Greetings Bookworms,
In the past, I’ve never much liked when people refer to characters who ‘happen to be queer’ in books or movies or television shows. I understand the desire to have queer characters who are more than their sexuality, but in our society, bei
ng a queer character in a book or movie or tv show is still a big deal, still a political comment and still a diversion from the ‘norm.’ As more and more queer characters are showing up in media, it’s nice to see the feasibility of having characters who ‘happen to be queer’ become more and more possible. There have been enough books written in the usual queer tropes: the coming out story, transitioning, first love, first heartbreak, first asymmetrical haircut (okay, maybe not that last one), that more and more queer characters are allowed to exist without lengthy explanation of how they came to ‘be.’ These next three books are books that I read not expecting to find queer characters. They are all young adult-oriented, all take place outside of the reality of our present day and nowhere in their blurbs or descriptions did they mention the inclusion of LGBTQIA individuals. Finding queer characters (particularly queer characters of color!) when I least expected it was a happy surprise. And, fair warning, in some cases, my sharing it with you is a bit of a spoiler.
The first, and least spoiler-y of the trio is a series that starts with the book The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin. A bit of a psychological thriller (with occasional forays into the paranormal), The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer follows a half-Indian 17 year old who wakes up after a crazy accident that kills her friends but leaves her unharmed. While not queer herself, Mara finds a best friend in the character Jamie, an African American, 16 year old, adopted Jewish boy whose sexuality is dealt with in such a thoroughly de-sensationalized manner that you can almost forgive the (also too-familiar) black best friend trope. 
The second book is one of my new favorites, Ready Player One by Ernest Cline. While I don’t want to give too much away, Ready Player One is a dystopian story that takes place in 2044 where, in favor of the real world, most inhabitants spend their time in OASIS, a virtual universe. In spite of the super nerdy premise (which personally, I love), I’m pretty sure even the most realistic fiction-inclined reader would appreciate this book. It’s got great characters, is crazy compelling and deals with class, race, gender and sexuality in simultaneously intriguing and understated ways.
Finally, The School for Good and Evil is a fantasy trilogy that, full disclosure, I’ve only read Book 1 of (this has nothing to do with my motivation/desire and everything to do with the waitlist at my local library). Another disclosure: I’m not entirely sure this book qualifies as ‘queer fiction.’ Technically, it probably falls into a more ambiguous realm, but since many same-gender relationships between young people fall into a somewhat ambiguous realm, I’ve decided to include it. This book, while managing to defy and subvert the notions of traditional fairy tales, also has some incredibly satisfying plot twists wherein you realize that in spite of the subversion, you’re in the midst of a story that satisfies some of the best fairy tale characteristics. With two main female characters and in interesting study into what makes ‘good’ and what makes ‘evil,’ it’s definitely a book worth a read. 
While I grew up reading queerness into straight characters everywhere I possibly could (Anne and Diana from Anne of Green Gables, Kristy and Mary Anne from The Babysitters Club…just saying…) it’s so nice to now have to do very little work to find queerness in YA fiction. And who knows, maybe someday characters in our media will just ‘happen to be queer,’ no preamble or diversion from the status quo necessary.
Happy Reading! And be sure to tell us your thoughts in the comments section below.
Live, Love, Learn,