“A summer program for bright kids. Five engaging teenagers. Shifting relationships. These elements form the basis of Sara Ryan’s forthcoming young adult novel, Empress of the World. Nothing to surprise parents.
And then there’s that love affair between two girls.”
The above is an excerpt from USA Today journalist Deirdre Donahue, discussing Lesbian, Gay, Bi-sexual and Transgender books written for adolescents. It is not surprising, that LGBT books, as well as many “problem novels,” are questioned by parents and educators.
“New young adult novels from major publishing houses forthrightly address same sex relationships between teenagers. No longer do gay young adult novels simply ask, “Am I gay?” Now they explore how to navigate in the journey for love.”
For some parents this type of fare is far too controversial for children to be reading. PABBIS (Parents Against Bad Books In Schools) opening page states, “You might be shocked at the sensitive, controversial and inappropriate material that can be found in books in K-12schools.” Richard Ess, a founder of PABBIS states, “Parents don’t know how the content has changed in books since they were in school.”
Parents should play an active role in what their children are reading, just as they should over what movies or television they watch, or what music they listen to. Even PABBIS itself states it doesn’t want to encroach on the 1st amendment, it simply wants to keep harmful books out of the hands of children. But, are they really harmful?
After 31 years of working with kids, librarian Pat Scales says that 13-year-olds know about gay people and that novels that accept sexual differences are important.
“I would rather have books that help them understand gay kids than shelter them,” says the director of Library Services at South Carolina’s Governor’s School for Arts and Humanities in Greenville and a spokeswoman for the American Library Association. Contrary to people’s fears, reading books with sympathetic gay characters will not “sway kids in these directions,” she says.
She notes many kids have TVs, VCRs and computers in their bedrooms. Their parents “have no idea what their kids are watching. They are losing control when they put their kids in a room with all those gadgets.”
“Libraries need to be about inclusion, not exclusion,” she says.
Naturally, morals and religion play an important factor in the “badness” of LGBT books. If a book contains even the most modest portrayal of LGBT teens, it can still be considered inappropriate, simply because of differing views of ethics and morality in parents and the book’s content. But, should we keep teens from accessing these books simply because their parents don’t agree with them? Richard Ess of PABBIS states, “Everyone has different values. Parents have to decide what is appropriate for their kids.” However, David Gale, the editorial director of Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, has no problem with parents not wanting their children to read certain books. “The problem occurs when they don’t want any child to have access to these books.”
However, some think these books are benificial to teens, both gay and straight.
Michael Cart, author of the gay coming-of-age novel, My Father’s Scar and a nationally known expert on young adult fiction, says there is a “crying need for good stuff.”
Although he appreciates “unsparingly realistic novels,” Cart also would like to see novels that allow gay teens to observe more of a “road map to a viable existence,” one that suggests that being gay does not preclude community, happiness and connection.
And if more straight teens read gay-themed young adult fiction, says Cart, they might “think twice about casually uttering slurs, spreading gossip, hazing and physical abusing” gay teens.
To parents who think teens are too young for gay-themed novels, he says “Wake up and smell the coffee!”
PABBIS suggests placing rating on books, similar to how we rate movies, television and video games. But, will books be labeled “bad” simply because they deal with a controversial topic? Should LGBT books be pulled from public school shelves? PABBIS includes a listing of “bad” books on its site. If a rating system were enforced on books, would “bad” books, like How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents by Julia Alvarez, The Awakening by Kate Chopin and The Things They Carried by Tim O’ Brien be kept out of teens hands? Should they be?
For a full list of PABBIS “bad” book list, please visit http://www.sibbap.org/
For a list of LGBT books for teens please visit http://www.pinkbooks.com/
http://www.usatoday.com/life/books/2001-06-28-gay-books-for-teens.htm
YA! Cast
