Original Published Date: June 7th 2021.
June is my favorite month of the year. Happy June Everyone! And happy Pride Month of course!
Pride month stands for showing pride in being in the LGBTQIA+ community. The LGBTQIA acronym stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer or questioning, intersex, and asexual. There is more acronyms and thats why there is a plus in LGBTQIA. A good friend of mine came out as Transgender a couple months ago and I am very happy for him.. As a straight person, I support anyone no matter who they are and what pronouns they go by. My Pronouns are She, Her and Hers. Here is a tip I have learned:If you don’t know what pronouns a person goes by, address them by using They/Them pronouns. If someone says that they are non binary, it means that they don’t really have a gender and probably go by They/Them. We need to respect others’ pronouns and their gender identity no matter who they are. I believe in diversity, inclusion and representation of different communities.
My middle school has a club called PRISM (Promoting Respect and Inclusion for Sexual and Gender Minorities) that aims to create an alliance of students dedicated to promoting acceptance and inclusion for LGBTQ people in our school and community.
In this club we discuss LGBTQ topics , discuss volunteer opportunity in our community, and participate in community activism
As a blogger who likes to do book reviews, I think Pride Month is an especially great occasion to use books to increase awareness about the values of acceptance, inclusiveness, self-love, and kindness towards others, regardless of identity..
Today I am sharing with you two books that celebrates LGBTQIA+ characters and their relationships with others. Reading these books will change your perspective about this community.
When you trap a tiger by Tae Keller:
This Newberry award-winning and heartwarming book uses Korean folklore as a way to share the secret story of a family. Lily is a shy girl who moves in with her sick grandma in Washington during the summer break before seventh grade and discovers the power of grandma’s stories. Lily has a sister named Sam who calls her QAG( quiet Asian girl). Sam has her own challenges related to her gender identity. During this summer break,.Lily comes across the magical tiger from Korean folklore. The tiger has a deal that could save her grandmother. Should she trust the Tiger? Will she be able to save her grandma? Will Sam be able to open up about her gender identity? Read this book to find out. Author Keller addresses a number of themes in this book – loss of loved ones , grief, family history, friendship, identity, and LGBTQ.
Flight of the Puffin by Ann Braden:
This beautifully written book has four different characters who are far away from each other but has something in common that brings them together. These characters are compared with the puffin bird that lives a lonely life in harsh winters. They have their challenges but an act of kindness brings them together. This book covers important themes like kindness, hope, empathy, friendship, homelessness, bullying, acceptance and LGBTQ.
Libby (She/Her)
Seventh Grader Libby has a big idea in her mind. But she is known as the bully for her bad temper even her friends dropping her and her principal thinking bad of her. Libby has a good heart but never shows it to others . She just feels trapped, invisible and lonely . One day she decides to use her pencils and note cards to write kind notes that she sends out the postcards to people randomly. Will this idea bring a positive impact? Read this book to find out.
Jack (He/Him)
Jack lives in Rural Vermont (Like Libby) and is fighting for his school.His school is shutting down as the school doesn’t have any money for gender neutral bathrooms. He has conflicts at home and is grieving the death of his brother Alex.Like Libby, he feels so lost in his own world like a puffin which I have mentioned above.. Jack then decides to fight for his school. Will his plan work?
Vincent (He/Him)
Vincent has difficulty in fitting in with other kids at school in Seattle. He gets bullied often because of his unusual dressing and interest in puffins, triangles and science. As Vincent suffers from extreme bullying at school,he decides to do homeschooling for a change . He meets T during this course. Will the bullying stop?
T (They/Them)
T’s story really touches my heart. T is a homeless non-binary kid who runs away from home knowing that their parents aren’t going to accept T’s gender identity . So T lives on the streets of Seattle, where he meets Peko, a small dog. T has no money and no place to go until Vincent finds T and Vincent gets him food. Soon they became friends and supported each other. Will T go back home?
All these four characters from across the country feel like lonely puffins who can’t fly. But soon the act of kindness creates the ripple and changes their lives.Finally , the four lonely puffins/characters take a flight.
On the occasion of Pride month, through this blog I want to show my support for all young people like T who face challenges because of gender identity issues.
I end my blog with some powerful lines from this book.
“Standing as a person determined to be exactly who they are.
Because I am me.
And that is awesome.
From, T