Homonormativity in Children's Literature: An Intersectional Analysis of Queer-Themed Picture Books: Journal of LGBT Youth: Vol 11, No 3

Abstract

Effective social justice movements, including those at the level of children's literature, address the ways different forms of oppression intersect and affect the experiences of diverse queer identities. Children's literature can help combat heteronormative discourse by instilling at a young age the inherent value of all people. Inclusive children's literature can help combat socialized aspects of heteronormativity and other forms of oppression. This paper examines 68 lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) themed children's books and the ways they reinforce heteronormativity through the nearly exclusive celebration of homonormative, nonthreatening LGBT characters that conform to expected gender roles, have a vested interest parenting, and are White and upper middle class.

TABLE A1 Children's Books Listed by Author and Evaluated Based on Perpetuation of Gender Normativity, Exclusive Focus on Nuclear Families, and Representations of Race and Class

Author	Title	Published	Gender Normativity	Nuclear Families	Race	Class
Alden, Joan	A Boy's Best Friend	Alyson, 1992	Nonthreatening, traditional feminine presentation	Child lives with mother and her female “friend”	All White	Upper middle
Baker, Dave	The Roos: A Home for Baby	Lulu.com, 2005		Two male kangaroos adopting a baby	Nonhuman
Baker, Dave, and Sage S. Kalmus	The Roos: Baby's New Friend	Lulu.com, 2006		Babyroo has two dads as parents; other animal families consist of parent(s) and child(ren)	Nonhuman
Beech, Kip	When I’m Big	Lulu.com, 2010	Nonthreatening, traditional masculine presentation	Young girl, two dads	White main character; dads pass for White	Upper middle
Benjamin, Judith	And Baby Makes 4	Motek Press, 2009	Nonthreatening, traditional feminine presentation	Child lives with two moms who are expecting another baby	All White	Upper middle
Bey-Clarke, Monica, and Cheril N. Clarke	Keesha and Her Two Moms Go Swimming	My Family/Dodi Press, 2010	Nonthreatening, traditional feminine presentation	Child lives with two moms	All Black except one supporting White character	Upper middle
Bösche, Susanne	Jenny Lives With Eric and Martin	Gay Men's Press, 1983	Nonthreatening masculine presentation	Child lives with dad and his boyfriend	All White	Upper middle
Brannen, Sarah S.	Uncle Bobby's Wedding	Penguin Young Readers Group, 2008	Nonthreatening	Child's uncle is marrying male “friend” and they want to have their own children	Nonhuman	Upper middle
Brown, Forman	The Generous Jefferson Bartleby Jones	Alyson, 1991	Nonthreatening, traditional masculine presentation	Celebration of child having two dads	All White main characters; supporting characters of color	Upper middle
Bunnell, Jacinta, and Irit Reinheimer	Girls Will Be Boys Will Be Girls Will Be: A Coloring Book	Soft Shell Press, 2004	Illustrations and captions challenge normative, gendered behavioral expectations	Queer romantic couples, no children	Mostly White, a few characters of color
Carr, Jennifer	Be Who You Are!	AuthorHouse, 2010	Traditional MTF transgender narrative		All White main characters; few supporting characters of color	Upper middle
Carter, Kristin	What Matters Most: A Children's Book of Families	BookSurge, 2008	Nonthreatening gender presentations	Child lives with her brother and single father; diverse supporting families; all families have children	All White main characters; few supporting characters of color	Upper middle
Considine, Kaitlyn	Emma and Meesha My Boy: A Two Mom Story	Xlibris.com, 2005	Nonthreatening, traditionally feminine presentations	Child lives with two moms	All White	Upper middle
Crowther, Kitty	Jack and Jim	Hyperion Books for Children, 2000	Nonthreatening		Nonhuman
De Haan, Linda, and Stern Nijland	King and King	Random House, 2000	Nonthreatening, masculine gender presentation		All white	Upper
De Haan, Linda, and Stern Nijland	King and King and Family	Random House, 2004	Nonthreatening, masculine gender presentation	Two kings adopt a child	White kings, adopted child of color	Upper
DePaola, Tomie	Oliver Button Is a Sissy	Harcourt Brace, 1979	Main (male) character's gender-transgressing behavior problematized and compensated for		All White	Upper middle
Edmonds, Barbara Lynn	Mama Eat Ant, Yuck!	Hundredth Munchy, 2000	Nonthreatening, traditionally feminine presentations	Two moms, three children	All White main characters, characters of color in background	Upper middle
Edmonds, Barbara Lynn	When Grown-Ups Fall in Love	Hundredth Munchy, 1997	Nonthreatening, traditional gender presentations	Queer and straight couples falling in love and desiring children	Mostly White, few characters of color	Upper middle
Elwin, Rosamund, and Michele Paulse	Asha's Mums	Women's Press, 1990	Nonthreatening, traditionally feminine presentations	Two moms, child	All White
Ewert, Marcus	10,000 Dresses	Seven Stories Press, 2009	Traditional MTF transgender narrative		All White	Upper middle
Fallens, Bronny	My Two Super Dads	Little Train, 2011	Nonthreatening, traditional masculine presentation	Two dads and their adopted daughter	White dad, White-passing dad, White-passing child	Upper middle
Fierstein, Harvey	The Sissy Duckling	Simon and Shuster, 2002	Main (male) character's gender-transgressing behavior problematized and compensated for		Nonhuman
Fox-Lee, Kyme, and Susan Fox-Lee	What Are Parents?	StoryTyme, 2004	Nonthreatening traditionally feminine dress; one woman with short hair, one woman with long hair	Two moms meeting their newborn	White main characters; supporting characters of color	Upper middle
Garden, Nancy	Molly's Family	Farrar Straus, 2004	Nonthreatening, feminine gender presentations	Two moms and their daughter	White moms, White-passing daughter	Upper middle
Geeslin, Campbell	Elena's Serenade	Simon and Schuster, 2004	Female main character's gender-transgressing behavior problematized		All characters of color (located in Mexico)	Working
González, Rigoberto	Antonio's Card	Children's Books Press, 2005	One woman's gender-transgressing presentation is problematized	Child lives with mom and her partner	Two main characters of color, one White character	Upper middle
Gregg, Jennifer C.	Flying Free	BookSurge, 2004	Nonthreatening traditionally feminine dress; one woman with short hair, one woman with long hair	Child lives with two moms	White mother and daughter, and White-passing mother	Upper middle
Hilton, Perez	The Boy With Pink Hair	Penguin Group, 2011	Main (male) character's gender-transgressing behavior problematized and compensated for		All White main characters, characters of color in background	Upper middle
Hoffman, Eric	Best Best Colors	Redleaf Press, 1999	Nonthreatening, traditionally feminine gender presentation	Child lives with his two moms	Black child, Black mother, White mother	Working class
Isaak, Sandro	Stork M.I.A.	Lulu.com, 2010	Nonthreatening, traditional gender presentations	Two dads adopting baby from China	Two White dads, adopted daughter of color	Upper middle
Johnson, David	Evan's Beard	Lulu.com, 2006	Gender-normative messages about facial hair	Child lives with his two moms	White moms, Black child	Upper middle
Jover, Carmen Martínez	The Baby Kangaroo Treasure Hunt	Self-published, 2009		Two male kangaroos want a baby	Nonhuman
Kilodavis, Cheryl	My Princess Boy	Simon and Schuster, 2009	Male child bullied for wearing dresses		All characters of color	Upper middle
Kuklin, Susan	Families	Hyperion Books for Children, 2006	Nonthreatening, traditional gender presentations	All families have children	Diverse	Upper middle
Levine, Arthur A.	Monday Is One Day	Scholastic Press, 2011	Nonthreatening, traditionally masculine presentation	All families have children; two dads and child	Queer family is White	Upper middle
Merchant, Ed	Dad David, Baba Chris, and Me	British Association for Adoption and Fostering, 2010	Nonthreatening, traditionally masculine presentation	Two dads, child	Black dad, White dad, Black child	Upper middle
Newman, Lesléa	Belinda's Bouquet	Alyson, 1991	One mother with long hair does housework; other mother with short hair does yard work	Son lives with his two mothers	All White	Upper middle
Newman, Lesléa	The Boy Who Cried Fabulous	Random House, 2004	Young boy loves to say “fabulous!”; slightly gender nonconforming		All White	Upper middle
Newman, Lesléa	Daddy, Papa, and Me	Random House, 2009	Nonthreatening, traditionally masculine presentation	Son lives with his two dads	White child, White dad, White-passing dad	Upper middle
Newman, Lesléa	Donovan's Big Day	Random House, 2011	Nonthreatening, one mother in wedding dress, one mother in suit	Child lives with his two mothers	White child, white mother, White-passing mother	Upper middle
Newman, Lesléa	Felicia's Favorite Story	Two Lives, 2002	Nonthreatening, traditionally feminine gender presentations	Adopted child lives with her two moms	One White mother, one mother and child of color	Upper middle
Newman, Lesléa	Heather Has Two Mommies	Alyson, 1989	Nonthreatening, traditionally feminine gender presentations	Child lives with two moms	All White	Upper middle
Newman, Lesléa	Mommy, Mama, and Me	Random House, 2009	Nonthreatening, traditionally feminine gender presentations	Child lives with two moms	White mother, mother of color, White child	Upper middle
Newman, Lesléa	Saturday Is Pattyday	New Victoria, 1993	Nonthreatening, slight butch/femme presentation	Child of divorced moms	All White	Upper middle
Oelschlager, Vanita	A Tale of Two Daddies	Vanita Books, 2010	Nonthreatening traditionally masculine presentations	Child lives with two dads	White dads, child White-passing	Upper middle
Oelschlager, Vanita	A Tale of Two Mommies	Vanita Books, 2011		Child lives with two moms	White moms, child of color	Upper middle
Parr, Todd	The Family Book	Hachette Book Group, 2005	Nonthreatening gender presentations	Only book that acknowledges families can exist without children	Diverse
Polacco, Patricia	In Our Mothers’ House	Penguin Young Readers Group, 2009	Nontraditional (butch) female gender presentation	Two moms, three children	White mothers, adopted children of color	Upper
Rella, Tina	Daddy and Pop	Guess Who?, 2011 . Barnard, I. (2003). Queer race: Cultural interventions in the racial politics of queer theory. New York, NY: Peter Land Publishing, Inc. [Google Scholar]	Nonthreatening, traditional masculine presentations	Child lives with two dads	White dad, brown dad, brown child	Upper middle
Rella, Tina	Mom, Mama, and Me… And How I Came to Be!	Guess Who?, 2011 . Barnard, I. (2003). Queer race: Cultural interventions in the racial politics of queer theory. New York, NY: Peter Land Publishing, Inc. [Google Scholar]	Nonthreatening, slight butch/femme presentation	Child lives with two moms	White mom, brown mom, White child	Upper middle
Richardson, Justin, and Peter Parnell	And Tango Makes Three	Simon and Schuster, 2005		Two male penguins adopt baby	Nonhuman
Ross, Eric	My Uncle's Wedding	CreateSpace.com, 2011	Nonthreatening traditionally masculine gender presentations		White child, White uncle, White-passing partner	Upper middle
Severance, Jane	When Megan Went Away	Lollipop Power, 1979	Nonthreatening, traditionally feminine gender presentations	Two women splitting up and raising their child	All White	Upper middle
Simon, Norma	All Families Are Special	Albert Whitman, 2003	Nonthreatening, traditional gender presentations	All families have children	Diverse (but queer couple is White)	Upper middle
Tompkins, Crystal	Oh the Things Mommies Do!	Self-published, 2011	Nonthreatening, traditionally feminine gender presentations; sometimes one with short hair, one with long hair	All families have children	Diverse
U’Ren, Andrea	Pugdog	Farrar Straus, 2001	Man applies stringent gendered expectations to his dog		All White	Upper middle
Valentine, Johnny	One Dad, Two Dads, Brown Dad, Blue Dads	Alyson, 1994	Nonthreatening, traditionally masculine gender presentation	Two dads, child	Black child, blue dads	Upper middle
Valentine, Johnny	Two Moms, the Zark, and Me	Alyson Wonderland, 1993	Nonthreatening, traditionally feminine gender presentations	Two moms, child	White child, White mother, White-passing mother	Upper middle
Walter-Goodspeed, Dee Dee	At My House What Makes a Family Is Love	AuthorHouse, 2006	Nonthreatening, traditional gender presentations	All families have one or two parents and children	All White, one supporting character (baby) of color	Upper middle
Wickens, Elaine	Anna Day and the O-Ring	Alyson, 1994	Nonthreatening, traditionally feminine gender presentations	Two moms, child	All White	Upper middle
Willhoite, Michael	Daddy's Roommate	Alyson, 1990	Nonthreatening, traditionally masculine gender presentations		All White	Upper middle
Willhoite, Michael	Uncle What-Is-It Is Coming to Visit	Alyson Wonderland, 1993	Nonthreatening traditionally masculine gender presentation (main character); cross-dressing “scary” characters		All White (except supporting “scary” characters)	Upper middle
Wilson, Anna	Want Toast	Onlywomen Press Limited, 2010	Nonthreatening, traditional feminine presentations	Two moms, child	White mother, brown mother, brown child	Upper middle
Wong, Wallace	When Kathy Is Keith	Xlibris.com, 2011	Traditional FTM transgender narrative		All White	Upper middle
Zolotow, Charlotte	William's Doll	HarperCollins, 1972	Main (male) character's gender transgressing behavior problematized		All White	Upper middle

KEYWORDS:

APPENDIX

TABLE A1 Children's Books Listed by Author and Evaluated Based on Perpetuation of Gender Normativity, Exclusive Focus on Nuclear Families, and Representations of Race and Class

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Jasmine Z. Lester

Jasmine Z. Lester is an activist and alumna of Arizona State University. She founded and directs Sun Devils Against Sexual Assault, and is a coordinator for Know Your IX's ED Act Now campaign. Her research interests include intersectionality, queer theory, critical race theory, media studies, consent education, and sexual violence prevention.

Journal of LGBT Youth

Homonormativity in Children's Literature: An Intersectional Analysis of Queer-Themed Picture Books

APPENDIX

Published online:

TABLE A1 Children's Books Listed by Author and Evaluated Based on Perpetuation of Gender Normativity, Exclusive Focus on Nuclear Families, and Representations of Race and Class

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Jasmine Z. Lester

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Journal of LGBT Youth

Homonormativity in Children's Literature: An Intersectional Analysis of Queer-Themed Picture Books

APPENDIX

Published online:

TABLE A1 Children's Books Listed by Author and Evaluated Based on Perpetuation of Gender Normativity, Exclusive Focus on Nuclear Families, and Representations of Race and Class

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Notes on contributors

Jasmine Z. Lester

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