Abstract :
Authors of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer/questioning
(LGBTQ) adolescent novels have recently moved away from addressing the
‘‘problem’’ of sexual identity and have instead focused on personal and societal
‘‘acceptance’’ of non-normative sexualities. Within the increasing number of
‘‘acceptance’’ titles published depicting gay males, there are two distinct means of
representing forms of gayness. In this article, I illustrate that what distinguishes
these forms from one another is their handling of homophobia and the extent to
which they subvert heteronormativity, the implicit belief that heterosexuality is the
only ‘‘normal’’ self-identity. While some authors use homophobia as the foil against
which queer characters struggle in order to find happiness as a couple, others work
to suspend ‘‘reality’’ by imagining away homophobia—showing queer characters
building relationships in an environment relatively free of discrimination. Despite
their differences, I argue that both methods ultimately reinscribe heteronormativity
through the assumption that monogamous coupling is the goal of LGBTQ youth.
