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Description:
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Fiction that incorporates gay , lesbian , bisexual , transgender , or questioning of
heterosexuality itself (GLBTQ ) themes and characters has been noted among the most
widely censored novels for young adults (ALA , 2007 ; Finnessy , 2002 ; Karolides , 2002 ) .
Despite many teachers’ and librarians’ anxiety about even recommending a novel that
includes homosexual characters , more novels with GLBTQ characters and themes are
receiving significant literary accolades and awards . Furthermore , acclaimed researcher
and young adult literary historian , Michael Cart (2004 ) notes that reading young adult
literature , “the quintessential literature of the outsider ,” provides “the lifesaving
necessity of seeing one’s own face reflected in the pages of a good book and the
corollary comfort that derives from the knowledge that one is not alone” (p . 46 ) . For
GLBTQ youth , this is exceptionally important given the heteronormative structures in
place to monitor and control sexual and gender identities and expressions .
With this in mind , I utilized a dynamic and multi -faceted analytic approach ,
including interpretivist , textual discursive , and literary analyses , to examine seventeen
GLBTQ themed novels for images , characterizations , and messages depicted about nonconforming sexualities and gender identities . I sought to answer three primary
questions : 1 ) What are the networks or systems of power that are unveiled as inhibiting
the identities of the characters ? 2 ) How are the identities of these characters constructed ?
3 ) What messages do the texts convey regarding nonconforming sexual and gender
identities ?
I found that the authors largely created dynamic , three -dimensional characters
with complex histories and narratives that affirm and validate GLBTQ identities .
Moreover , I observed two overarching set of factors : one that encompasses culturally
mediated forces , which include cultural institutions and practices , persecution , and social
networks , and a second that emphasizes a critical modernist construction of identity .
Additionally , I found a progressive -oriented didacticism pervasive through the texts that
positively portrays GLBTQ characters , denounces homophobia , frequently challenges
heteronormative assumptions and behaviors , and instructs readers about various issues
and conflicts common to GLBTQ youth . |