Houston, we have a representation problem in LGBT+ YA...

Please don't get me wrong, I really do love that LGBT+ literature is trickling into mainstream culture. I appreciate the fact that straight, cisgender authors are making an effort to include diversity in their books, and I truly applaud that. But it causes me concern that the vast majority of the popular new representation features cisgender queer men and is severely lacking in #ownvoices authors.

Most of the popular LGBT+ books in mainstream YA right now were written by women and yet feature M/M couples. This frustrates me because I've heard multiple people post about how they're "obsessed with gay romance" who've never read any books featuring lesbians or trans people, much less #ownvoices literature.

A short list of the main novels featuring LGBT+ characters that I've seen hyped in literary circles:

 

Jandy Nelson's I'll Give You the Sun - Rainbow Rowell's Carry On - Maggie Stiefvater's The Raven King

Becky Albertalli's Simon vs. The Homo Sapiens Agenda - Benjamin Alire Sáenz's Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe - Cassandra Clare's City of Bones

Individual Gay Young Men Count: 8 (if I'm doing this correctly)

Individual Lesbian Count: 0

Bisexual Young Men Count: 3

Bisexual Young Women Count: 0

Guys With Undefined Sexualities Count: 1

Gals With Undefined Sexualities Count: 0

Trans Character Count: 0

M/M Couples Count: 5

F/F Couples Count: 0

Explicitly Stated QPOC: 3 (if I remember correctly- please correct me if I'm wrong)

#ownvoices Count: 1/6 (I'm giving Benjamin Alire Sáenz this one for being a Latino author)

Authors Who Are Not Gay Men: 5/6, 1/6 unknown

Authors Who Are Women Writing About Gay Men: 5/6

I understand that authors are writing these characters with only the best intentions, and I'm not attacking these authors. I'm not saying that you shouldn't read, buy, and hype their awesome books. I've read and adore most of this list. Yet I cannot deny that this genre has become so male-centric, even while it is dominated by female authors. How did this happen? Why is it that when authors, even female authors, look to add LGBT+ representation they primarily reach for cisgender queer men (usually white men)?

Coming back to some of the self-professed book nerds I've witnessed who have read most of these but never touched a lesbian romance, this worries me. There are many theories about this, all of them kind of worrying. First off, this can give many literary circles a sense of complacency. Yes, we're currently surrounded by representation- but there are so many LGBT+ people who don't see themselves in the current lineup of popular LGBT+ books. Also, it makes me worry that readers (and possibly some authors) are fetishizing gay men. Of course, I could probably get another whole post out of writing about this, but to get the point across: if you write or consume literature, what draws you to M/M relationships so much? If you're straight but "obsessed with gay romance," what is it that draws you to that genre? Why do you like reading about M/M relationships so much? Why not F/F relationships?

Chances are that you haven't heard of many books featuring lesbians, WLW (women-loving-women), and trans people. You might not have seen these underrepresented people in the media, or know any in real life. It might be that gay men are the very first people who come to mind when you think "LGBT+" (and if that's the case, you need to work on that). Possibly lesbians might make you uncomfortable, or maybe you find it easier to read/write about gay men- which is something you'll need to get over. Heck, I don't have all the answers. I'm mainly here to talk about the fact that we have a problem, and I hope you're starting to realize that too.

This isn't the fault of any one person. But we're turning a blind eye to the desperately needed representation of queer people of color, WLW, and trans people, whether deliberately or subconsciously.

Ok, at this point I'm self-aware enough to know that a lot of this is whining. Yes, I'm whining. I'm frustrated, and I'm afraid that people consuming mainstream literature are starting to fetishize gay men. If I've frustrated you, or you're scared too, or even if you disagree- I challenge you to do better. Write better, read better, and hype better, please!

This isn't a problem we can't solve, even if the causes aren't clear. All of us can make an effort to read and recommend more of the YA lit that features queer women, QPOC and trans people. We can encourage authors to write diverse narratives that go beyond featuring white gay men, and praise authors who do. We can write better LGBT+ representation, and we can write our own narratives.

We can do better.

Write better.

Read better.

Hype better.

Thank you for reading.

Edit: I will be following this up with a queer #ownvoices list, if you would like my help diversifying your reading list (which I hope you do!).

Top 10 Tuesday: Books That Have Under 2,000 Ratings On Goodreads

This week, I'm participating in Top 10 Tuesday, which is a weekly meme created by The Broke and the Bookish.

The challenge proved to be harder than I initially thought it would be- I originally thought I would have no problem finding 10 of these. But after looking at my Goodreads account, I found quite a few books with <2000 ratings that I would prefer stay in the abyss of obscurity and not quite enough lovable, obscure books. Apparently I don't read as many super unknown books as I thought I did? So, rather than share a bunch of books that I really don't like, I've supplemented this list with some books that have more ratings than specified, but these all have <5000 ratings. For simplicity's sake, this list doesn't include comics that would qualify.

Here are the books!

Top 6 Books That Have Under 2,000 ratings

1. Silhouette of a Sparrow by Molly Beth Griffin was an absolute gem. It's historical, it's cute, it's woman-centered, and it stars two young lesbians without being creepy or age-gappy! Seriously, there are like two men in the entire novel and about a million awesome female characters. It can be a little cheesy at times, but it's quite a lovely coming-of-age novel and very underrated.

2. Dust City by Robert Paul Weston has been a favorite of mine since I was young. If you like fairy tale retellings, especially with dark twists, this is for you. What happens when the magic starts to run out in a happily-ever-after world? This novel will show you, and might shock you. It has a really cool vaguely post-apocalyptic setting with a lovable protagonist and isn't super sad.

3. Through the Dark by Alexandra Bracken is a collection of novellas that I read courtesy of the wonderful Clara @ Lost in My Library, and it made me cry. Multiple times. I do not recommend reading this while you're trapped on a bus with 30 other teenagers for the next 8 hours, but I do highly recommend reading this sometime (preferably at home with a blanket and/or a small animal). This collection is absolutely beautiful and poignant- a perfect extension of the intricate, heartbreaking world developed in the The Darkest Minds series. 

4. Hurt Go Happy by Ginny Rorby is cute and sad and beautiful and you should read it. It's kind of a coming of age novel that features a deaf girl navigating life, friendship, and tragedy while learning her own identity. It is pretty sad, but the kind of bittersweet sad that made me reflect about life instead of inconsolably sobbing for several hours. It's really great, trust me.

5. Lizard Radio by Pat Schmatz is a book I've posted about before, and I'll post about it again because it's super cool. Did someone say surrealist science fiction? This novel is definitely trippy and not for everyone, but one of very few YA books with gender nonconforming protagonists. There's also a great message and a hopeful ending, helping to create an absolutely unique and unforgettable adventure.

6. Willful Machines by Tim Floreen has one of the most unique premises I've seen lately, featuring a whole host of ethical questions with a great gay romance. Also, dystopian robots. Just, dystopian robots. What more could one want in a novel beyond gays and dystopian robots?

Honorable Mentions (slightly above 2,000 ratings but still underrated and great):

7. Love in the Time of Global Warming by Francesca Lia Block has quite a few haters, but I don't love it any less. Yes, it is a flawed book. Yes, it is slightly confusing. Yes, please stop bashing it. I loved this book for its adorable yet courageous crew of queer kids on a roadtrip mission to survive the surrealist apocalyse. Think Mad Max crossed with Percy Jackson and made a thousand times gayer. It's kind of trippy, and the magical realism tends to frustrate many readers, but don't take anything too seriously and just accept the story world and you should be ok. This book also inspired the title of my blog (non sum qualis eram) and holds a very dear place in my heart. It has a beautiful cover and one of the few positive, non-invasive portrayals of a trans guy in YA Lit, and I just love it so, so much.

8. Beautiful Music for Ugly Children by Kirstin Cronn-Mills is another one of those precious positive portrayals of trans guys in YA. I read it last summer and loved it a lot. There were a few things that definitely irked me as a trans person, but it was a very cute and positive coming-of-age story with a quite satisfying ending.

9. Gabi, a Girl in Pieces by Isabel Quintero is an intersectional feminist powerhouse and chock full of girlpower. Gabi attempts to survive senior year while the world throws challenge after challenge her way. Poetry, family, and friendship are her rocks. There is a lot of serious content in this book, and it's presented in a light way but still some very heavy stuff. However, it has a beautiful ending that makes the entire book worth reading.

10. Lies We Tell Ourselves by Robin Talley is another fabulous book I owe to Clara @ Lost in My Library. It's  a bittersweet book, and doesn't flinch away from the time period it's set in. Two girls slowly fall in love despite the obstacles that the time of school desegregation throws at them. Admittedly, one girl is facing quite a few more obstacles, and this novel describes them in vivid detail. This book will not be easy to read, but it will be worth it.