Children's Lit

A class at Arizona State University examines how books aimed at children are challenging the notion the heterosexuality is the normal sexual orientation.

By Glenn Gullickson

The Boy with Pink Hair - Perez Hilton

ASU class studies changes in children's literature

Books for children that counter the concept that heterosexuality is the default sexual orientation have been the subject of study for a class at Arizona State University.

Neal Lester, dean of humanities and professor of English at ASU who has studied children's literature, said that children are exposed to expectations of "heteronormativity" even before they can articulate their own sexuality.

"Jack and Jill became so normalized that some critics have called it a secret curriculum," said Lester, who came up with the idea for the class and is teaching it for the first time during fall semester.

Lester said he became interested in the subject after doing similar research on other multicultural groups. "I started the class because I don't have all the answers," he said.

The class looked at everything from Mother Goose fairy tales to modern advertising to see how sexuality is depicted in the media, Lester said.

Lester said books he found that challenge heteronormativity have multiple audiences and the subjects have evolved.

"You don't have to go searching for the books, they're easy to find," Lester said. "Some of them bother people or make people feel uncomfortable."

According to his research, the first wave of the books published in the 1980s featured same-sex parents or LGBT relatives as subjects, such as Heather Has Two Mommies.

In the last five years, Lester said that books no longer focus exclusively on parenting. "Books are about children now," he said. Recent examples include My Princess Boy, a mother's reflection on her son who likes to dress in clothes traditionally associated with girls, and The Boy With Pink Hair, by Perez Hilton.

"There is no reason why children's books can't be used to teach tolerance," Lester said.

Lester said among class discussion topics was the petition that encouraged a marriage of Sesame Street characters Bert and Ernie. Students also discussed the controversy about a recent J Crew advertisement that showed a mother applying polish to her son's toenails.

One of the class requirements was for students to talk to LGBT people about their childhood experiences. Members of the campus LGBT group SpeakOUT were guests at one of the classes.

About 10 students attended the one-credit seminar that met once a week for 10 weeks, Lester said. He said the elective class is among those that the university offers to introduce freshmen to a field of study and integrate them into the university setting. -E