For Sexual Assault Awareness Month we want to shine a light on representation of sexual violence in LGBTQIAP+ Young Adult literature. Or, rather, the lack thereof– there are not very many characters in LGBTQIAP+ YA who are survivors of sexual violence.

I have wanted to do this project for a long time. Sexual violence radically impacted my teenage years and there were so few resources (especially for a queer, trans teen) to turn to. LGBTQIAP+ YA was instrumental to my process of figuring out my queer, trans identity. Unfortunately, it left me stranded with figuring out how to cope with being a queer, trans survivor. Not only did it not represent my experience, it also didn’t show me representations of sex and romance I could relate to. While I loved (and still love!) romantic and/or sexual stories, I couldn’t see myself in the characters. Who were these teens who kissed like it was nothing? Who shared their feelings with each other without shutting down? Who could make out or have sex without any long, awkward conversations about why you might completely freak out if they touched you in a certain way? I had no models for how to approach my own romantic/sexual relationships. I was really scared and confused throughout my teen years, and it would have changed so much see my experience represented in fiction.

Now, I really want to explore different ways of writing experiences of survivors and the importance of having these experiences represented in YA. While this can be an extremely difficult subject, it can also be a fun and funny one to explore, especially in community with other survivors.

So! Are you interested in being a part of this project? If so, awesome! I’m so happy you found your way here. Here are the ways you can contribute to this project:

1: choose your own adventure. For this project, you can send me basically whatever you want that touches somewhat on the subject at hand. This can be in any format. Some suggestions:

  • essay
  • paragraph or two of your thoughts
  • link to a tweet thread/tumblr post/instagram/blog post in which you’ve discussed sexual violence
  • list of things you want to see represented in sex scenes in LGBTQIAP+ YA
  • list of survivors’ experience you want to see in LGBTQIAP+ YA
  • audio recording of your thoughts
  • response to a specific sex scene in YA that you really loved or disliked
  • interview with a friend. (send me the audio, a transcript, or some key takeaways. use our questions or come up with your own!)
2: answer the questions directly! feel free to pick and choose which questions you want to answer.
  • Can you describe your experience in whatever way is comfortable to share?
  • Did you talk to anyone about what happened? Did you worry about what people would think/say/do if you told them? What types of things were you worried about?
  • What was your own internal dialogue about the experience?
  • What impact did this experience have on your relationships (of all sorts)?
  • What was it like negotiating sex and relationships before (if there was a before) and after the sexual violence?
  • If you could go back and tell your kid/teen self one thing, what would it be?
  • What helped you survive?
  • Did you see sexual violence represented in the media as a teen? If so, how was it represented?
  • What was the first time you saw a reflection of your experience? How did it change things? (Or, alternatively, have you ever seen one? and if not, what would it mean to you to see one?)
  • What would it have meant for you to see your experience represented as a teen?
  • What kinds of resources do you hope that kids and teens today are able to have?
  • Some survivors talk about having two stories: one that is polished and easy for people to understand, and another one that is messy and complicated and weird that we keep private. I feel like often, especially in YA, we only get the sanitized versions of sexual violence survival stories. Are there any specific, messier experiences you would like to see represented in YA?
  • As a survivor, what would you like to see in LGBTQIAP+ YA sex scenes? How would you like to see characters talk about sex?

HOW TO SUBMIT:

Please send all submissions to contact@yapride.org. If you would like, please feel free to include some information about yourself, a short bio, and/or social media links. (This is not required!) Submit by April 18th.

DETAILS:

  • Anonymity: You can be anonymous or use a nickname, first name, or full name. If you ever want your answers taken down or your name removed, I am happy to do that. We have removed whole posts and names from posts in the past. If that ever becomes an issue or concern, please get in touch. I am happy to remove whatever is needed.
  • BIPOC Prioritization: We will be centering voices of BIPOC contributors. If you are White, feel free to still submit, but we may not use your submission this time around.
  • Compensation: Unfortunately we are currently not able to offer monetary compensation. We are hoping to change this in the near future. If this is a deal breaker for you, we completely understand! We are more than happy, however, to link to contributors’ Patreons, Ko-Fis, Kickstarters, Paypals, and more. And we will of course link to personal websites, social media accounts, etc, if so desired. Just let us know!
  • 18+: For this project, we are only looking for submissions from people 18 years of age and older.

-Vee