A Good Way To Address (and Resolve) LGBT Questions, Bullying, and Discomfort

     I was pretty curious about this week's readings since I have never read any LGBT literature before. I am happy to say that I was pleased with both novels as a teacher and a reader. Both books were funny, engaging, and addressed important issues occurring in our schools.

      I am really glad that I read these books. They have greatly expanded my mind and perspectives on the LGBT community. I feel like I can at least understand a little bit more what this group of people goes through. I feel this is especially important for teachers. Teenagers struggle enough to figure out who they are without stressing about not being accepted because they might be gay. From reading the articles, especially “From Queer to Gay,” I learned also that young adult literature that has gay characters has not really been published but is now on the rise. I think this will help gay students feel better about who they are. Also, other students will hopefully understand and not mistreat their gay peers. I think that with these kind of books, ones that have characters from all walks of life, students will be more comfortable discussing and learning about the LGBT community

      Although this week is all about learning about LGBT young adult literature, The Misfits and Totally Joe also bring up another hot issue in our schools .I am talking about bullying. Bullying is a horrible thing that often goes unnoticed in our classrooms. These books can help students find a role model on how to deal with these issues and perhaps make them think twice before bullying others.

As a teacher, I would honestly recommend these books to any student, whether gay, straight, or if I had no idea of their sexual identity. These books are important for all students to read because all students deserve fair treatment. These books are a great way for students to learn about the LGBT community. Honestly, students would definitely be able to handle these books, even if parents and teachers are uncomfortable with the topics brought up in the book.

I would also like to mention that I loved how Totally Joe was written. The alphabiography is a project I would love to do with my own students.

       It was also interesting to read about the picture books that discuss having gay parents. I think these are good for teaching even really young students about diversity. They should be in our school libraries even if a lot of people have problems with it. It is important to teach tolerance at a young age, and banning these books would send a horrible message about the kind of society we live in. It doesn't matter what kind of personal beliefs an individual may hold about being gay. Everyone deserves to be treated fairly and equally. A good way to reach that is through YA literature in the classroom.

Howe, J. (2001). The misfits. New York, NY: Aladdin Paperbacks.

Howe, J. (2005). Totally Joe. New York, NY: Anthem Books for Young Readers.

Jenkins, C. (1998).  From queer to gay and back again:  Young adult novels with  gay/lesbian/queer content, 1969-1997. Library Quarterly, 68(3), 298-334.

Stewig, J. W. (1994). Self-censorship of picture books about gay and lesbian families. New Advocate, 7(3), 184-192.