I bring you today what I'd say is my most anticipated blog post that I've ever written - in this blog and my previous ones.
I'm going to talk about bisexuality in YA and why it's important to me.
If you follow me on Twitter you know (based on my bio) that I'm bisexual. It's something that I came to realize in my ninth grade about six years ago. I had thoughts before about how I might actually be into girls but at the same time I also had crushes on boys so I was incredibly confused. Growing up without knowing that bisexuality was a thing and not seeing it portrayed anywhere led me into thinking that it was just a phase. I once even thought that everyone was like that, that they had crushes on people of the same sex. I soon realized it wasn't common at all and I immediately felt alone.
That's when I started getting more involved in fandoms to be honest. Because I looked for TV shows and books that had someone who was "different" even if not exactly like me. I didn't actually tell anyone my "newly found" sexual orientation because I felt like I was surrounded by people who wouldn't understand. My best friend at the time was a avid supporter of gays and there was a girl in my class that was openly bisexual. But I was afraid of their reaction to be honest.
My family basically consists of homophobic people so it made my life even harder. I grew up having to hide who I truly was - and I still do. My closest friends, my boyfriend and my grandma are the only people that know I'm bi.
All of these reasons led me into searching books where I was represented. Really me. Not "almost" me. But really a bisexual main character. And guess what? I found nothing back there. That made me feel even more alone. "Why do straight people get to be represented in every book but I can't even have one?" I'd ask myself. And got nothing for an answer.
Then last year I found out about this big book community, be it on YouTube, Twitter or Instagram. And I came upon a few books with bisexual main characters. But to be honest I'm only now reading my first book with a bisexual main character.
This is why we need bisexuality in YA. Many of us YA readers aren't straight so we need to see ourselves on the stories we do. Specially because we don't want to feel like exceptions to reality. We aren't. And bisexuals are even more underrated when compared to lesbians and gays.
But authors also have to have in consideration that when they create a non-hetero character they need to write them for us non-heteros, not for them. We can't be used as entertainment to straight people.
I now have a few texts by some bisexual book royalty that answered my request to share a small thought on this issue.
I only came out recently to both myself and people I know. And thinking back I can hardly recall any bisexual rep in books I've read. I've only been out for a few months so now I'm actively seeking bi books. But all the people I seem to ask for recommendations have to reach for them and can only come up with a few. I think the biggest problem with bisexual rep is the lack there of. That's what hurts me. When there's a character that identifies as gay even though they like women too and refuse to acknowledge that they're possibly bi... that hurts the most. It perpetuates the harmful notion that bisexuality isn't real, and you can only be one or the other. Biphobia is real. It hurts. I hope in the future I will see myself in the pages of books I read and less pretending that I - and other bisexuals - don't exist.
Lindsay from TheHufflePuffleBOOKS
Been Here All Along by Sandy Halls was one of my favorite books. We have two main characters who are boys and one of them is confused about his sexual orientation, just like me. This made me relate to him a lot. It is a cute and quick read that shows how being confused about your sexuality is a hard thing. And I think it was extremely well done.
Filipe from The YA Reader
To finish up this post I have several books with a bisexual main character recommended by book royalty. I'd like to thank everyone who answered my request!
Juliet Takes A Breath by Gabby Rivera
Recommended by: Karla from abookishvilla
Labyrinth Lost by Zoraida Córdova
Recommended by: Karla from abookishvilla
Sarah from coolcurrybooks
Not Otherwise Specified by Hannah Moskowitz
Recommended by: Stephanie from wicked_jr89
Otherbound by Corinne Duyvis
Recommended by: Sarah from coolcurrybooks;
Novalynda from NovalyndaBlack
The Scorpion Rules by Erin Bow
Recommended by: Sarah from coolcurrybooks
A Darkly Beating Heart by Lindsay Smith
Recommended by: Sarah from coolcurrybooks
Everything Leads To You by Nina LaCour
Recommended by: Hailee from thesebooklions
Our Own Private Universe by Robin Talley
Recommended by: whatlogssaid
Not Your Sidekick by C.B. Lee
Recommended by: Sarah from coolcurrybooks;
Karla from abookishvilla
Radio Silence by Alice Oseman
Recommended by: Lily from sweetlovebooks
Love In The Time Of Global Warming by Francesca Lia Block
Recommended by: Kel from hellowitchling
Queens Of Geek by Jen Wilde
Recommended by: Ava from bookishwithtea
How To Make A Wish by Ashley Herring Blake
Recommended by: Ava from bookishwithtea
And that's it for today! Please let me know if you liked this post and which themes I should do in future Discussion Days!
Goodbye, book royalty! And don't forget to always keep reading!
1 comments
Hey Marta! First off, wonderful and much needed topic! I do agree that while there are quite a lot of books with LGBTQ protagonists, there are few books with bisexual characters..Bisexuality definitely needs more representation in books! I must say that I just recently read Otherbound by Corinne Duyvis and loved it :) It's a wonderfully diverse novel that also has disabled protagonist and PoC. I hope you get to read it soon! When I come across more such books, I'll definitely let you know! :)
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