The first thing I noted about this article was that, among the criticism of “Boy Meets Boy” is that it’s considered too utopic. Unlike some authors who write about LGBT characters, Levithan doesn’t choose to focus on “agonizing over being closeted or coming out.” Instead, a lot of his characters are already out and are accepted by their families and friends. These kinds of narratives are just as, if not more, important than the closeted or coming out narratives because they humanize LGBT characters. They show readers that these characters are just normal people with concerns and issues outside of their sexuality. They show LGBT characters that they can be loved and accepted for who they are and that they’re allowed and encouraged to be comofortable with themselves and happy with their lives. Levithan’s books show that LGBT people can also be athletes and that they don’t have to fit a certain mold just because of their sexuality. The fact that “Boy Meets Boy” features more LGBT characters than non-LGBT characters is phenomenal and reflects how revolutionary it is to feature this underrepresented population.

So many books are banned or challenged for containing LGBT content. Many parents feel that these books force their beliefs on their children when, in fact, all the majority of them do is humanize LGBT people, which I don’t think should strike anyone as offensive. If anything, it’s these parents forcing their beliefs on their children and not allowing them to make up their own minds on the issue. Every underrepresented population deserves this kind of opportunity, to be depicted in a way that humanizes them to other people and to themselves.

David Levithan’s thoughts about queer YA fiction was an interesting article to read about this type of genre for children’s literature. I feel that by understanding his story I am able to see the importance of spreading the news about this type of fiction. Although, his book titles are straight forward they send a message to his audience and other readers to want to find out more about his books. I understand that queer kids need more authors to want to tell their story as well. I am open-minded to explore Levithan’s books to have a deeper understanding of this type of genre for children’s literature.

What I found most interesting about this article is when Levithan discusses how he is upfront with his titles and covers of his books. On the cover of Two Boys Kissing, it openly depicts two boys kissing. I think that this needs to happen more often. For one, the title of the book is going against the norm of what you usually see in LGBT literature. It tells you who and what the book is mainly focusing on.

I also notice how most of his books include a LGBT character. In Nick & Norah’s Infinite Playlist, the main characters bandmates were gay. More and more books are appearing like this. It does seem like books that focus on these type of characters have a more sad tone. Levithans other book Boy Meets Boy is quite the opposite. The story is more joyful and uplifting.

I think Levithan is spot-on, especially with this statement: “Because, at the most basic level, what LGBT people are being asked (absurdly) is to prove that we are as much human beings as anyone else. We know this is true. And slowly but surely, other people are realizing it’s true. By getting to know us. By talking to us. By hearing or reading our stories.” And a good story is worth hundreds of straightforward attempts to change someone’s mind by facts and arguments.

When we read nonfiction, we tend to read critically, evaluating what we’re told according to what we already believe. But when we read fiction, we can (if it’s well-told) immerse ourselves in the story and empathize with the characters: we care what happens to these people, and we understand some of what they’re thinking and feeling. We can’t help seeing them as people, just as human as we are.

There’s another point he (as well as the article writer) made which I think is very important: “he went on to explain the progression of queer YA fiction throughout the past decades as going from ‘death, then death of your dog — dogs would die when you were making out with somebody in the 70s… — and then there was misery.'” A pretty significant proportion (maybe even most?) of LGBT+ lit, especially YA lit, right now is coming out stories and tragedies. (Or both.) There’s value in those stories, but the spread of plots really needs to be expanded.

LGBT historical fiction, mysteries, action-adventure stories, fantasy, science fiction, cheesy romantic comedies, epic quest stories… Gay spaceship captains zooming between planets, lesbian detectives falling in love while untangling thrilling murder mysteries, bisexual knights going on continent-spanning quests to save the world, asexual pirates crossing oceans full of mythical dangers, trans* royals and rebels duking it out over the fate of kingdoms, aromantic engineers solving problems and building communities on supposedly uninhabitable planets and moons!

The thing about fiction is that it is full of possibilities: you can never run out of stories to tell, and readers need to see characters like them–or unlike them–in more than just literary realism settings. And it’s hardly fair to restrict time travel, space travel, and fantastic worlds of every kind to straight people.

This excerpt from an article on David Levithan and his work captures a key struggle occurring in regard to the censorship of books for young adults featuring LGBT characters, themes, and situations:

‘Levithan talks about similar negative reactions to Boy Meets Boy in the tenth anniversary edition, saying, “we have to be vigilant about preemptive challenges. That is to say – we know to fight for the freedom to read when a book is pulled from the shelf, but we also have to fight for the freedom to read when someone refuses to put the book on the shelf in the first place.” Levithan sees the acceptance he writes becoming reality. “Why? Because, at the most basic level, what LGBT people are being asked (absurdly) is to prove that we are as much human beings as anyone else. We know this is true. And slowly but surely, other people are realizing it’s true. By getting to know us. By talking to us. By hearing or reading our stories.”‘

Read the full story here: http://www.dailykos.com/story/2014/06/17/1307392/-LGBT-Literature-David-Levithan

For your quiz assignment, please offer your comments on this issue by Monday, Nov. 16 at 12:00pm (so we can discuss further in class then).