Friday, August 31, 2012

#5: A Call for Action


            The importance of reading is significantly stressed in our education system beginning when were young and advancing past college education. We are also taught at a young age that boy’s are very different from girl’s and that its hard to live with them but we cant live without them, or that kids act silly or abnormal because they haven’t matured yet, or that there are some choice names for identifying those whose skin colors don’t match ours. But what about kids who don’t think that its impossible to live without those of the opposite sex, or kids who continue to act funny or abnormal even when their peers are beginning to mature, or the kids who don’t understand why their skin is a different color than their peers and don’t understand why they are called names? They begin to develop a mentality, in which they see their selves as society sees them: as misfits, social outcasts, mentally challenged (remedial), abominations, etc… They begin to feel hopeless, like they don’t belong and ultimately they begin to feel alone. No one speaks out for them and no one stands up for them and when someone does, the consequences can be severe.

            In response to the article “Say Yes to Gay YA,” the question that sticks with me is, “What do most YA (young adult) novels have in common?” They are usually about young heterosexual males or females who face some of the very same issues we faced when we were younger and that teens still face today. (Like I said some of us) These issues are usually associated with: dating, acceptance, family, peer pressure and bullying among other things. These novels all focus on the life of a “normal” teen, and even though these novels depict those hardships of “normal” teenagers what about the teenagers who aren’t normal? Sure losing a boyfriend, not getting along with your family, not fitting in, being bullied and peer pressure are all difficult situations to overcome during the adolescent years, but imagine those hardships magnified by 20. These issues have no correlation to the insurmountable struggles faced by teens who suffer with disabilities, sexual orientations and racial discrimination.  

            The authors associated with this article understand the feelings these teens face because they have taken the time to listen. These teens struggle with suicide, struggle with being accepted by friends, family and society, and have no hopes of leading a normal life. They feel alone in the world and have a hard time relating to or looking up to anyone, they have no role models. The authors wanted to provide these teens with a hero, someone they could look up to and show them a world or a reality in which they could be accepted, even if it is just a fictitious reality. However their hopes are continuously thwarted by editors who have the final push in getting their novels published. The editors insist upon rewriting or removing homosexual male leads in these books and replacing them with heterosexual males. Male and female leads are always depicted as white and illustrated as white on the covers of books, even when the novels specifically states that they are of a different race. Individuals with disabilities are almost never motioned in YA novels, and are definitely never casted as a protagonist in the novels. We cannot begin to comprehend the type of message this sends to those who are discriminated against because of things they cannot control. We are sending the message that these teenagers are such a disgrace to society that their not even important enough to write about in novels. And we wonder why it is that the teenage suicide rates are going up.

            The world that we live in is becoming more and more diverse with each generation that is birthed. Homosexuality is more common in today’s society then it was 20 years ago, as well as children with disabilities. As diversity spreads we must become more diverse and more accepting of things in which we do not understand. We must understand that race or ethnicity is not something you choose, neither is homosexuality or disabilities. These are traits that we have inherited since the time of conception, traits in which we did not choose but were merely passed through genetics. So how can society be so condemning? It’s because we don’t take the time to listen or understand; were afraid of the abnormal or that in which we can’t explain. It’s not our job to condemn; that is God’s job. We all should remember that these individuals need compassion and love and if we don’t take a stand for them who will?

The article “Say Yes to Gay YA,” is not only a plea for us to take action in supporting the new diverse generations of teenagers. It is also a statement asking readers to declare their support of homosexuality and diversity in the YA novel industry. The only way for change to be initiated is for us to show our support for novels where the main characters are LGBTQ, or of a different race, or have disabilities. We have to be the ones to say its ok and demand these books be produced. Our opinions matter and it’s our duty to implement them by doing book reviews, sharing comments about the books, and vote for books like these to be produced and published. We can’t wait for others to implement these changes; we must answer the Call for Action and implement the changes ourselves. It’s time to put our fear behind us and take a STAND for what we believe in!

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