When deciding what option to choose for my final project I was really interesting in finding a topic that I have had very little exposure to. GLBTQ literature was a perfect choice that matched that goal. Throughout my entire education, including college, I have not read a single GLBTQ book and have never even heard of any books that existed concerning this topic. Because of this, I decided to complete my project by researching and reading GLBTQ books.
I started the project by searching on-line and was happy to see that there was a large variety of books available that were considered to include aspects of the GLBTQ culture. I wasn't sure if these books would be found easily at my local library, but was pleased when I was able to check out all of the books on my list. (Although I have mixed feelings that none of these books were checked out by others). When I came home from my first trip to the library I skimmed through the books I had checked out and realized that all eight of them were about homosexual males and none about lesbian females, bisexuals, or transgendered. I still wonder if this was merely coincidence or if there are more books published about gay males. I made a second trip to the library and searched specifically for GLBTQ books that were not about homosexual males. I found two books specifically about lesbian mothers, and two that included many illustrations of a variety of characters who would identify as GLBTQ.
While reading through the books I find that most seem to accurately depict those within the GLBTQ community without including stereotypes or other negative portrayals. As a future teacher, I am interested in obtaining my own personal copies of some of the books to keep in my classroom library. I feel like a hypocrite, but I am afraid to make such books available for my students. I know that some parents will be very upset that their children are exposed to such literature. This fear will not stop me from including a vast array of multicultural literature in my classroom because I feel it is absolutely necessary for children to be exposed to all cultures, not just those that are familiar to them. Literature is a window for students to look through as they learn about various cultures. In addition, there will no doubt be at least one student in my class with a GLBTQ parent, family member, friend, or is GLBTQ themselves, and it is important that they see that those within that culture are represented and validated through literature as well.
This project serves as a great resource for me to become exposed to a type of literature that I have previously not had the opportunity of exploring. By reading a variety of GLBTQ literature while preparing for the project, I have learned a lot about how these books can be incorporated into a classroom setting.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
1 comment:
I enjoyed reading your post and look forward to seeing your collect of GLBTQ literature. I completely agree that this literature may be controversial in the classroom but it needs to be available for kids. I know several families with gay and lesbian couples and kids and I am curious to the amount of exposure they have received to this literature, if any and how they perceive it. I realize this can be a touchy subject for everyone but everybody should have the chance to relate to a book. It is becoming more common to see single sex relationships and more accepted and I think quality literature about this group of people can help open the door even further for people to accept something that has been looked down upon in the past.
Until college I had not read a book with a main character who was apart of the LGBTQ community. So far out of the two books that I have read with a transgendered character and an abundance of GLBTQ's in Boy Meets Boy, I have thoroughly enjoyed these books as well as any other book I have read. I look forward to exploring more insider authors as well as looking into more books written by David Levithan to expand my collection.
Post a Comment