As a future educator and a member of the LGBT community, I wanted to know what kinds of messages children’s literature including LGBT characters were sending. How are LGBT characters being portrayed in these stories? Are they people that children could see themselves knowing, or do they seem distant and foreign? In my study, I asked “what relationships do children in picture storybooks have with LGBT characters?” This study consisted of analyzing 64 different picture books. All of the books included at least one character identifying as LGBT, either through sexuality/attraction or gender. I analyzed the relationships of these characters either as adults or children. Of these books, 44 showed relationships between a child in the story and an LGBT character. LGBT characters in these stories included adults with connections to children in the book as well as children themselves. Patterns arose showing how characters with ties to the LGBT community through sexuality related to children versus those with ties to the LGBT community through gender. Of the characters demonstrating same-sex attraction who had relationships with a child in the story, over 75% were parents. In most cases, the main character was the parents’ child. On the other hand, transgender characters in picture books were mostly children themselves. Additionally, books focusing on concepts of gender under the LGBT umbrella addressed readers directly more than those focusing on LGBT sexualities, encouraging them to feel autonomous and empowered while exploring their own identity. As a result of this study, I would like to continue exploring how educators can help broaden children’s perception of the LGBT community as more than just same-sex parents and transgender children. While there has been considerable progress in LGBT representation in children’s literature, there is still room for further growth.
Author: Jenna Breuer
Advisor: Dr. Brenda Dales, Teacher Education Department
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