These literary works can also help them get rid of their pain and a feeling of isolation. Much of the queer literature focuses on building self confidence in such people. This will help them overcome their fears and be more open about their sexuality.

How queer literature helpspi LGBTQ people

The discovery of queer literature has been a revelation for most of the LGBTQ individuals. One of the impactful books in this category is Kenji Yoshino’s Covering. It discusses the various ways minorities use for hiding or covering their differences. They do this for conforming to the social norms. This book not only talks about gay rights but also reminds us how conditioned everyone is.

Queer literature has the power to provide joy and solace to the LGBTQ community. There are many towns outside of major cities where there are no gay bars. There’s hardly any place in such towns where the LGBTQ people can socialize without any worries.

Under such conditions, people from the queer community might feel scared of revealing their identities. The LGBTQ books come to the aid of such individuals by helping them get rid of this fear. Among them are Patricia Highsmith’s Price of Salt and Eileen Myles’ Chelsea Girls.

Creating a favorable environment for the queer population

An absence of influential role models for the LGBTQ people is another great problem. Most of the cultures in this world still view homosexuality as something extremely bad and sinful. So, the queer population grow up hearing stories of their ancestors and the popular heroes. They never get to hear about great examples from the LGBTQ community.

Most of the parents are obviously not interested in queer history. They may be more accepting of the sexuality of their children, but they never talk about role models. This is why the LGBTQ need queer literature. Stories play an important role in shaping cultures. So, the LGBTQ population must have sufficient exposure to stories about something that’s a part of them.

Books are much better than therapy

There was a time when governments had banned education around homosexuality. So, the kids grew up in an environment where there was rarely a discussion on homosexuality and homosexual people. Some were lucky to chance upon queer literature. Until the same-sex relationships were given recognition and same-sex marriages were legalized, these books provided them some comfort.

Among the things that these books taught them was how to choose a right partner. They offered some new ways of educating the queer people about their own sexuality. For many of the LGBTQ individuals who like to read, literature is often better than therapy.

Without being subject to any clinical therapy, they feel heard. Such books are more engaging and less prescriptive. Besides, there are stories that need to be told, as many of them would otherwise go unnoticed.

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Most of their struggles involve some serious mental and physical trials. While depicting these difficulties, the authors are also able to tell fascinating stories of love and triumph. For those interested in queer literature, here are a few recommendations:

1. Breakaway by Avon Gale

A twenty-year old NHL affiliate, Lane Courtnall, is drafted to play for Jacksonville Sea Storm. His future seems bright, but he feels a certain awkwardness for being gay. His teammates in the minor league hockey team alienate him after hearing certain ‘awkward’ things from him. During a game, Courtnall throws off his gloves against Jared Shore. He is the enforcer for the rival team, Savannah Renegades.

Shore is a bisexual and was left devastated after his love affair came to an end. Lane Courtnall gets closer to Shore and reminds him why love might be worth taking the risk. They’re at different points in their respective careers. Now both of them need to decide what’s most valuable for them.

2. Birthday by Meredith Russo

Morgan and Eric had arrived into this world on the same day. Besides, they were born at the same time and in the same hospital. The two are sometimes close and sometimes apart as the years pass. The story reaches new heights as both of them begin embracing their true selves. This book definitely has a brutal honesty to it. Birthday also tells a heartwarming story that’s more about exploring one’s true identity.

3. Fairest by Meredith Talusan

This memoir of Meredith Talusan is based on his experiences as an adolescent and young adult. He was once a young boy from a rural village in the Philippines and had albinism. During his immigration to the United States, he passes as white. He then grows up in the country to become a woman.

She suffers from the strain of parental neglect. Then there’s this elusive promise of the country’s citizenship. Talusan navigates through the issues of race, sexuality, class, and her place in the LGBTQ community. Her reflections shift the perceptions of readers about love, gender, identity, and life’s fairness.

4. Something to Talk About by Meryl Wilsner

Emma and Jo are brought closer to each other by an unexpected situation. Jo, an actress, is photographed on the red carpet. Her assistant, Emma, has a good laugh. Soon, the rumors of their romance spread far and wide, threatening their individual careers.

Emma and Jo discover that they’re happier with each other. The rumors certainly have a hint of truth, after all. The friendship between Jo and Emma gets deeper and romance blossoms between them.

5. Over the Top by Jonathan Van Ness

This memoir from Jonathan Van Ness reveals a more personal side. Jonathan Van Ness had to go through some dark days before the author became this shining individual today. The traumatic years and the many secrets that were deliberately hidden from the public are mentioned in the book. Although the book tells the tales of countless struggles, it also radiates with passion and positivity.

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We just can’t ignore the valuable contributions of the LGBTQ writers to the literary world. The works of several queer authors in history are studied in schools even today. Now let’s take a look at some of the best queer authors in history:

1. Emily Dickinson

Dickinson was an American poet, born into a prominent family in Amherst, Massachusetts. She spent much of her days away from social life and was seen as an eccentric by many. She didn’t even leave her bedroom later in life. Most of the friendships that she developed during her lifetime were maintained through correspondence. She was reluctant to greet her guests and had a liking for white clothing.

Despite all such eccentricities, she wrote nearly 1,800 poems. Only a few of them were published during her lifetime. They had to go through some significant edits to fit the conventional rules of poetry in those times. Some of these poems were dedicated to Susan Huntington Gilbert Dickinson, her sister-in-law.

2. Oscar Wilde

This Irish poet and playwright was one of the most popular playwrights of London in the late 19th century. He is mostly popular for his novel The Picture of Dorian Gray and many plays and epigrams. He also had to face criminal conviction and imprisonment for charges of gross indecency.

Wilde was famous for his wit, flamboyant dressing, and some fabulous conversational skills. Through a series of essays and dialogues, he communicated his views on the supremacy of art. The Ballad of Reading Gaol was Oscar Wilde’s last work. It was a long poem that talked about the difficult days that he spent in prison.

3. Virginia Woolf

She was among the prominent modernist authors of the 20th century. Woolf was born in South Kensington, London, into an affluent family. She, along with her sisters, received home-schooling in Victorian literature and English classics. Woolf had to deal with mental breakdowns during her childhood. They were the result of the death of her mother and her stepsister.

Later, she came into contact with the early reformers of higher education for women during her days in college. She began her professional writing career at the beginning of the 20th century. Woolf committed suicide in 1941 at the age of 59. Her famous literary works include the novels To the Lighthouse, Mrs Dalloway, and Orlando.

4. Tennessee Williams

Born Thomas Lanier Williams III on the 26th of March 1911, he became famous as Tennessee Williams. He used this pen name for his works in literature. He lived in obscurity until the age of 33. The success of his play, The Glass Menagerie, made him famous all of a sudden.

He also attempted a new literary style with his later work, but the audiences didn’t like it. During his lifetime, he also wrote several poems, essays, short stories, and memoirs. His induction into the American Theater Hall of Fame came four years prior to his death.

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However, it was evident from the success of Spring Fire that there was indeed a market for such books. The novel was about a college girl who falls for another female. As with most of the early queer novels, their affair ends in tragedy. When their love affair is discovered, one of them is sent to a mental institution. The other girl ends up rejecting her homosexual feelings.

Although Meaker didn’t like the ending, her publisher was of the opinion that it was necessary. The book would’ve been declared obscene if they portrayed homosexuality in a positive light.

Homosexuality and queer YA literature over the years

The treatment of the LGBTQ community in the United States was quite bleak when Spring Fire was on the shelves. The American Psychiatric Association considered homosexuality as a mental disorder during those days. People belonging to the LGBTQ community were not given positions in the government. The reason was that people saw such individuals as a security threat.

Everyone looked upon the LGBTQ with discomfort, disgust, or fear. Even more dismal were their views towards transgender people. In a poll published in 1967, most of the Americans disapproved of homosexual relationships. The scenario is totally different in recent times. There’s a wider acceptance of same-sex marriages.

The amount of young adult (YA) books that feature queer characters has been growing considerably. In the 1970s, roughly one of such books was on the shelves every year. This increased to seven per year towards the end of the 20th century. Now, more than 50 queer YA novels release annually.

The early queer YA novels

The YA books mostly reflect the changes that are taking place in the world. They also take into consideration the treatment of queer people in the modern world. A significant increase in queer YA literature has, in a way, mirrored the rise of LGBTQ activism.

The Second World War created some of the early LGBT communities. Both men and women soldiers who were always looking for others like them, found their partners in the military. Many consider I’ll Get There. It Better Be Worth the Trip as the first queer YA novel. This book by John Donovan came out just weeks before the Stonewall Riots.

The book tells the tale of a 13-year-old named Davy. He moves in with his alcoholic mother and gets into a relationship with his classmate. He even has a sexual encounter with this classmate after a kiss. Davy’s dog gets killed in a hit-and-run incident. The event shatters him to a great extent. He wonders whether the relationship with his classmate was the reason.

The book tried to find a correlation between the character’s same-sex attraction and the death of a loved one. This became one of the early themes of queer YA novels. Among the first books to reverse this trend was Nancy Garden’s Annie on My Mind.

Annie on My Mind

Published in the year 1982, Annie on My Mind talks about two girls in New York City. They first become close friends and later their friendship develops into a romantic relationship. A refreshing change in this novel compared to the earlier ones was that both the characters survived. Not only did they survive but their love survived as well.

This idea in queer YA literature at the time was no less than revolutionary. As expected, there were some major retaliations. First, there were frequent bans on the book. Then there was this high-profile case involving parents in Kansas. They objected to the placement of this book in high schools of the local area.

Copies of this book were burned on steps of the district headquarters of the school. The district had all the copies of the novel removed fearing a controversy. The supporters of the novel were not willing to let go. They filed a court case in support of the book, which they ultimately won.

Characters of color in YA LGBTQ literature

Until the 1990s, queer YA literature was mostly centered on the white population. Only a few among them had characters of color. With the publication of a few novels such as The Necessary Hunger, things began to change considerably. This book by Nina Revoyr is about two female rivals in basketball. One of them is a Japanese-American and the other is black. They eventually fall for each other.

Another book featuring such characters, The House You Pass on the Way, came out during the 1990s. It is about a biracial small-town girl struggling with her sexuality. Although more books are coming up with characters of color, the queer YA literature is still disproportionately white.

YA trans novels

At the beginning of the 21st century, there was an explosion of queer YA literature. Despite this, trans YA novels were almost non-existent. This changed with the release of Luna in 2004. Written by Julie Anne Peters, the narration of the story happens through the eyes of Regan.

In the story, Regan’s sibling is gradually beginning to accept that she is a trans girl. Since the publication of this novel, this has become a theme in trans stories. Mostly a cisgender character is at the center of such novels.

The push for inclusiveness

More recently, the trans authors have begun telling their own stories. Pat Schmatz’s Lizard Radio and Meredith Russo’s If I Was Your Girl are the examples. One can also witness an increasing presence of characters who are asexual. The publishers have taken note of the fact that there exists an audience for queer YA literature.

The push for having a more inclusive queer literature is also gaining momentum. This has happened especially after the recent successes of such books. Among them is When the Moon Was Ours by Anna-Marie McLemore. This novel is about the love between a trans boy and a cis girl.

In the story, the trans boy paints moons and the cis girl grows roses on her wrist. Interestingly, both of them are characters of color. Another great example would be C.B. Lee’s Not Your Sidekick. It talks about a queer Asian-American girl who scores an internship with a character who is a supervillain.

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In the summer before writing one of her books, she was in Montreal. While getting around in the Canadian city, she came across some truly fascinating modern architecture. Upon seeing the marvelous architecture of the city’s buildings, she decided to set the novel in an architecture firm.

About building her own world in books

There are certain aspects that Avon Gale like about writing sports romances, especially hockey. One of them is getting to decide who wins the game. Watching the hockey playoffs reminds her of how much less stress she has in her life. She gets to decide the ultimate outcome of the games.

Her book Power Play is the third in her Scoring Chances series. Each of the books in this series takes place during a season. At times, she was surprised by the outcome. However, she was aware that the story was under her control. She has a specific writing style that focuses on plenty of dialogue.

Influence of other authors

Avon Gale began reading romantic novels when she was 13 years of age. This developed a special liking in her for romance, despite the fact that she is not inherently romantic. She likes the idea of two individuals finding joy in each other despite being different.

She admires author Jayne Anne Krentz, as her novels contain characters that are quite fun and quirky. In the mid-1990s, Avon Dale read the works of many authors. She doesn’t remember the authors whose works she had read during those times. However, their works had a great influence on her.

The impact of previous jobs on her writings

Avon Gale has worked quite a few jobs before embarking on her writing career. After college, she worked in development and fundraising for nearly 10 years. It was a perfect for her as she was a natural extrovert. She liked most of the jobs that she worked in. Her last job at a public radio station turned out to be a nightmare. When she was 36 years of age, she went to a beauty school.

The intention was to grow her career as a stylist. This happened at the time when her first book was released. So, she had to choose between hair styling and writing. The choice was pretty tough. She had left her career to pursue hair styling and had ended up writing her first book. She has always loved writing more than anything else.

The willingness to try new things gave her the confidence to explore new avenues with writing. When she was in her toxic job, she was able to complete Breakaway and Let the Wrong Light In. When she was working in her job, she spent most of her time writing. After both her books came out, she had to deal with the task of promoting them. She overcame this challenge through fundraising and outreach.

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