Can You Put Gay Characters In A Kid's Book?

Christian Science Monitor:

Would a book with a pair of gay characters appear at Scholastic's book fairs? If not, there was angry talk of a boycott. And if so, well, there is also angry talk of a boycott. The book in question is a novel called Luv Ya Bunches by Lauren Myracle.

Read the whole story: Christian Science Monitor

Comments

[dukesman2000]

They have them on TV (Ernie and Bert) I don't see why not. Comeon, y'all know friends don't take baths together with "rubber duckies."

[brady61995]

yes as long as the content is with in the reading groups maturity/reading level. I would buy books that had my gay neighbors joe and phil as the babysitters or whatever. there is nothing wrong with gay characters in childrens books at all in my opinion. the question is how do you express a gay person in a book without stereotyping not all gays act look or are the same by any means.

[iamjones]

you are not asking, "CAN you put gay characters in a kid's book?". of course one CAN......

what you are asking is, "SHOULD you put gay characters in your kid's book if you want it published and to be successful?"

[Nunnya]

Why not?

[wm1066]

Having grown up in a small farming community in Minnesota in the 1950's my kindergarden teacher and the first grade teacher were gay and living together,(at the time I didn't know what that was) they also belonged to our church. I don't remember anyone having a problem with them. They both loved kids and they didn't indoctrinate anyone that I can remember. The kindergarden teacher had a great doll collection.
Man, its a different time now..thank you Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson for bringing up the hate! Its only a small group that has a problem with this but they sure like to hate on it big time.

[wm1066]

I should ad that in the 19 century and the early part of the 20 century school marms in the western states weren't allowed to marry and for women teachers to live together was common. My grandmother had to give up teaching when she got married. I can't say what it was like out east but on the plains this is the way it was.

[iScan]

Put em in there! It is only natural. It is just like sex, why try to hide something you know they will figure out anyways? You're only kidding yourself, and insulting your children's intelligence.

[Liberal Angel]

Children need to be exposed to the world. Gay people exist, and that will never change. Gay people start out as gay kids. We need to see people and characters like us. Why is it such a bad thing to ackowledge there are gay children?

[wadenelson1]

Children don't see the world through sexual eyes.

The only way to put "gay characters" in a children's book is to somehow introduce the issue of sexuality. Intentionally adding "phrases" like "partner" Force the issue upon the reader, or parent, who is asked to explain.

Why would you do that? To what end or benefit?

I'm not suggesting gay people should be invisible. But, like TV commercials today, does every ad have to include a person of color, or alternate sexuality?

[comraderoger]

Oh good grief.

By this absurdly narrow definition, then there should be NO mixed gender couples allowed either.

One of the characters in this book has lesbian parents. And, instead of the conversation being about sexuality, why can't it be about love?

'Well, Susie, the reason Rose has two mommies is because they love each other.'

How hard is that?

[standforpeace]

If the child in a book has a family that is portrayed, the parents might be a man and a woman, two women, or two men. The child's parents might be the same race or an interracial couple. One of the parents might be in a wheel chair. Some families might speak a language other than English at home. If there are dozens or hundreds of books at a book fair, how is the fact that some of them have families that might not look like yours equivalent to forcing anything on anyone? What this seems like is that one book out of the many at this book fair is going to have one family among the four that are portrayed in that one book where there is a same sex couple. This isn't pushing an agenda, it's just providing stories for kids that reflect all of our realities, not just yours.

And by the way, since you are so opposed to folks forcing the issue with the word "partner" can I assume that you support the movement to give gays and lesbians the right to marry so that they can meet the legal definition of the less "pushy" terms-- you know, husband or wife?

[mydwyf]

All so p.c.
Why not multiple parents ?
Say a bisexual married to a man and a woman ?
Let's be fair here if we're going to be all politically correct.
Instead of just going overboard on bogosity.