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[CCBC-Net] lesbian and gay weddings, and nonfiction
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From: Maia Cheli-Colando <maia>
Date: Thu, 29 May 2008 14:04:26 -0700
California is a fascinating place to live right now! I'm working on a story about a family whose moms have three weddings -- the first being the community wedding that many gay and lesbian couples have, then a San Francisco wedding when Gavin Newsom opened the gates, and finally an official county wedding on June 17th of this year. It's loosely based on couples that I know, but also a general celebratory wedding theme.
The difficulty in such a timely piece is that the law could change this fall. I am writing the story trusting that it won't. :)
I'd also really like to see more nonfiction out there for older readers. Right now, the most current information is on the web -- publishing isn't really keeping up with the legal changes that are happening in many states. I can understand why publishers would shy away from anything that is changing so rapidly... but I would love to see a nonprofit book that charts the legal issues and discussions, and also personal and community dynamics, as they are evolving across the country. At the moment, I think you have to be reading newspapers
(online or print) to really follow the discussion, and if we want teens
-- who will be voting themselves in a few years -- to have a solid understanding, then I think we have to get them reading material /now/, even knowing changes will come.
E.g. in California, some people are trying to alter the Constitution to limit marriage to opposite gender pairs. From a legal standpoint, that's a totally inappropriate use of Constitutional law. If people had a better understanding of the developments and precedents from other civil rights cases -- specifically interracial marriage and women's and non-white voting rights -- and also of the purpose of the Constitution, I think that they would be less eager to mess with it for personal religious reasons. Teens and pre-teens ought be studying this in school... and too, there are children who could be better activists for what they believe in if they had some legal savvy to back up their arguments.
For younger kids, I would be *absolutely delighted* (!) if Eileen Christelow, the author of "Vote!", were to tackle this theme in a matching format. (Hint, hint....) And if not Eileen, then if someone else could approach the issue in a similarly informative and entertaining manner.... I promise I will buy a bunch of copies! :)
Maia
Received on Thu 29 May 2008 04:04:26 PM CDT
Date: Thu, 29 May 2008 14:04:26 -0700
California is a fascinating place to live right now! I'm working on a story about a family whose moms have three weddings -- the first being the community wedding that many gay and lesbian couples have, then a San Francisco wedding when Gavin Newsom opened the gates, and finally an official county wedding on June 17th of this year. It's loosely based on couples that I know, but also a general celebratory wedding theme.
The difficulty in such a timely piece is that the law could change this fall. I am writing the story trusting that it won't. :)
I'd also really like to see more nonfiction out there for older readers. Right now, the most current information is on the web -- publishing isn't really keeping up with the legal changes that are happening in many states. I can understand why publishers would shy away from anything that is changing so rapidly... but I would love to see a nonprofit book that charts the legal issues and discussions, and also personal and community dynamics, as they are evolving across the country. At the moment, I think you have to be reading newspapers
(online or print) to really follow the discussion, and if we want teens
-- who will be voting themselves in a few years -- to have a solid understanding, then I think we have to get them reading material /now/, even knowing changes will come.
E.g. in California, some people are trying to alter the Constitution to limit marriage to opposite gender pairs. From a legal standpoint, that's a totally inappropriate use of Constitutional law. If people had a better understanding of the developments and precedents from other civil rights cases -- specifically interracial marriage and women's and non-white voting rights -- and also of the purpose of the Constitution, I think that they would be less eager to mess with it for personal religious reasons. Teens and pre-teens ought be studying this in school... and too, there are children who could be better activists for what they believe in if they had some legal savvy to back up their arguments.
For younger kids, I would be *absolutely delighted* (!) if Eileen Christelow, the author of "Vote!", were to tackle this theme in a matching format. (Hint, hint....) And if not Eileen, then if someone else could approach the issue in a similarly informative and entertaining manner.... I promise I will buy a bunch of copies! :)
Maia
Received on Thu 29 May 2008 04:04:26 PM CDT
