Gay Teen Blogger Blasts School, Public Librarians
RSSBy Debra Lau Whelan
A gay teen blogger from Kentucky has blasted his school and public library for failing to offer LGBT titles--and his post has gone viral.
YA authors are talking about it, the New York Times has featured an article on it, and SLJ is reprinting the post in the July issue of its magazine.
Fifteen-year-old Brent, who asked that his last name and hometown not be used, realized he was gay by eighth grade, and the avid reader found books as a way to escape and feel "normal." But when he turned to his school library, there wasn't one gay-themed title--and to make matters worse, the librarian told him those kinds of books were inappropriate. The public library was no better--it only had one, Judy Shepard's The Meaning of Matthew.
"The world needs more librarians who serve the purpose of finding the right book to put in the right person's lap," Brent blogged. "There are tons of gay teens, struggling to find a group to fit in. LGBT YA lit helps us find out that no, we aren't alone and no, we aren't worthless or disgusting. It helps us discover that we are part of a group. The LGBT group."
Brent reviews books on his blog, the Naughty Book Kitties, and voiced his opinion as a guest blogger on writer/librarian Janet Trumble's blog, Pinched Nerves. SLJ spoke to the high school sophomore.
You're the perfect person to deliver this message to librarians. Is that why you did it? When I was first coming out, I didn't have anyone to talk to. Or to turn to. So books were for me. And I wanted to make sure that other teens, like me, had those books to turn to. I decided to write to librarians and the fact that they dismiss LGBT lit because when I first came out to myself as gay, I turned to books. And so I looked for LGBT books in my school and public library, and didn't find much at all. I'm glad to be able to splurge on LGBT books at my local bookstore and Amazon, but I know a lot of kids who can't. They go to the library for their books.
And the point you're trying to make is that they don't find the kinds of books they're looking for in the library. A lot of gay teens aren't accepted at home. Some are even homeless! So, libraries are really great for them to go to. I think it's the library's responsibility to buy LGBT lit for their libraries. Some may say, "Well, there aren't that many LGBT books to choose from." That is a lie. Every year, I see more and more. There's plenty! I'm a very avid reader, and I can't even read all of the LGBT books out there.
Why are librarians still so reluctant to carry LGBT-themed books? I think this happens in this day and age for a lot of different reasons. For one, homosexuality is so controversial. Tons of books get challenged and banned in libraries for "homosexual themes," which is pretty ridiculous. Another reason is because while LGBT students are being recognized more, they're still outnumbered. A librarian isn't going to buy a book for a small group of students. They want books that'll appeal to a lot of people.
How did it make you feel when your middle school librarian told you LGBT novels were inappropriate? Can I cuss in this interview? I felt disgusted. And pissed at her.
Here's your chance to get it off your chest. Say something to her. Get over it. Get over your prejudice. It doesn't matter. It's not your place to judge what kids should read based on your prejudices.
Did it have anything to do with the fact that you live in a small town? Yes, I do think it's because I'm not in a big urban city, like Seattle or New York City. I mean, those are hugely liberal states, and this is Kentucky.
Did you assume that the public library-even in a small town-would have more LGBT books? I wasn't surprised [that they didn't] because what with the libraries being public, there's more opportunity for parents and members of the community to challenge the gay-themed books.
What advice do you have for kids who still can't find LGBT-themed books in the library? Read as much as you can, and read a variety of genres. You're bound to find a gay character somewhere.
What are some books you found comfort in? Whew! Tons. Ellen Hopkins's writing is so truthful and haunting. She really made me proud to be gay! She had the whole mindset of a gay teen perfect. I recommend her books to everyone. Martin Wilson's What They Always Tell Us was also great.
So what are some must-have titles for any library collection? Every single book Ellen Hopkins has written has got to be in your library. You just have to have them. Alex Sanchez also writes truthful and must-have stuff, as well as Julie Anne Peters.
What are you reading these days? A lot of people think I only read LGBT stuff, which is totally not true. Hell, I love vampires, too! Anyways, as far as LGBT books go, I'm reading a lot of Julie Anne Peters. She writes about lesbians. Right now, I'm really intrigued by lesbian stories. They often don't get as recognized as much as gay men, and I have a lot of friends who are lesbian. I'm also reading Tom Dolby, who is a freaking gay writing god! I'm really just reading a lot of different things. Mainly stuff in the mainstream genres, Occasionally, I'll find a gay character. Like, for example, P.C. Cast and [her daughter] Kristin Cast have a bestselling vampire series, the "House of Night." Now, there's a gay character that I love in those. Lucy Silag's "Beautiful Americans" series has a gay character. I'm in the middle of [Sara Shepard's] "Pretty Little Liars" series, and there's a lesbian main character. I'm really loving it. They also included the lesbian romance on the show!
So how'd you end up as a guest on Janet Trumble's blog? Janet and I met through my blog. She commented on my interview with Tom Dolby (again, one of my favorites!), and so I checked out her blog. I noticed that she mentioned working on an LGBT YA novel, and so we became Internet friends! We email all day, every day. It's very procrastinative (pretend that's a word). And then, she asked me to do a guest post on her blog.
Were you expecting this much attention? I've gotten a lot of great responses from that post! A lot of people have emailed their book recommendations, and a lot of my favorite authors told me they loved it! When I wrote it, I didn't expect it to get that much attention. But it appeared on a lot of LGBT news websites, which is great. It's also drawn a lot of LGBT readers to my blog, which I'm very happy about.
Let's name drop. Who are some of the authors who've read it? Ellen Hopkins commented, Martin Wilson commented, Lucy Silag did, and Michael Grant. Brenna Yovanoff-her debut is out in September from Penguin-wrote me on Facebook telling me she loved my post!
I know you're still a high school sophomore, but what are your future plans? I do plan to attend college. I don't know if it'll be one near home or someplace like New York City. I definitely want to venture out into New York City, for sure, though-New York University, save me a spot! I really don't know what I'd like to major in, maybe law and English.
Tell us about your blog, The Naughty Book Kitties. The Naughty Book Kitties is a book blog, so it's pretty much all about book news and reviews. I mainly review YA, though I sometimes venture out into other genres. I started it at the end of March/early April. I came up with the name "The Naughty Book Kitties" because I knew that, in the blogosphere, people like creativity. And I wanted to make people look twice. I mean the word "naughty" draws in a lot of people. I think it's intriguing, LOL. I try to blog every day, though sometimes my schedule is just whack. My target audience is teens and adults who love to read, specifically YA books. I think a wide range of readers follow the blog, because I review a variety of YA books. Like, one day I may review a vampire book. And the next I may review an LGBT book. Two very different genres.
I see you interviewed Alex Sanchez on your blog? I didn't interview Alex, he wrote up that entire thing. I sure wish I did, though, because those questions he came up with were amazing! I emailed him telling him about the blog, specifically the LGBT reviews and interviews, and he kindly agreed to write a guest post!
Do you have any idea what you'd like to do when you grow up? I'm torn between being something in the publishing industry, like a publicist or an agent or editor, or maybe something in law. Like a lawyer. I have no clue.
You should consider becoming a writer because you do it so well! Does anyone edit your work? Why, thank you for the comment on my writing. No one edits my stuff, it's just me. Though, if I ever do need someone to, I'm going to Janet!
