Where Are the Teen-Lit Protagonists Who Just Happen to Be Gay?

Recently, the headline in a New York Times Style blog asked a question: why so few gay characters in teen fiction? The post points out that there may be plenty of gay heroes in young adult literature, but where are the heroes who just happen to be gay? Not wrestling with it, or suicidal about it, but just, well, it?

That question, arriving on the tail-end of National Coming Out Day, hit home for me; I'm a just-over-30 children's fiction writer and former Broadway dancer for whom being gay has always felt like only one of my key attributes, ranking somewhere below "born in San Francisco!" and above "but... raised in Pittsburgh."

Ellen DeGeneres came out when I was 17. That event was momentous but, weirdly, almost made it harder for me to break the news to my parents. Suddenly, being gay meant getting a Time magazine cover, which felt anything but normal. I was tormented at school for being different (though even I didn't like wearing tights in ballet class) but lucky enough to have a supportive family who understood something I wish more of us talked about: being gay can be as important an adjective (or verb) as you want it to be, but it doesn't have to be the only one that defines you.

Yes, young adult fiction does need good stories with good characters (who just happen to be gay), because it's a reflection of the world we live in. With the vast majority of Millennials supporting full equal rights for all, there are bound to be more and more kids for whom coming out may be a big day but maybe not the biggest. Perhaps someday it can even be just another day: National Great, You're Gay, That's Fantastic and We Love You, Now Pass the Remote Day.

I'm not suggesting that everyone's "growing up gay" story is as relatively pain-free as mine. Thank God (and Ellen) I wasn't kicked out of the house when I came out, ending up as one of the 20 to 40 percent of homeless youth who are gay. And I can't imagine being back on the schoolyard, in one of the 32 states with laws that don't protect kids from bullying. We have brilliant voices for helping us tell difficult stories: author Sherman Alexie "writes in blood" to give "weapons" to kids living in a difficult, confusing world; Lauren Myracle's book Shine was just nominated for a National Book Award (or not?) for a story that centers around a gay teen's beating. The horrors and just-plain-queasiness of being "different" need to be catalogued, and they are.

But when I set out to write my first book for teenagers, I wanted to show another side of growing up gay, where you're less tortured about the world than you are just generally curious about it. Am I ever going to make it through Algebra? Will my parents stay together? Does anyone else notice how adorable the substitute teacher looks in those chinos? These are also the trials and tribulations of gay teens. All teens, for that matter.

The Times is asking if there's room for all sorts of heroes in kidlit, and I (and my agent and editor, and many other authors) -- say yes. It's important to have the tougher tales on the shelves, because their stories will touch and even save lives. But there's also room for joyful adventures with dynamic characters who just happen to be a lot of things -- gay, goth, ghost -- because, maybe minus the ghosts, that's the world we live in, too. I wouldn't write it any other way.

 

Follow Tim Federle on Twitter: www.twitter.com/TimFederle

Comments

[Cara M]

11:08 PM on 11/04/2011

I am so down with this. I really think I spent my entire teenager-hood and a good deal of my college years trying to find a book with a kick ass heroine, who slew dragons and had awesome adventures, and got the girl.

We need more YA characters who happen to be gay, and we need them for the kids who don't want to have to read grim issue novels. What about the fantasy ones, the sci-fi ones, the mysteries and comedies, and even the babysitters?

We want our young readers to be able to believe that they can be the heroes of their own story, whatever kind of story they want it to be.

[TheNextVoiceofYouth]

06:22 PM on 10/18/2011

As an aspiring young adult author, I've read YA literature voraciously.While I agree with what you say, I think that without some conflict involved with just being gay, there is not much of a story. After all, comedy and tragedy go hand in hand. However, there is one book I think features what you have in mind: Will Grayson, Will Grayson by David Leviathan and Barry Lyga.

[Sanction YA]

01:56 PM on 10/18/2011

I agree with everything being said, as a Young Adult Author in a multi-author series we are dealing with creating many characters that need to be more than just one defining attribute, but whether it is sexual orientation or just being one of the few at anything, isn't being a teen about coming to grips with your identity?
We have both gay and lesbian characters that in some cases struggle with that in certain parts of their life, but on some days the struggle to not fail math has to be as big a challenge.
Thanks for the great article and interesting discussion!
Terry Kate

[lg111]

08:41 AM on 10/18/2011

While I think the "coming out" stories are important, I think it's equally important to have YA protagonists who just happen to be gay. They're the continuations of the previous stories - showing that it's actually normal, and life does go on. Some books that exhibit this, that I can think of, are "Will Grayson, Will Grayson," "Love Story Staring My Dead Best Friend," and "Boy Meets Boy." (The latter, while exhibiting a bit of magical realism, is quite great.)

[cew314]

01:26 PM on 10/17/2011

As a YA librarian, and one who reads voraciously, I'd like to say that there are plenty of YA novels where the kids just happen to be gay. Keep reading, and you'll find them!

[Fletch17C]

04:32 PM on 10/17/2011

I read "Rainbow Boys" by Alex Sanchez a while ago. Good book. I haven't had a chance to read the next 2 books yet.

[Eva fate]

07:49 PM on 10/16/2011

I've been wondering this lately, too. I can only name a handful of gay teen or YA characters, most are the close friend of a heroine in some form of chick lit...
Almost all the stories I've read about gay teens are basically stories about coming out, figuring out what being gay means for you, etc.
I'd really like to see more stories about gay teens and young adults who do something other than be gay.

[Incitatus91]

02:46 PM on 10/15/2011

Honestly, I feel like this is the case with the representation of most minority characters, not solely in books, but in movies and television as well (although the last two are improving, somewhat). Whether they be gay, black, Hispanic, overweight, ect., I feel like these attributes always seem to define the character rather than just be a detail. I think it's people because people tend to focus on the small things that separate us from others rather than the experiences that unite us all. It's must easier to create an archtype than a complex character.

[Some Teacher]

07:06 AM on 10/15/2011

The example that jumped to mind for me was Albus Dumbledore in J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter books. There were a few subtle hints in the books, but his being gay was something that only came out in an interview later. That be more powerful than having it explicit in the narrative.

http://pedanticpoliticalponderings.blogspot.com/

[BlackJAC]

02:34 PM on 10/14/2011

In all seriousness, perhaps it's because teenagers are still getting comfortable with being gay, whereas adults have long since come to accept it as a simple fact of life.

[Tim Federle]

10:03 AM on 10/15/2011

BlackJAC - I think that's true with SOME teenagers as well as SOME adults, and for that reason, it's important to have stories (on the page and in TV, film, and real life) that reflect a range of experiences and comfort levels.

[BlackJAC]

03:39 PM on 10/15/2011

You forget that interest in any sort of sexual activity doesn't emerge until the teen years, so for a teen character to already be gay they'd've had to come to that realization back in the single-digit years when you still don't know what sex even is.  It's about as realistic as Gossip Girl showing 14-year-olds being regularly served martinis in upscale bars.