Most of the largest joys in my life relate to LGBTQ+ books. That features studying them, writing about them, and connecting queer readers with queer books! I really feel privileged, honored, and fortunate to get to try this work as a librarian and author. Along with Ebook Riot, I’ve my very own e book weblog, Casey the Canadian Lesbrarian and a month-to-month column on Autostraddle.com known as Ask Your Pleasant Neighborhood Lesbrarian.
As a queer girl, books by and about queer girls are probably the most particular to my coronary heart. As a bisexual girl, I’m significantly thinking about books by and about bi+ girls. I’m additionally dedicated to studying and selling books by and about underrepresented teams within the queer group: trans ladies and men and nonbinary, asexual and/or aromantic, intersex, and Two-Spirit folks.
Some days I nonetheless can’t imagine it once I get publicity emails from publicists providing me FREE evaluation copies of LGBTQ+ books. They’re typically superior studying copies accessible earlier than the e book even formally comes out! After nearly a decade of writing about queer books on the Web, I get a good quantity of those emails. I particularly get them within the month of Might, as publishers are wanting particularly at their LGBTQ+ titles for June, Delight month. In reality, I acquired 4 such emails simply within the final week. I used to be enthusiastic about these emails, and the others that arrived in my inbox in Might. After which I used to be disenchanted.
Why was I disenchanted, you ask? As a result of the books marketed as “LGBTQ+” didn’t, in truth, stay as much as the title. The fact, sadly, based on the emails I acquired about Delight month books, is that “LGBTQ+” meant 80-90% content material about cis homosexual males. There was normally just a little lesbian content material thrown in (as a deal with?), little to no bi and/or trans books, and nothing that could be indicated by the +, like ace or intersex. Why is it that when e book publishers and publicists say LGBTQ+ books, what they actually imply is homosexual and cisgender?
That’s partially a rhetorical query. I do know the massive, overarching purpose why. It’s the patriarchy and cisnormativity/cissexism (the idea that everybody is cisgender and that being cisgender is superior to being transgender). However given the truth that the time period LGBTQ+ is a literal acronym comprised of letters that stand for various identities beneath the queer rainbow, I discover it baffling. Why use an acronym to explain a gaggle of books when it clearly doesn’t apply?
I’m compelled to conclude that individuals are merely utilizing LGBTQ+ as a synonym for homosexual. However the acronym exists in order that we could possibly be extra inclusive of queer identities apart from cisgender homosexual males, and books don’t magically change into extra various since you name them LGBTQ+ as a substitute of homosexual. That makes the writer or publicist look, at greatest, ignorant of the particular content material of the books they’re selling, and at worst, intentionally deceptive, making an attempt to look extra inclusive and various than they really are.
I feel my frustration is clear. As I wrote above, I’m a queer girl who writes primarily about books by and about queer girls. I inform this to publicists explicitly. So once I get an e mail asking if I’m thinking about reviewing any of the books on an inventory the place the bulk don’t slot in that class, it’s a waste of my time and theirs.
Class ID: 9969
Class ID: 471
I wish to ask publicists and publishers to look at what they’re publishing and advertising and marketing as “LGBTQ+.” If you take a look at the books beneath that umbrella, do they actually signify the acronym? Or must you name them GGGGL? (I’m specializing in range when it comes to gender and sexual identities on this put up, however I don’t imply to underestimate the significance of additionally centring intersectional identities. This implies publishing and selling extra LGBTQ+ books by and about folks of colour, disabled folks, non-Christian non secular people, and different underrepresented teams.)
If the so-called LGBTQ+ books don’t truly deserve the title, why not label them extra particularly? It could present the place a few of the gaps are. It could additionally spotlight particular illustration in order that queer books may be greatest matched with the queer readers and reviewers who’re thinking about them. For those who imply homosexual books, simply say homosexual books! (Aspect be aware: I additionally typically see well-meaning reviewers labeling a single e book or character “LGBTQ+”. Please be particular as a substitute until you truly imply L + G + B + T + Q + different identities).
Briefly: don’t use the acronym LGBTQ+ for books until you actually imply it. Appears easy sufficient, proper?
Don’t miss all of the LGBTQ+ books content material on Ebook Riot. You can even take a look at what I’ve not too long ago written about new queer girls romances and 2020 bisexual girls books.
