by Writing Barn Intern Hannah Roark
With The Writing Barn’s annual Rainbow Week right around the corner, I would like to address a topic close to my heart: queer representation in YA literature. Often when YA novels are mentioned literary snobs or academics are quick to dismiss them as a lesser form of literature (much like romance novels), but they’re so much more than what they’re perceived to be.
Not only are YA books an excellent form of entertainment for all ages, but they are also a way many youth begin to explore their identity. For queer youth, these stories provide a safe haven they may not have in real life. Through reading more diverse stories they are able to engage with others like them through the fictional characters they read about.
As a bisexual young woman who grew up searching desperately for any sign of queerness in novels, and an aspiring YA author, I am aware that what I write will impact my readers in ways I cannot begin to imagine. Because of this, I encourage others writing for this demographic to not only bear in mind the importance of this diversity, but also the delicacy of writing these stories.
It isn’t enough to simply write a gay best friend into a straight romance. Queer characters deserve to be the protagonists, deserve to have just as much depth as their straight counterparts, and deserve to be more than the stereotypes they’re often treated as. Many heterosexual cisgender authors fail to give their queer characters the proper development, which can hurt their queer readers more than help.
This isn’t to say that it’s impossible for straight authors to write these stories, as writers like Rick Riordan and Maggie Stiefvater have certainly excelled. However, I think it’s important that the publishing industry make a decisive push to pave the way for queer writers to tell stories of characters like them. Though a writer’s imagination can take them far, own voice stories will always have more impact and more eloquently illustrate what it’s like to live as a minority in a world that has been against you for as long as you can remember.
With all of this in mind, I strongly encourage any LGBTQIAP+ aspiring authors to attend The Writing Barn’s upcoming Rainbow Week, an annual event dedicated to creating a safe space for others like us to explore our art. If you are interested in doing a deep study of our craft, receiving feedback on a current work, and conversation about writing as LGBTQIAP+, you are welcome and encouraged to attend this weekend long intensive.