By Maria-Nefeli Andredaki,
With June just around the corner, pride month preparations are in full gear to prepare for all the celebrations and parades about to take place. Unfortunately, instead of focusing on the community and what would benefit queer people, especially those who are vulnerable, in danger and live in an unsafe environment, we focus on marketing techniques. Companies everywhere in the world partake in what is called “rainbow-washing”, which is nothing more than a cash grab targeted at people who want to support and belong in a community. This performative kind of activism often makes me reconsider my participation in pride events. However, whenever I find myself lost or confused, I turn to the words of my favorite authors, the people who have always wanted to highlight queer voices, experiences and create safe spaces for everyone. The purpose of this article is to highlight these people.
Alice Oseman (they/them)
Alice Oseman rose to popularity due to their extremely successful graphic novel, which later went on to become a huge Netflix success, Heartstopper. Heartstopper is about two high school boys and their adolescent experience, how their queerness is discovered by themselves, how it influences their everyday lives and how they navigate it together, as partners in a relationship. What I love about Alice Oseman is that they have bravely shared a lot of their personal experiences in their books, making them feel extremely realistic, raw and hopeful. Their asexuality specifically was the main theme of the novel “Loveless”, which focused on the protagonist’s personal journey to coming to terms with their identity. I also love the emphasis Oseman puts on friendship; whether it’s a romance or self-discovery story, friends and platonic companionship will be equally as important to the plot as any other aspect of it, if not more.
Ocean Vuong (he/him)
I had the pleasure of discovering Ocean Vuong through his debut novel, “On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous”, a few years ago. Vuong is now what we call a “celebrity-author” but his topics couldn’t be further from what is considered mainstream: trauma, poverty, the immigrant experience and, of course, what role queerness plays in all of that. My appreciation for Ocean Vuong stems from the intimacy he is able emit through his writing and the simplicity with which he communicates the complicated existence of a young queer immigrant who carries the burden of his family’s expectations, as well as their generational trauma and response to it.
Andrew Joseph White (he/him)
Let me preface this by saying that I dislike horror. I also tend to read books without checking the summary in the back. This is how I ended up with a gory Andrew Joseph White novel that I was unable to put down. Set in the Victorian era, “The Spirit Bears its Teeth” follows the story of a trans boy, his relationship with his body and his family. It also focuses on how medical professionals abused their power and ruined the lives of their patients in the name of scientific research. Witnessing the rise in anti-trans rhetoric and the deprivation of human rights in regards to trans people, White paints a very clear and brutal picture of where we could end up if we don’t resist the current anti-trans shift in politics everywhere.
Pride is not just a colorful party. It is an opportunity to safely assemble, be visible and denounce anything that aims to oppress and scapegoat vulnerable minorities, for the sake of capitalistic and political agendas. If you’re feeling lonely or scared, it is completely justified. But I would urge you to make a move and turn to literature. Words hold great power; there is a reason why books are being banned. We should all educate ourselves, embrace the experiences of those who came before us and fight when human rights are at stake.
References
- Ocean Vuong. Britannica. Available here
- Interview with author Alice Oseman. Geeks Out. Available here
- Is Ocean Vuong America’s Last Celebrity Author? GQ. Available here
- About. Andrew Joseph White. Available here
