As someone in the LGBTQ community, I think it is important to find and consume media with LGBTQ content. However, that seems to be a lot harder than I expected it to be in 2019! While there are plenty of TV shows or movies that have LGBTQ themes, there aren't as many open/out characters as you might think, and when they are present it is common for them to simply be a 'token' character rather than one with depth. This is incredibly frustrating as a consumer and member of the community, so I have been trying to seek out more LGBTQ+ content.
Since I am in school, finding free time to pleasure read is difficult, as is watching shows or movies. That being said, with spring break last week I did have an opportunity to start and finish a new book, one that had multiple LGBTQ characters and an incredible storyline. "Carry On" by Rainbow Rowell was a Christmas gift from my sister, and while I was excited to start a new book, I had no idea what it was about. I was pleasantly surprised to find one of the main characters was gay, and by the end of the novel he was in a relationship with another main character. While their relationship wasn't the main plot point, it was a large feature of the book which added a lot of depth to both characters. One of them was in a heterosexual relationship at the beginning of the novel, so throughout the character's arc there was a lot of content on questioning and experimenting with sexuality, which is really important to feature in a YA novel in my opinion. On top of all of this, it was a fantasy novel, focused on a school for those with magical powers- which is SO COOL!
All in all, LGBTQ+ media may be hard to find, but when you find it, there is a good chance that it will be great. I highly recommend "Carry On" both as a YA novel and as an LGBTQ novel- it is a fantastic read, one that I had trouble putting down until I was finished! As I continue my hunt for more LGBTQ content I will keep you updated!
