ICYMI: Melissa's Story and #sharpieactivism

Recently, author Alex Gino shared a blog post about using #sharpieactivism to correct copies of Melissa's Story.

"I made a mistake when I named my first published middle grade novel. A big mistake. I used a name for my main character that she doesn’t like for herself (i.e. George, the title of the book) instead of her actual name. My main character’s name is Melissa, and I apologize to her, to the larger trans community, and to all of my readers for the error. I’m sorry.

She is not real, so I can’t hurt her feelings, but the title of my book makes it seem as though it is ever okay to use an old name for a person when they have provided you with a different name that works better for them. I want to be clear – it isn’t.

I know. The cover is beautiful. Iconic, even. But here’s the thing: so many transgender people have been told that we are beautiful/handsome as a reason not to transition, myself included. We are told that we will mar something special, as though looking pleasant to others is more important than being ourselves. As if it’s not more important than seeing who’s really there, scars and all."

Click HERE to read the entire post - - examples on how folks have corrected their copies AND a downloadable Canva dust jacket are included!

OH!  One last thing... "P.S. Librarian-type folks? The OCLC master has been edited so if you re-download, Melissa’s Story should appear as an alternative title."

Ideas for Supporting Trans Youth in the Library

The Teen Services Underground blog recently had a post with excellent ideas on ways you can support trans youth in your work. From vocabulary to collections to ways we all can be more affirming, author Jenna Ingaham shares what has worked for her. 

She writes: "We all have trans* youth in our communities. They are here, whether they are visible to you or not. So what kind of post is this? I’m sharing a few things you can add to your work in effort to support trans* teens in your library, some of which you may already be doing!"

To read the whole post, please stop here.

10 Great YA Novels with Transgender/Nonbinary Main Characters

If you are like me, purchasing new books for my sections of the library takes a brief hiatus over the crazed summer months.  Now that the start of school is within view I am ready to order, order, order!  With the ideal of increasing diversity within collections as much as possible, I found this great list highlighting teen books with transgender and nonbinary main characters, compiled by Dahlia Adler over at the BNTeen blog.

The list notes award winners like If I Was Your Girl (Meredith Russo) and When the Moon Was Ours (Anna-Marie McLemore), as well as other great titles such as Not Your Villain (C.B. Lee) and Dreadnought (April Daniels).  Check out the complete list HERE.

He, She, They

Pixabay

At my library we hosted "A Day of Learning: A Conversation about Transgender Youth". GSAFE created the event toolkit but the local high school chapter of GSA (Gender and Sexuality Alliance) hosted the program. The library provided space and snacks along with helping with promotion. The event included a reading of I Am Jazz and discussion plus two videos about transgender and gender fluid people.

I attended a few GSA meetings in preparation of the event. At the beginning of each meeting, the students would tell the highlight of their week and what pronouns they were using this week. I'm Kelly. She, Her, Hers. I love the nice weather.

From the meetings and the event, I learned young people don't necessarily believe in two genders. They don't worry about the labels. They are who they are. The NPR article "A New Generation Overthrows Gender" has an interview with a non-binary young person. At the Day of Learning event, the students showed the short movie "Tomgirl" about Jack who doesn't fit easily into the boy or girl gender categories.

Besides broadening my perspective on gender, I was lucky to work with such well-spoken and dedicated teen advocates for inclusion and diversity.

If you are interested in the event toolkit, please email Shawna Kollath, shawna@gsafewi.org.

Here is the 2017 Rainbow Book List - GLBTQ Books for Children & Teens from ALA to help with displays and collection development.

June is GLBT Book Month

June is GLBT Book Month and is a nationwide celebration of the authors and writings that reflect the lives and experiences of the gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender community.

Looking to update your collection or enhance your current LGBTQIA+ offerings?  Check out these award winners, booklists, and websites!

2016 Stonewall Book Awards
The first and most enduring award for GLBT books is the Stonewall Book Awards, sponsored by the American Library Association's Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender Round Table, honors books for exceptional merit relating to the gay/lesbian/bisexual/transgender experience.

2016 Rainbow Book List
The Rainbow List is a bibliography of books with significant gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, or queer/questioning content, and which are aimed at youth, birth through age 18.

CCBC: Gay and Lesbian Theme and Topics in Selected Children's and YA Books
As always, the CCBC offers a wonderful list of LGBTQ books for children of all ages.

Bustle: 30 LGBTQIA+ Children's Books
Looking to amp-up your picture book collection?  Bustle presents a list of  30 children's books with the note that "LGBTQIA-positive children's books have something to offer every kind of kid and every kind of family."

Buzzfeed: 16 LGBT Books That Will Actually Change Your Life
Buzzfeed asked followers to share which LGBT book influenced them the most.  A great crowd-sourced list. (Note: Not all books included are for teens/children.)