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Research has shown that children's books featuring LGBTQ+ characters have predominantly portrayed negative stereotypes and lacked diversity. Some parents have expressed concern and called for the removal of these books from school libraries, citing the normalization of LGBTQ+ identities as a reason. However, advocates argue that representation in children's books is crucial for all children, including those with direct connections to the LGBTQ+ community. LGBTQ+ advocates like Jazz Jennings and Sam Martin have written books to provide representation and acceptance. By introducing LGBTQ+ characters and relationships in children's books, children can learn about diversity and acceptance from an early age, potentially leading to a more open and accepting future generation. There has been research conducted to see how the LGBTQ plus community is addressed in children's books. Lindsay Thoman, an assistant professor at the University of Miami in Oxford, Ohio, executed a qualitative study analyzing 29 children's books published between 1972 and 2013 that have LGBTQ characters. Thoman reports the majority of books were gender deviant characters focused on boys harassed by other characters for their conventionally feminine behaviors. For 41 years, most books featuring LGBTQ characters have been given a negative connotation and haven't included a wide span of diversity. The emphasis in these books was typically on the character's desire to conform heteronormative standards. The outcomes and messages in these books showed younger generations were identifying awareness of the same-sex attractions around age 10. By understanding that this exists, children may wonder more about it. Monica Brown, a 51-year-old mother, was recently seen speaking at a school committee meeting a few weeks ago. The speech was about removing books from the school libraries that were not appropriate. Of the nearly 80 books that Monica and her supporters wanted removed, three out of five books featured LGBTQ characters or themes. Good morning. Today we are going to look at how the representation of LGBTQ plus characters in children's books is portrayed and the impact they have on children. There have been many instances, fuck, instances in the past where... No wait, we can cut that, we can cut that. My bad, my bad. That was just like my instinct. No. Be quiet. Wait for two seconds and then restart the time. Instances in the past where parents are not happy with their representation of LGBTQ in children's books. On the site grandberrytexas.org, activists have compiled parent reviews of books they want to be banned. The site states that the books should be removed for normalizing lesbianism, focusing on sexual orientation and promoting alternate gender ideologies. The video of Brown speaking at the meeting sparked outrage across social media. People from the world were attacking her views, quoting that she is the perfect example of what parents should not do. These different views all relate back to the same topic of how children's books address sexuality. The representation of the LGBTQ plus community in children's books can cause children to reflect on their own lives. It feels good to be yourself, a book about gender identity by Teresa Thorne follows a group of children, all of which have different gender identities and pronouns. When describing JJ's gender identity, the book states, ever since JJ was little, they never felt exactly like a boy or girl, they just felt like themselves. These books can help children understand these concepts, practice with them, and even decide if they work for themselves. These books work to break the stereotypes in children's minds about gender, sexuality, and pronouns. Books like They, She, He, Easy as ABC by Matthew S. She and Maya Cristina Gonzalez introduce pronouns without drawing too much attention to them. It includes pronouns like they and the in sentences without talking about how they are different from he or she. This way, children don't immediately think that pronouns differ from one another, rather they just accept all of them as a bunch. The ultimate goal would be to get rid of the stigma that pronouns other than he or she are weird or not normal. There are many people who are advocates for the LGBTQ plus community who worry that the scarcity of representation in children's books is a disservice to not only children who have direct contact with the LGBTQ plus community, either through a friend or family member, but to all children. Jazz Jennings is an American spokesmodel for the LGBTQ plus community. She also has a YouTube channel that has surpassed over 600,000 subscribers. On the channel, Jennings creates videos about her journey and hopes to inspire the younger generation to embrace who they are. The reason Jennings feels so strongly about representation of LGBTQ plus is due to the fact that representation was scarce when she was growing up as a child. This is the reason Jennings has written multiple books about her story. For example, I Am Jazz is a true story about her life. Jennings claims that she was born with a girl's brain and a boy's body. The book is a picture book that captures the acceptance by Jazz's parents and others over transgender life. The book is a picture book that captures the acceptance by Jazz's parents and others over transgender life. While there are books like these now for our generation of children to explore, previous generations did not have the same opportunities. For example, in 1976, Jonathan Katz published Gay American History, Lesbians and Gay Men in the USA. This was the first published book that explained the history of the LGBTQ community in America. Before this, there was no documented book that talked about gay rights or citizens in the U.S. From 1988 until the early 2000s in the U.K., it was illegal for books to be seen as promoting homosexuality, meaning that many young queer people didn't see LGBTQ characters in books until they were adults. Even though these laws haven't been around for decades now, they are still having consequences today. Sam Martin, a transgender author, was shopping in a record store when he came across a picture book showing transgender men. I thought, oh my God, I'm not the only one, Martin said in an interview with the New York Times. When I was growing up, I never saw people like me in books or movies. Martin never wants a child to feel what he felt growing up. He's on a mission to make children feel accepted by writing books starring LGBTQ plus characters. There are many other authors just like him determined to make sure younger kids don't feel alone. By bringing more LGBTQ plus characters into children's books, kids can also get introduced to same-sex relationships. Jessica Winter experienced her five-year-old son bringing home a children's book called Uncle Bobby's Wedding and asking her to read it to him before bed. This book's cover featured two smiling grooms standing under an arbor in skinny fitted suits. Readers followed Chloe and her favorite uncle throughout the book. He took her rowing on the river, he taught her the names of the stars, said in the book. Just a few pages in, Bobby brings his boyfriend to a family picnic where the couple discloses their engagement. This is the point Chloe would haltingly accept that the notion that a wedding isn't just for a man and a woman. She will learn that it is okay to be gay, Winter also writes. The story's central concept, the crucial set of assumptions that Chloe must shake off, is not rooted in any child-sized homophobia, but in her worries that her uncle won't keep having fun with her after he marries his boyfriend and perhaps starts a family of his own. It's a book where queer families just are in a world where no one must be persuaded of it. It's a book where queer families just are in a world where no one must be persuaded of it. Showing children through these books that queer relationships just are can impact their view of the LGBTQ plus community greatly. The phrase just are shows that same-sex relationships happen naturally. By talking about pronouns, identities, and sexualities early in life, children are exposed to them while they are still learning about the world. In recent years, we have seen a major spike in the amount of queer tweens and teens coming out. This could be as a result of them getting more educated on the LGBTQ plus community through books when they were young. The goal of bringing these LGBTQ plus books to our children now is to hopefully create a more open and accepting future generation.