Research Paper on LGBTQ+ Representation in Adolescent Literature

By -

 Essential Question: What does LGBTQ+ representation look like in adolescent literature currently and what can we do to create a more diverse and open dialogue in this genre of literature?

Focus Questions: What are the most popular LGBTQ+ novels and movies right now? What are some resources we can provide LGBTQ+ teenagers? Why are certain books regarding this genre banned, and what can we do to un-ban them? How can teachers integrate this content in their classroom?  What does the LGBTQ+ community lack in terms of representation? How would this directly benefit LGBTQ+ students and adolescents?

Overview: I know that the market severely lacks LGBTQ+ representation, especially for Y/A. I also know that schools and even certain libraries have trouble displaying these books and making them accessible. I know how important being seen and represented in the content you intake is very important to social development and esteem. I know that there are many avenues that can be taken to help provide the resources that we need.

WHY:  I was inspired by reading Simon vs. the Homosapiens Agenda and realizing that all of the books I read convey relationships that I can relate to (i.e. straight, typically white adolescents) and hardly any depict LGBTQ+ relationships. Literature lacks representation overall and I felt like society needs to begin opening up to reading about lifestyles that are not their own.

Titles: Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda, Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe, Leah on the Offbeat, It's Not Like It's a Secret, and Being Emily are all good titles and two of them are even by the same author. Becky Albertalli writes a lot of good LGBTQ+ teen literature.

Resources: I plan to use some novels and movies as evidence of what we already have and also look into some real LGBTQ+ teen responses as to what the market is lacking and what they would like to see. I would also like to use some sources regarding where this media is not allowed and to see if there was any correlation between location and accessibility. I have a broad topic so I am still planning to narrow down some specific resources.

Argument: The argument that could relate to this novel would be in regards to how much LGBTQ+ lack when it comes to relevant media, and what is on the market is not always appropriate or relevant to teens. I would also argue that it is wrong to censor this type of literature from kids and they deserve the opportunity to read about the relationships that they would like to be in.

Challenges: I can predict that the research is only going to get me so far. This topic of mainstream LGBTQ+ literature is still rather new and many people have no had the proper amount of time to process and understand that this is an issue for many adolescents. I do not feel as though I will find many resources from an adolescent perspective.


Comments

  1. A'Keriah PraylowNovember 12, 2020 at 6:46 PM

    I like how you plan to make correlations between location and accessibility. Geography plays a huge role in the opinions of LGBTQ+ representation in literature. For example, you could mention how South Carolina is located in the bible belt. You have a great topic, this is something that definitely needs more attention in adolescent literature.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Aniya HallNovember 13, 2020 at 8:51 PM

    I love your proposal topic, I chose a very similar topic! I have to agree with your challenges you might face when researching.. I have some of those same concerns. I wish there were more representation of the LGBTQ+ community in adolescent literature so that we could incorporate them in our research paper. But I think we'll be able to include very valuable sources within our papers despite that set back. Good luck on your research process! If I come across any resources that might help your process, I won't hesitate to let you know! I'm interested to see your presentation and to add things to my mental list about this topic for my future as an educator.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Growing Pains - The Symbolism of the Tree in Speak

By -
I have felt the paralyzing pain of internal disease. The kind of trauma that causes your mouth to curl in and swallow you whole. I, like so many other women, are walking the halls in Melinda’s shoes in “Speak.” I thought Laurie Anderson did a phenomenal job of twisting all of the tribulations a high school girl goes through, into the tree that Melinda is. Whether we’re as strong as an oak or weak as a bush, we have all gone through the disease that strikes Melinda from the inside out. Melinda is like a half-dead tree. Some parts of her strive to blossom and create beauty. Other parts are broken and diseased. Like a dead tree, Melinda needs to save herself and “cut off the damage, [so it] is possible for the tree to grow again” (187). The symbolism of a tree is significant in “Speak.” Trees reflect her growing process. In the beginning, Melinda is a sick and lifeless tree. Her view is negative and dark. She’s so far past repair, bursts of sunlight do her no good. Sunlight would be pe
Read more

How Starr Goes from Acting to Embracing in The Hate U Give

By -
In The Hate U Give, Starr Carter is caught between two worlds. She lives in a predominantly black neighborhood, but her father sends her and her brothers to a private school where she is surrounded by white people. She talks about acting differently depending on what group she is around, which can create some identity problems. She says on page 11, "Funny how it works with white kids though. It's dope to be black until it's hard to be black." When at Williamson, she sees white kids that think it's cool to engage in black culture, but she knows they don't understand what she goes through in her Garden Heights community. She witnessed her friend Natasha's death when she was 10 years old, and she sees gang activity in her community all the time. When she is among her black friends, like at the party, they tease her for hanging out with the white kids. This reminds me of a Drake song where he says, "I used to get teased for being black, and now I'm
Read more

Postmodernism in Curious Incident

By -
Before I start writing, I first want to acknowledge that I just really loved this book! It seemed like a lot of the class had trouble enjoying or appreciating the novel because it's so different stylistically, which is understandable, but all of those unique elements helped make the novel more authentic. The main topic I want to focus on (also what I'm writing my paper on) is how a lot of postmodernist elements were used in the novel to make Christopher come to life. While obviously not every postmodern novel is about an autistic kid, I think Haddon really used a lot of these elements to his advantage and they ended up working out really well to characterize Christopher. One of the major postmodern elements which helps this book really craft an authentic portrayal of autism is the fact that it's metafictive. Basically, this means it's a "story within a story." Readers would be extremely limited just reading the parts of the novel which are meant to be C
Read more