The lack, and importance, of queer representation in children’s books and magazines

Illustration by Nicole Goldfarb /https://www.oprahdaily.com/entertainment/books/a40255050/pride-month-joy-books-roundup/

Queer
/kwɪə/

1. adj., strange; odd
2. noun., gay 

Isn’t interesting how a mere word can hold such power? Likewise, books and magazines hold a power over young boys who are still finding themselves; and although both mediums entail two different manners of publishing, they should equally and critically be analysed when it comes to the representation of queerness in young boys.
Or better yet, the lack of it.

During my time spent at industry events last week, it became painfully apparent that there is a gap in the fiction and magazine market where queer representation for young boys should be more prominent. This ellipsis of information in their literary journey often leads to a childhood spent in confusion and pain. 

‘Small kids, big feelings’ 

Which is why I was pleasantly surprised to see how Magazine Street created a platform for an open conversation about this topic, by having Kirstie Beaven talk about ‘The Positive Power of Getting Pissed Off’¹. Founder and editor of Sonshine Magazine², only magazine on the market that creates content about raising boys for an equal world. It’s an ingenious way of reaching young boys through marketing the magazine towards parents. Strategic branding is also important. Sonshine achieves this by creating a unique brand identity, efficiently using generational anger to reach its audience, and then creating content to empower young boys to feel comfortable with who they are. Even if that means going against societal gender-norms.

Equivalently, the children’s fiction market is also in a similar place. During The Bookseller’s Children’s Conference³, Jaclyn Swope presented an overall global chart of children’s book sales over 10 countries, and out of all the books mentioned, the only one that is considered queer is Alice Oseman’s Heartstopper⁴. Yes, the book has a significant market in Brazil and Mexico, but is it enough? Generally speaking, young queer boys are looking to read books with main characters they can relate to. They seek to fit in, which at a young age is hard already, and it becomes even harder when the book industry treats queerness as ‘scandalous’ or ‘abnormal’.⁵ 

Unmistakably, when the fiction market performs a step forward towards a queerer representation and accessibility, politics can force the industry to take two steps back. As an example, various bookshops in Hungary have recently been forced into foiling closed all books deemed inappropriate for the underaged, these including historical, traditional Hungarian or LGBTQ books.⁶ We live in the 21^st century, and censorship is still a challenge the industry has to deal with. 

Conclusively speaking, the lack of queer representation in the global literary market is an important issue we as publishers and readers should actively strive to change. Conversation and community are the most important elements in problem solving; and although there will always be challenges within the market, it is crucial to create a safe place for an open conversation. This is exactly what books and magazines do. They are a conversation starter to help us reach a resolution to our problems. And although the marketing strategies could also improve in reaching a wider audience, every creative and queer text published within the industry is a step towards advancement. 

References:

1. Magazine Street. (2023). The Positive Power of Getting Pissed Off. Central Hall, Edinburgh. 5 October ↩︎
2. Beaven, K. (2023). Sonshine Magazine. [online] available at < https://sonshinemagazine.com> [Accessed 16 October 2023]
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3. The Bookseller. (2023). The International Children’s Book Market in 2023. London. 2 October ↩︎
4. Oseman, A. (2019). Heartstopper. London: Hodder and Stoughton ↩︎
5. Price, T. (2018).  What We Say When We market Queer Stories. [online] available at < https://bookriot.com/what-we-say-when-we-market-queer-stories/> [Accessed 16 October 2026] ↩︎
6. 168.2023). Banned Books in Hungarian Alexandra Bookshop. [online] available at < https://168.hu/itthon/alexandra-konyvesbolt-lmbtq-ifjusagi-irodalom-266367> [Accessed 16 October 2023] ↩︎