
- loss of friends - "You're a queer and I hate you now."
- "Runner-up syndrome" - Well, the love of my life isn't gay, so I'll settle for the next best thing and fool the reader into thinking it's a happy ending.
- secret keeping - "We can't tell anyone about us," or "I won't tell anyone and probably go insane."
- physical abuse - from threatening behavior to getting beat up to rape.
- runs away from home/gets kicked out - self explanatory
- death - Yes, I actually have to put this here. I can think of two off the top of my head.
"But Jill," you say. "That stuff happens in real life. All the time. Most of these books are being written by actual, real life gay people, and they're just writing their experiences."
Sure. I get that. I don't want to belittle them, or their experiences, or how important it is to write about reality. But I bet if you asked any of those authors about their lives and those very same experiences, they would say "my life sucked." Thier lives sucks, my life sucks, I read for escapism, I'd like to read something other than gay kids and how much thier lives suck.
I want options. I don't think that's a lot to ask.
What am I really doing and how do I plan on using this information?
- I'd like to compile a list of recommendable, relatively hate-free YA/JF gay-friendly books. They are few and far between and extremely hard to find.
- I'd like to write my OWN hate-free YA/JF gay friendly book someday. I am doing research, learning what not to do, and what traps not to fall into.
- I get to read a lot of books, durhur. :B
Empress of the World by Sara Ryan
Driveby Synopsis: Relatively introverted Nicola Lancaster spends the summer at an on-campus program for gifted youth for eight weeks. She meets and befriends some pretty excellent people, including beautiful Battle Hall Davies, with whom she falls in love.
Checklist: Name calling. On one occasion. Not even terribly malicious name calling. And it's not even "Lol ur a dyke" name calling, but "aha she dumped you for a dude." (More on this shortly.) Really amazingly close to perfect. God job, Sara Ryan.
Notes: I first read this book a few years ago, either during or immediately after The Thing With Liz, so it left a bad taste in my mouth, because it hit way too close to home. The obvious plot point, Nic and Battle breaking up, and Battle turning immediately to Kevin, hurts to read. I'm actually debating as to whether that should go on the checklist, the "Oops, sorry you fell in love with me, but I was just experimenting" syndrome. That's not exactly the case in this book, Nic and Battle DO get their happy ending. I'm not sure this happens often enough in glbtq lit to warrant going on the list, but it's happened enough to me that it feels like it does.
In the end, it was a really good read, and I probably would have enjoyed it a whole lot more if it didn't feel like it was written about me.
Keeping You a Secret by Julia Anne Peters
Driveby Synopsis: Holland Jaeger, over-achieving, student council president, All American Girl Next Door with obsessive, overbearing "I want for you what I didn't have" mother meets and falls in love with out-and-proud transfer student Cece.
Checklist: Name calling, destruction of personal property (lockers, slashed tires), homophobe parents, homophobe friends, loss of friends, secret keeping (see: the title), physical abuse (threatening behavior against Cece), gets kicked out.
Notes: What a rollercoaster of misery this one is. The prolonged flirtation between Holland and Cece is adorable. When they finally hook up, I had to cheer. Happy times end there. Holland has to break up with her long-time serious boyfriend Seth, the overwhelming homophobia of the entire student body, the resistance to forming a lesbigay club (as opposed to a gsa) at school, the hatred from Holland's friend Kirsten, Holland's mom kicking her out of the house and changing the locks when she finds out, and on and on and on.
The book has a happy ending, except for the whole, "living in a run-down homeless shelter having been disowned by my family" thing. Cece and Holland stay together, Holland's relationship with goth stepsister Faith goes well, and she ends up pursuing art at the local college as opposed to pre-law out of state(her mother's idea.) Still a bumpy ride, one I wouldn't pick up again.
Next up: Totally Joe