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missing GLBT materials
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From: Megan Lambert <lambertmegan>
Date: Wed, 22 Jun 2005 11:00:19 -0700 (PDT)
Another problem - the self-righteous idiots who keep stealing my GLBT collection."
When I read the above line from a previous post I had to leave my usual lurking stance behind to say that maybe some of these materials are missing because GLBT/questioning teens themselves are too embarassed to check them out but desperately want to read books that reflect their realities. Maybe they take these books in misguided acts of self-preservation because they haven't come out, or because they aren't sure that they'd be safe with the library staff. I'd be willing to bet that is true in some cases; and even if this doesn't excuse stealing property from library shelves, I have more compassion for this scenario than I do for "the self-righteous idiots."
That said, how have librarians out there made books with GLBT content accessible to young adults? How have you made your spaces welcoming and safe for queer and questioning youth? I relaize that simply getting these books on the shelves may be tough in some communities where any titles with GLBT content might be challenged by folks who see this material as "too much" but what other steps do you take?
Finally, even as I argue for the need for YA books with GLBT content for queer youth, I have a hard time with the blanket argument that YA readers (or anyone) mainly seek out "edgy" content because it reflects the realities of their lives. What about reading as a window into another reality that is not our own? What if the details of experience in an "edgy" YA book aren't reflective of a teenaged reader's life, but the emotional reality is? Or what if they jsut want some entertainment from their reading? In fact, for a moment, let's think about YA literature as "drama" and "comedy" instead of "realism." If you'll excuse a nod toward tv for a moment, think about televised dramas like
"The Sopranos" or "Alias" which have characters confronting myriad hardships, trials and tribulations, not because they are trying to say that this is what life is like, but because they are dramas (well, "Alias" is more of a dramatic sci/fantasy show I guess). No one wants to watch Tony Soprano working as an accountant or going to the grocery store. No one wants to watch Sidney Bristow packing for her trips around the world. We just want to see her all dressed up and kicking ass.
Megan
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Received on Wed 22 Jun 2005 01:00:19 PM CDT
Date: Wed, 22 Jun 2005 11:00:19 -0700 (PDT)
Another problem - the self-righteous idiots who keep stealing my GLBT collection."
When I read the above line from a previous post I had to leave my usual lurking stance behind to say that maybe some of these materials are missing because GLBT/questioning teens themselves are too embarassed to check them out but desperately want to read books that reflect their realities. Maybe they take these books in misguided acts of self-preservation because they haven't come out, or because they aren't sure that they'd be safe with the library staff. I'd be willing to bet that is true in some cases; and even if this doesn't excuse stealing property from library shelves, I have more compassion for this scenario than I do for "the self-righteous idiots."
That said, how have librarians out there made books with GLBT content accessible to young adults? How have you made your spaces welcoming and safe for queer and questioning youth? I relaize that simply getting these books on the shelves may be tough in some communities where any titles with GLBT content might be challenged by folks who see this material as "too much" but what other steps do you take?
Finally, even as I argue for the need for YA books with GLBT content for queer youth, I have a hard time with the blanket argument that YA readers (or anyone) mainly seek out "edgy" content because it reflects the realities of their lives. What about reading as a window into another reality that is not our own? What if the details of experience in an "edgy" YA book aren't reflective of a teenaged reader's life, but the emotional reality is? Or what if they jsut want some entertainment from their reading? In fact, for a moment, let's think about YA literature as "drama" and "comedy" instead of "realism." If you'll excuse a nod toward tv for a moment, think about televised dramas like
"The Sopranos" or "Alias" which have characters confronting myriad hardships, trials and tribulations, not because they are trying to say that this is what life is like, but because they are dramas (well, "Alias" is more of a dramatic sci/fantasy show I guess). No one wants to watch Tony Soprano working as an accountant or going to the grocery store. No one wants to watch Sidney Bristow packing for her trips around the world. We just want to see her all dressed up and kicking ass.
Megan
--------------------------------Yahoo! Sports
Rekindle the Rivalries. Sign up for Fantasy Football
Received on Wed 22 Jun 2005 01:00:19 PM CDT
