To try and find some good teens books that don't push the LGBTQ agenda?

[Lifeofthepartay]

Trying to get some books for my daughter who is in S1, books are either too young or they all have a blurb that alludes to the main character's sexual preferences. Would love it if anyone could recommend something your pre-teens, or young teens are reading that don't include those topics? They already get enough information about it in school and the internet.

One book, that did not have sexual identity or sexuality as its central theme, iirc. It was challenged or banned by the looney fringe for frank references to menstruation and sex, but mostly because the (fundamentalist/ diehard) Christian characters were portrayed in what was considered a negative light. Sexual identity and gender identity didn't come into it. The book made it clear that Margaret and her friends were like outsiders examining a foreign landscape from quite a distance.

The OP is looking for literature that doesn't have sex, sexuality, or sexual identity as its central theme, or as the hero journey of the chatacters. A great deal of what is currently available focuses on that, in contrast to books published about ten years ago and further back.

You're really reaching here.

No - they're not 'age appropriate' for everyone. The entire point a lot of people here are making is that eleven year olds are a very varied group. The term 'age appropriate' simply has no relevance for children of that age.

Books about relationships and sex, sexuality, sexual or gender identity are not what this child wants to read.

The OP wants suggestions of books whose central theme is not any of the above.

You call it policing (as if a parent shouldn't police material that will live in their child's head) and youre using terms like 'suppressing' and questioning the OP's parenting because you have decided to be obtuse, and also because you have no issue with an agenda when it's your own agenda.

@Lifeofthepartay the fashion for LGBT focused books started about 15 years ago it seemed, there's always been a few of them around here and there decades ago (EM Forster, D H Lawrence etc) but the push has been more recent. Try some books you remember enjoying from your own youth, there was less of a push then. The plots weren't so preachy.

How so?

Of course being gay is not evil or perverted, and I never said that, but for example being transgender and talking about the struggles of being transgender including identity crisis, gender reassignment surgeries, medical and psychological treatments are hardships and too complex for my 11 year old to understand! Or are we going to deny this too for political correctness!? I mean we can agree to disagree, and obviously the people that feel they want their kids to have this knowledge at such young age can do as they please, but me wanting to hold off until she is more mature does not make me homophobic or evil either!

Don’t think you’ve read my entire post before replying, but okay.

And yet, you didn’t ask for books didn’t contain those other things - just ones that don’t push a gay ‘agenda’. So yes, you are being homophobic.
So no War Horse ( World War) for your child then? No Romeo & Juliet/ Noughts & Crosses ( murder), No Anne Frank ( war AND murder AND antisemitism) No ‘ Goodnight Mr Tom’ ( war again) No Tracy Beaker ( child neglect)
no Harry Potter ( murder/death) …

or is it really just any depiction of gay characters you object to?

I don’t know WHAT came up in your book search - BTW, you know that search algorithms show more of what YOU search for in general, just saying - but the children’s books that show anything CLOSE to what you’re talking about are both in the minority and aimed at much older readers.

Not wanting your child to read material more suited to older teens or adults REGARDLESS of the subject is fine obviously but specifically saying you want books that don’t push an ‘agenda’ - homophobic.

I don't know what age S1 is but I loved Princess Diaries from age 10-16. Thery were the only books I would read.

@mathanxiety

"The OP is looking for literature that doesn't have sex, sexuality, or sexual identity as its central theme"

She didn't really signal that in her OP or the title of the thread.

She specifically wants books that don't acknowledge homosexuality exists as far as the central characters and themes go.

The OP is homophobic. And lots of people on this thread have pandered to this, which is a bit depressing.

no....

"She specifically wants books that don't acknowledge homosexuality exists as far as the central characters and themes go."

Not true

Perhaps some people think that sex and relationships don't have to be the defining part of a book or character? Sometimes people can be interesting whoever they are attracted to and perhaps children aren't attracted to anyone at all?

If she simply didn’t want books that have sex and relationships as their central theme, she would have said that. Her post would have said, for example, ‘’ AIBU to want to find books that don’t reference sex and relationships’’. She didn’t. She said specifically LGBTQ ‘’agenda.’’ Which part of that is not homophobic to you? Honestly, people are bending over backwards to make excuses for OP. Sad.

I love to engage with the permanently annoyed and incensed - on behalf of other people.

The TQI part - definitely has an agenda.

I’m not permanently enraged. I’m perfectly chilled, thanks. It’s just blatantly obvious what the OP was getting at and it’s disingenuous to try and pretend otherwise, no matter how hard some posters are trying 😂

GRR ANGRY FOR PEOPLE WHO DON'T CARE

Another one who's perfectly chilled, thanks 🙂

You're admitting to behaving like a troll - getting a rise out of other people being pissed off by bigotry.

I would look for books that focus on women's rights and empowerment in an age appropriate fashion. Things that celebrate autonomy and choice, that encourage her to be confident in herself as she grows and has to navigate this complex world.

Ah yes

The numerous LGBT+ members who have specifically commented about how offensive this is are people who don't care...

To be honest OP your mask slipped as soon as you used the term ‘agenda’, you can argue until you are blue in the face that you are not homophobic, but just own it, you are, you don’t want literature that pushes the lgbtq agenda. Your deflecting argument is that you have gay friends, it’s like the I can’t be racist I know some black people line. Your child can easily go to a library at the age of 11 and find books or talk to the librarian without mummy’s input, adults shape their kids opinions and you will definitely be shaping your kids to think negatively about this. Age appropriate books will not be explicit, as a teen in the 90s reading point horrors I would have loved a few same sex crushes in the stories, which is all it would be at that age.

Maybe you can stick to classics, there were no gay people in the good old past, maybe something like Moby Dick, that definitely didn’t have any homoerotic themes in it……wait a minute!!!!!

TQIA isn’t a sexuality. What business does it have being lumped in with the LGB?

there is a TQIA agenda. All around the intricacies of queer theory.

or maybe, instead of treating the OP like she's in a court of law and forensically unpicking her post, we could go with what she has said as the discussion progressed about her DD just not being into fiction about romance / sex / relationships of any kind and wanting to give her time to decide for herself what she wants to read about in that area. This is an online chat forum, not a police interview. We should go with the spirit of the discussion, not nail an OP to the wall for a word or expression that may not have been minutely thought out. Plenty of 11yo are not remotely interested in that area yet, its perfectly normal.

They don't want to be discriminated against
Or are you happy for them to be?

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Trans people and Ace people aren't real here