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.

The thing is that one sexual orientation isn't being 'pushed' to the disadvantage of others in a great many books. There simply isn't any explicit theme of sexuality at all in a lot of reading material from ten years ago and further back, and the OP wants that sort of reading material for her child.

The OP just wants books where sexuality or gender orientation isn't a theme, and frankly, her observation that a lot of books aimed at tweens and young teens has sexuality or sexual orientation as a main theme is spot on.

Her child is 11, and she absolutely can restrict access to themes she thinks are inappropriate for her child's age, level of consciousness of sexuality, and overall ability to process these themes. She can encourage books that do not explicitly deal with themes of sexuality just as she can (and should) restrict her child's access to material online that she finds inappropriate.

Responsible parents do not allow or expect their children to be able to filter what's appropriate for age or maturity level in the material that's going to inhabit their heads; they take it upon themselves to do so.

Sorry you went through a hard time. My daughter has an open channel of communication and she generally cringes at movies/shows when they start with a romantic theme, she is still not started puberty so maybe when she does she will have more interest in those topics. One of my friends says he knew he was gay from around the same age you say you did, but most of the others have been late in life some even after having been in heterosexual relationships and having kids. Again I am not opposed to my daughter knowing or talking about this but I want those conversations to develop naturally rather than driven by excess of information that can make her feel pressured.

The Hobbit JRR Tolkien
The Secret Garden
A Little Princess both Frances Hodgson Burnett
Anne of Green Gables by LM Montgomery
A Traveller in Time by Alison Uttley
Charlotte's Web

I bet she's not looking for books about teen pregnancy, necking cider in the park, or trying ecstacy either. Yet these things all exist. Is she to be hauled over the coals for filtering out material like that?

Books whose primary purpose is 'representation' are not necessarily what her daughter wants to read. The OP has mentioned a few topics her child enjoys, and I assume there are topics she wouldn't enjoy besides the LGBTQ themes. For example, I never read anything in the Sci fi, futuristic, thriller, suspense, or horror genres, or books with a lot of boring technical descriptions of boats or locomotive engines - I don't have to read books I don't feel like reading. Nobody does.

Perhaps the child figured out (maybe not in so many words) that she was straight back when she was five or six, and books with an explicit LGBTQ theme or content simply have no relevance for her.

The idea that not buying books of a certain type for her child means she is LGBTQ-phobic is as oppressive as insisting none of that sort of literature should exist, or should be suppressed or censored. It's thought policing.

Jaqueline Wilson?

Yes, my daughter seems very similar to your boy. Also the YA section in our local library is non existent. The librarian said kids that age weren't using the books so they just donated all the stuff to secondary schools.

I think actual homophobia is wrong. Denying someone who is LGB housing, healthcare, jobs, education opportunities etc is wrong. Some one saying they don't want their kids reading LGB T books is not really in the same league it's just an opinion that doesn't actively harm anyone.

I can't see this as a hill to die on to be honest. It's not comparable to someone being beaten up or killed because of their sexuality. Kids will find out about the world soon enough, whether they grow up to be gay or not.

Personally I think it's good for children to be exposed to different worldviews and situations that aren't familiar to them, but then again, I'm a strong believer in letting kids read what they want to read.

Children aren't bigoted by nature anyway. That kind of thing has to be learned.

OP’s type of homophobia is shitty too.

Not if it is because the child doesn't want to read books about LGBT. You could say the parent is being narrow minded but parents often don't allow their kids to drink, get tattoos etc , you could call that narrow minded and shitty too. But harmless.

You clearly didn't read Judy Blume's Forever.
Or would that book be seen as OK?

Ah but they have gay characters so aren't allowed 😒

Gillian Cross is worth a look. Some of her books can be a bit dark, but I don't remember any of the content being particularly about sexuality etc.

@Loopytiles the OP's child is under no moral obligation to read preachy books on topics she isn't interested in. All this having to be an ally stuff is a bit tedious. One should just try not to be a jerk to anyone but LGBT are well able to defend their cause fortunately they have legal protections now. A kid isn't under an obligation to be an ally. They are obliged to be kind, not a bully. That's fine.

If I saw someone actually oppressing a LGBT person I would call it out, for sure. But that's just being a decent person. When it comes to my spare time, what I choose to read, what causes I choose to support are entirely my decision. I don't have a moral obligation to read anything that I don't feel excited by , and so it goes for children too. Free time and reading for pleasure are just that. There is nothing sinister about a child wanting to read something that gives them joy. LGBT people aren't harmed by somebody not reading books centred on their experiences. This is Britain, a land which supports equality and inclusion . If we were in Brunei or somewhere I could maybe see your point.

I’m sure she’ll be fine seeing as the vast majority of media pushes a ‘heterosexual agenda’ 😂 homophobes are wild

Ralph!!! 😂😂😂😂😂 (Sorry! Inside me there is a 12 year old girl sniggering over the battered paperback that was being passed around our classmates. That kid has never gone away!)

Filtering out LBGT+ literature may not be killing gay people but it's the first rung

Imagine if OP said "I want a book with white characters. Too many books are blatantly black characters and I don't want my child exposed to that".

But this isn’t about the child saying they don’t want to read about these issues… but what the parent thinks is appropriate?

It's just one parent saying she wants book ideas that aren't centered on sexuality . She isn't saying she is against LGBT people , she just thinks her child is too young to be preached to about what she should read.

Yes as a society we have a responsibility to ensure everyone is treated fairly but not at the expense of our own core values and boundaries ! The OP is rightly focusing on her child. I'm sure the parents of LGBT kids can fight for their right to have books written about their sexuality. I feel sad that kids are starving in some parts of the world but I sure wouldn't give those kids my kids food and my kids go without . Parents focus on their own kids and the kids who are LGBT have their own parents to help them.

Still not homophobia as the only victim is this scenario is the child that misses out on reading those books. I don't think the term homophobia should be tossed around casually as a term, because it makes a mockery of the real prejudice suffered by LGB T historically and in other parts of the world. It's like seeing terms like narcissistic and abuse tossed around. Something that affects a minority of people very tragically has become a concept that's almost meaningless now.

I didn’t say it was homophobia? I was just asking about your post as it didn’t make sense to me

’kids who are lgbt have their own parents to help them‘

you talk about them like they’re in a different country… they could be any child including op’s.

I wonder how many people saying this isn't homophobia are gay/bi.

Willing to be proven wrong, but I've a sneaking suspicion it's 0.

Funny, that.

Love this

Ah, I perhaps didn't explain it very well. I just think that's if a parent said to their child "I don't want you don't read books with a lot of foul language in them" then nobody would bat an eyelid . I don't see why this is different ? Personally I wouldn't have an issue with my children reading books about LGBT, but for me I would be uncomfortable with books which use racial slurs for example. That's my principle and I'm allowed it . Same here.

I think it means the child of the OP could miss out and that's maybe not so fair to them but I don't think the LGBT community is affected by something like this.

Also what about religious minorities? Those faiths that oppose LGBT are usually those of minority religious groups. Do they not have the right comparative their beliefs even if we don't agree with them?

Mein Kampf is probably what you're looking for.