Defending Gay Positive Literature Presentation for the Forbidden

Defending Gay Positive Literature Presentation for the Forbidden Fruit Conference Thursday, June 19, 2008 Southport, UK By Dr. John B. Harer East Carolina University

Introduction • A Father’s Perspective: Devon Thomas (2007) says, “If we read to discover new worlds, we also read to find ourselves. For gays and lesbians, this act of discovery can be problematic: literature has so often excluded them. ” Thomas, D. (2007) A place on the shelf. Library Journal, 132(8), 40 -43.

The Climate We Face Defending Gay Positive Literature Background and Influences from Current Culture Mixed Messages!

Choice or Innate? The Debate Over the Origins of Sexual Orientation • It’s a Choice: Focus on the Family’s position: – St. Paul states, “Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders. . . will inherit the kingdom of God. ” (1 Corinthians 6: 9) – The 'unchangeable' argument is misleading. While many mental health authorities believe homosexuality is unchangeable, many others believe it can be changed. – Stanton Jones, Chair of Psychology at Wheaton College: “Anyone who says there is no hope (for change) is either ignorant or a liar. Every secular study of change has shown some success rate, and persons who testify to substantial healings by God are legion. ” From: http: //www. family. org/cforum/fosi/homosexuality/theology/a 0037786. cfm

Choice or Innate? The Debate Over the Origins of Sexual Orientation • It’s Innate: American Psychological Association: – It’s not a choice: “Human beings can not choose to be either gay or straight. Sexual orientation emerges for most people in early adolescence without any prior sexual experience. Although we can choose whether to act on our feelings, psychologists do not consider sexual orientation to be a conscious choice that can be voluntarily changed. ” – Can Therapy Change Sexual Orientation? “Even though most homosexuals live successful, happy lives, some homosexual or bisexual people may seek to change their sexual orientation through therapy, sometimes pressured by the influence of family members or religious groups to try and do so. The reality is that homosexuality is not an illness. It does not require treatment and is not changeable. ” – What About So-Called "Conversion Therapies? “Some therapists who undertake socalled conversion therapy report that they have been able to change their clients' sexual orientation from homosexual to heterosexual. Close scrutiny of these reports however show several factors that cast doubt on their claims. For example, many of the claims come from organizations with an ideological perspective which condemns homosexuality. Furthermore, their claims are poorly documented. For example, treatment outcome is not followed and reported overtime as would be the standard to test the validity of any mental health intervention. ” From: http: //www. apa. org/topics/sbehaviorsub 1. html#choice

Growing Acceptance of Gays in Our Culture: A More Tolerant Society? • Popular Opinion: Gallup polls have asked "Do you feel that homosexuality should be considered an acceptable alternative lifestyle or not? " each year since 1977. – 1977: 34% acceptable, 51% unacceptable – 2003: 54% acceptable. 43% unacceptable • Gallup also asked “Do you think homosexual relations between consenting adults should or should not be legal? ” – 1977: Legal- 43% Not legal- 43% – 2003: Legal- 60% Not legal- 35% • Gallup asked about choice vs innate orientation: – 1977: Born with- 13%, upbringing/environment- 56% both 14% – 2003: Born with- 38%, upbringing/environment- 44% both 11%

Growing Acceptance of Gays in Our Culture: A More Tolerant Society? • Popular Culture Reflects growing acceptance of gays and lesbians: – Will and Grace: 14 Emmy awards, 3 rd most watched sitcom on network TV with an average weekly audience of 16. 8 million – Queer Eye for the Straight Guy: 2 nd highest rated show in NBC’s Thursday 9: 30 p. m. time slot when it debuted in July, 2003; winner, 2004 Emmy – The Ellen Degeneres Show: Only talk show in history of the Daytime Emmy’s to win two consecutive awards for outstanding talk show in its first two seasons. – In 2001, there were sixteen prime time TV shows where a gay/lesbian character was in a leading or supporting role.

Growing Acceptance of Gays in Our Culture: A More Tolerant Society? • Religious Acceptance of Homosexuality – Most tolerant: open and affirming membership, ordain homosexuals, approve of same sex marriage: • Unitarian-Universalist • United Church of Christ • Reformed Judaism – Openly tolerant: homosexuality is protected equal rights, open to membership, in dialogue over same-sex marriages, may also ordain as ministers: • Episcopal Church • Evangelical Lutheran – Tolerant: Homosexuals may be candid as members, treated as equal rights, opposes same sex marriage and ordination as ministers • Presbyterian Church • United Methodist Church • Christian Church, Disciples of Christ – Accepts Chaste Homosexuals: Viewed as God’s children as long as they remain chaste: • Roman Catholic Church • Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints

The Backlash! Politics and Gay Acceptance • 2004 election: 11 states voted to ban gay marriage – Election followed wide-spread mass gay marriage events covered heavily by the media in 2003 – Some pundits credit Bush’s victory to Rove’s ability to use the issue with conservatives • 35 states have introduced legislation defining marriage as a union only between a man and a woman • Several states are considering banning gay adoption: only 9 states permit gay adoption and three states (Florida, Mississippi, Utah) outright ban it • 39 states now prohibit gay marriage based on the federal DOMA: Defense of Marriage Act, which prohibits recognition of gay marriages and allows states to ignore gay marriages where they are legal. • Massachusetts permits gay marriage; Vermont permits gay civil unions.

Who Are We Talking About? • Children in Our Schools: – Gay/lesbian children/teens: kids who have identified themselves as gay/lesbian or see themselves as gay/lesbian (open or not) – Children who exhibit gay/lesbian traits or features but who are not openly identified as gay/lesbian, have not made that determination for themselves as yet, or who are straight but look/act gay/lesbian: • Body size and shape • Speech patterns • Dress – Straight children of gay/lesbian parents: • Children with one gay/lesbian parent at home or not and one straight parent • Children of single gay/lesbian parent or couple

We Owe All Children a Safe and Welcoming School Environment • PFLAG’s Vision: “We, the parents, families and friends of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender persons, celebrate diversity and envision a society that embraces everyone, including those of diverse sexual orientations and gender identities. Only with respect, dignity and equality for all will we reach our full potential as human beings, individually and collectively. PFLAG welcomes the participation and support of all who share in, and hope to realize this vision. ” • PFLAG supports and endorses efforts by public and private elementary and secondary schools to create a safe and welcoming environment for all students and school personnel. Gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender (GLBT) students, children of GLBT parents, or students who are perceived to be GLBT frequently endure verbal and physical harassment in their schools. Responsible school safety efforts must be directed to end this harassment…. Without school programs and resources to address their needs, GLBT students are abandoned by the educational system responsible for guiding and supporting all students. From: http: //www. pflag. org/index. php? id=104#5

Gay/Lesbian YA Genre Literary Analysis • Work of Christine Jenkins, Professor, University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana – Best study: “From queer to gay and back again: Young adult novels with gay/lesbian/queer content, 1969 -1997” Library Quarterly , v. 68, no. 3 (1998): 298 -334. – Web site: http: //people. lis. uiuc. edu/~cajenkin/yabib. html – Other works: The Heart Has Its Reasons: Young Adult Literature with Gay/Lesbian/Queer Content, 19692004. Metuchen, NJ: Scarecrow Press, 2006 (with Michael Cart, co-author)

Rise of New Realism in YA Novels and Link to Gay/Lesbian Novels • New realism: also known as “problem novels. , began in 1967 -1969: – The Outsiders (S E Hinton) – Mr. and Mrs. Bo Jo Jones (Ann Head) – The Pigman (Paul Zindel) • I’ll Get There, It Better Be Worth the Trip (John Donovan, 1969): first YA novel to specifically address homosexuality

Data on Gay/Lesbian YA Novels 1969 -1997 • • Trend was for protagonist to be non-gay – Gay/lesbian characters play secondary roles in 2 out of 3 novels Gender segregation: – Gay secondary characters only with male protagonist – Lesbian secondary characters only with female protagonist, except two: • Deliver Us from Evie (M E Kerr, 1994) • From the Notebooks of Melanin Sun (Jacqueline Woodson, 1995) • Gay males far outnumber lesbians as characters Racial makeup: – 60 novels from 1969 -1992: only three had gay/lesbian characters of color – 34 novels from 1993 -1997: eight had gay/lesbian characters of color Social class makeup: Virtually all gay/lesbian characters were from the middle class (from: Jenkins, C. “From queer to gay and back again”. Library Quarterly, 1998)

Content/Plot Analysis of This Genre • In 90 novels from over 80 authors from 1969 – 1996: – Content/plots have remained entirely consistent • Jenkins characterizes the consistency as “tenaciously conservative” (p. 305) – Jenkins: “With few exceptions, these novels are written for and marketed to young adults by major commercial publishers who necessarily have a strong interest in sales” ( p. 305) • Jenkins believes this consistency shows the genre as both history and literature – Only the introduction of the AIDS epidemic has added any difference to plot or content (from: Jenkins, C. “From queer to gay and back again”. Library Quarterly, 1998)

Common Threads and Recurring Issues • The concern for realism and authenticity – Do the character portrayals in the novel reflect the real lives of gays and lesbians • Some arguments have been made that only gay/lesbian authors can portray gay/lesbian characters accurately • Gay/lesbian characters always portrayed as outsiders, not mainstream in the 1969 -1996 novels (from: Jenkins, C. “From queer to gay and back again”. Library Quarterly, 1998)

Common Threads and Recurring Issues • The Children, the Family, and the Community – Family is portrayed as traditional and gay children are seen as an anomaly – Consistent oppositional relationship between traditional families and children and the gay/lesbian community • The underlying assumption is that the gay community has no connection to children – Families are in conflict with their gay/lesbian child, alienation is a common theme • Even families that accept a gay/lesbian child, the lives of the child are in the past or part of an offstage narrative (from: Jenkins, C. “From queer to gay and back again”. Library Quarterly, 1998)

Common Threads and Recurring Issues • A “Straight Gay” versus “Queer Gay” controversy in early novels: – “Straight gays” are more acceptable in the story • Not seen as overly gay: except for sexual orientation, their lives are seen as indistguishable from straight individuals • Character doesn’t embarrass straight characters in story – “Queer gays”: Appearance, behavior, etc are stereotypically gay • This type of character is portrayed negatively in the plot • Jenkins mentions the influence of Gay: What You Should Know about Homosexuality, by Morton Hunt, 1977, as a negative influence on this phenomena (p. 323) (from: Jenkins, C. “From queer to gay and back again”. Library Quarterly, 1998)

New Trends in Gay/Lesbian YA Lit Move into the 21 st Century • Homosexuality Visibility: – The most central theme of YA novels has been and continues to be the struggle of gay/lesbian characters over coming out – More positive trends are beginning, however: • First Bisexual characters: 1 st novel: Hello, I Lied (1997) by M E Kerr • First trans-gendered characters: 1 st novel: Luna (2004) by Julie Ann Peters • Coming to terms with Sexual identity at younger ages: Holly’s Secret (2000) by Nancy Garden • More realistic portrayals of sexual abuse (from: Cart, M. and Jenkins, C. The Heart Has Its Reasons, 2006)

New Trends in Gay/Lesbian YA Lit Move into the 21 st Century • Gay Assimilation: – More GLBT secondary characters included that just happen to be gay/lesbian – First novels where gay/lesbian characters are accepted and assimilated within the plot: best example: Boy Meets Boy (2003) by David Levithan • Cart and Jenkins, “Think of it as being the spiritual younger brother of Armistad Maupin’s Tales of the City. (p. 144) (from: Cart, M. and Jenkins, C. The Heart Has Its Reasons, 2006)

New Trends in Gay/Lesbian YA Lit Move into the 21 st Century • Queer Consciousness/Community – More GLBT characters: Up to 1997, only one, maybe two GLBT characters in any novel. But, now, three or more GLBT characters is not unusual. • Cart and Jenkins: “readers (of past novels) would almost never see queer community as an ongoing entity. • Best examples: Rainbow Boys (2001) and Rainbow High (2003) by Alex Sanchez – More examples of community: • GLBT teens have friends of both sexes: The Geography Club (2003), Brent Hartinger • More utopian views of GLBT and straight world’s existing together: Boy Meets Boy (2003) • Gay teens experiencing other GLBT communities: Finding H. F. (2001) by Julia Watts

Censored Gay and Lesbian YA Novels of the 21 st Century

Strategies for Defending Gay Lit: Relate to the Personal: When True Human Qualities are Recognized in All of Us, Acceptance Grows • People who come from an intolerant background tend to accept gays when they get to know them personally: – Relatives: parents of gay children – Co-workers – Baptist minister story: • When people learn that gays hold the same human qualities as straights, they learn to accept them.

Strategies for Defending Gay Lit: The Story Helps Create a Safe and Accepting School Environment • Safe schools: – All children need a safe school environment • Children who are not openly gay are at risk as much as openly gay children from gay bashing and intolerance • CDC reports that gay teens are more at risk for harassment and abuse than other teens, and 3 to 5 times more likely to commit suicide • All children deserve to be supported within the schools for how they develop, including emotional support – Books provide a vicarious experience that: • Answers questions such as “Am I the only one that feels this way? ” • Helps frame a discussion with adults • Makes it easier, at times, to discover for themselves when adults seem hard to approach • By stimulation of critical thinking, can develop self-awareness, enhance self-concept, and improve personal and social judgment

Strategies for Defending Gay Lit: Use Reviews/Expert Recommendations • Have a selection policy in place – Selection policy should address controversial topics – Selection policy should cover the issues of a safe and welcoming environment for all children and the value of books for biblio-therapy. • Gather a variety of reviews and published opinion: reviews that discuss literary quality may not be enough. – Use customer reviews from amazon. com and other similar sources. Customer reviews help relate the story to the personal

Strategies for Defending Gay Lit: Some Review Examples • The Sissy Duckling: a great metaphor for how someone from an intolerant background learns love and acceptance because of the deeply human qualities of the gay character. – SLJ (May 2002): Fierstein’s book sends out a positive message about differences and acceptance – Kirkus Review (April 15, 2002): The layered double meaning in the book’s message will be immaterial while the familiar story in a new guise will resonate with any kid who’s felt like an “underduck”. • My Father’s Scar: A remarkable story of an abused teen searching for answers from his past about self and acceptance. – SLJ (May, 1996): The novel shows a psychological passage that will seem familiar to anyone who has collided with rigid adult expectations that threaten self-esteem – Book Report (Mar/Apr, 1997): The book has a remarkably subtle power for dispelling myths and stereotypes about homosexuality, especially for adolescents at a tender age when conformity is a rigid rule

Strategies for Defending Gay Lit: Some Review Examples • King and King: a postmodern fractured fairy tale – SLJ (May, 2002): This is a commendable fledgling effort with good intentions toward its subject matter. Unfortunately, the book is hobbled by thin characterization and ugly artwork • The Drowning of Stephan Jones: gay bashing in a small rural town: – SLJ (Oct, ‘ 91): powerful scenes of dialogue include strong language and street slang that add immediacy and realism to arguments and taunts. Descriptive passages plod, however, and character development is uneven – Horn Book (Sep/Oct, ‘ 93)The dialogue is stiff and false, especially between the two gay men. Several scenes of confrontation are overdrawn. None of the characters are admirable or sympathetic, even those clearly meant to be.

Strategies for Defending Gay Lit: Stonewall Award • Stonewall award purpose: – To honor hallmark works in lesbigay publishing through recognition of books of exceptional merit relating to the gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender experience. – Two awards: • Barbara Gittings Literature Award • Israel Fishman Non-Fiction Award – 2006 winners: • Babyji by Abha Dawesar (Barbara Gittings award) • The Fabulous Sylvester: The Legend, the Music, the 70 s in San Francisco. By Joshua Gamson (Israel Fishman award) – See http: //www. ala. org/glbtrt/stonewallbook. htm

Conclusion: Where Do We Go From Here as a Society? • Many hold deeply felt, religious views about gays and morality. We must come together and get past this polarization: – A recent bumper sticker: “Truth, Not Tolerance” – A recent letter to the editor: “Mr. (Smith), …We know without a doubt that the world is older than 6000 years, so why insist on a literal interpretation of the Pentateuch? We know that God condoned polygamy, concubines, genocide, beating ones children, etc – many of which practices I doubt you condone. So how do you justify picking and choosing which parts of scripture you are going to observe and demand of others…my concern is the ultraconservative, fundamentalist, literalist position on public morality your letter typifies. Rather than lecture us on erroneous interpretations of the Old Testament, why not focus on the central lesson of the New Testament as stated in Mark 12: 28 “Then one of the scribes asked him, ‘Which is the first commandment of them all? ’ Jesus answered him ‘…you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind and with all your strength…the second, like it, is this, you shall love your neighbor as yourself. ”

Thank You • For more information: Contact: – Dr. John B. Harer, Assistant Professor of Library Science, Department of Library Science and Instructional Technology, East Carolina University, Greenville, NC 27858 – Email: harerj@ecu. edu