But I do know this. I’ve worked openly as an LGBT author for almost twenty years and I’ve never experienced discrimination in publishing. And that’s not up for discussion. It’s my own personal experience, not hearsay.

In the end, the point I’m trying to make is that it’s important for those of us interested in supporting LGBTQ content in publishing to actually go out and buy the books. And to say that in my personal experience, I’ve never had an editor ask me or an author to take gay content out of a book. (The Wicked Pretty Things incident aside, since I didn’t rep the story itself and wasn’t involved in the situation, though Jessica Verday was a client at the time.)

-MB

Again, I apologize for my choice of words, which weren’t intended to offend.

– MB

Librarians and educators are an important market for YA fiction, but they’re not the same people censoring textbooks–those people are most certainly NOT librarians or educators, they’re elected school board members. I actually think most (though not all–I’m trying hard not to generalize and yet still make a point) librarians are eager to get books that reflect their diverse student bodies. I’d argue that the issue with marketing LGBTQ fiction (or fiction featuring LGBTQ characters) has more to do with bookstores than with libraries, especially as library budgets decrease and larger percentages of YA sales come from the bookstore.

-MB

Here’s a fun example. I sent a book on submission that happened to have a gay main character. I sent it to a healthy sampling of agents. All the male agents passed. 90% of the female agents asked for the full manuscript to read. Now, I’m sure there are other possible reasons that agents passed–I’m not egotistical enough to think my book would appeal to every single publisher everywhere. But I can’t deny the clear split between male and female agents. And I think that, at the very least, it shows that a bias might exist out there against books that feature gay protagonists.

Maybe no one is out there twirling their mustache, coming up with ways to keep gay books out of the market–okay, maybe there are…but they’re a fringe–but I think this attitude of “gay books don’t sell to straight audiences” is a form of bias, it’s a form of censorship. It’s an easy way for agents and publishers to wash their hands of it and not feel bad about themselves. They can say, “Oh, I LOVED this book so much, but I just don’t think it’ll sell….it’s not me, it’s the market.”

Just something to think about.

People, please get a clue (I’m sorry to be rude, but really, everyone is averting their eyes from the ugly naked king). Censorship is alive and well in YA fiction, and gay characters are right up there with the other big taboos. Why anyone would think that Texas can get science and history cut from textbooks and wouldn’t have an influence on YA fiction (which relies on libraries and school for big sales) boggles my mind.

Yes, some books get published (a large percentage are issue books, but I know at least one gay writer who wrote some light YA with interesting non-issue gay characters).

I agree that buying the fiction would change that — but again, if schools and libraries are the drivers of YA fiction sales….

Maybe I’m just still smarting from having my cheerleading witch censored from remarking that a fellow cheerleader needed to lose 5 pounds (fear of encouraging bulemia or anorexia). Since she spoke in reference to a flyer (the cheerleader who gets lifted and thrown in the air, etc.) and my character never actually paid attention to anyone’s weight in any other scene, I was shocked. But my editor had consulted others, and they felt the line should go *because of the reaction it would get from parents and teachers and librarians*.

I figure if editors are going to take out one line about weight loss that is in legitimate non-pro-anorexia context, there are those who will suggest de-gayification for broader sales appeal (read, libraries and schools willing to buy the book without fear of having it banned by an angry parent).