This website specifically came into being during a Young Adult Literature graduate class, and combines two of the things I'm really passionate about: fantasy literature and LGBT representation in fiction.

 

I have had a lifelong love affair with the fantasy genre, especially the ways that it can open up new possibilities, to present to the reader worlds that are at once strange and familiar. 

 

A newer passion, but none the weaker for that, is that of diversity in young adult literature. Representation is incredibly important, especially for young people. We live in a diverse world, and it's important that young people see and understand that. If a teen never has access to books about people who are similar to themselves, they'll begin to assume that there's something wrong with them, that they aren't "normal." Likewise, reading books about experiences that are less like their own allows young adult readers to grow in knowledge and empathy. 

 

With regards to specifically LGBT representation, it is worth pointing out the statistic that Malinda Lo quotes in her blog post "2014 LGBT YA By the Numbers:" "In 2014, mainstream publishers published 47 LGBT YA books." This is more than twice as many as in 2013, but is still plenty paltry. Because the pickings are fairly slim, I feel that it's important that readers be able to find and read what is out there.

 

So why pair these two passions? First of all, why not? There is LGBT YA fantasy that exists presently and is very much worth celebrating. Also, the fantasy genre has always allowed for marvelous possibilities--the only real limits of the genre are the author's imagination. Specifically, fantasy gets to play with worldbuilding in such a way to present alternate views of gender and sexuality that our society doesn't allow/have access to, and that is incredibly fascinating to me. This has been a study of genre as much as an exploration, and I'm excited to share my findings with you.