Race Matters Whether or Not We Talk about It: A Critical Content Analysis of LGBTQ+ Characters of Color in Three Contemporary Young Adult Graphic Novels

Abstract

As the diversity of the US student population has increased (The National Center for Education Statistics [NCES]), so has the diversity in children's and young adult (YA) books (Cooperative Children's Book Center). Bishop argues, as student demographics change, it is important for students to read books that are windows, mirrors, and sliding glass doors that can help build critical consciousness and critical literacy skills for a more democratic society ("Mirrors, Windows"). Studies have examined queer representation in children's and YA literature and found greater visibility of LGBTQ+ youth and families since queer YA literature was first published in the 1970s (Jenkins and Cart; Cart and Kaywell). Few studies have examined queer representation in graphic novels and even fewer have researched queer characters of color (Betts-Green and Latham). This study, a critical content analysis of three contemporary graphic novels with queer characters of color, adds to the growing field of analysis of queer YA literature.LGBTQ+ Characters in Young Adult Literature Stories about LGBTQ+ characters have evolved drastically since their introduction to YA publishing in the 1970s (Cart and Kaywell). The first stories about LGBTQ+ youth were filled with "doom, gloom, or 'it's just a phase'" tropes about white characters that often ended in death or tragedy (Cart and Kaywell 1). In the 1980s and 1990s, story plots included more representation of queer adults and queer youth of color, primarily focusing on coming out stories.But since the turn of the century, LGBTQ+ stories have flourished with more racial diversity, characters finding love in queer communities, characters who are already out and living their lives, bisexual and transgender characters, and speculative fiction with queer content (Aldama;Cart and Kaywell). The stories have evolved from coded texts and ones containing continual linkages between queerness and death to narratives that focus on the nuanced stages and