by Helen Staab
Something that I value about the queer community is our radical creativity in imagining and working towards a world where we are no longer obliged to uphold cishetero norms. Those norms are so ingrained into our beings that it can be hard to envision anything else, and yet we continue believing that another world is possible. Maybe this is part of the reason that so many queer folks are drawn to the literary genre of fantasy. Many of us who experience limited or conditional acceptance in the real world find true homes in the universes that fantasy authors build for us.
There is a lot that I could say about the recent increased awareness of J.K. Rowling’s anti-trans ideology. Her words are not only personally devastating for those who found refuge in the world she built; Rowling’s platform means that her exclusionary and biologically essentialist arguments have the potential to do real harm. There are many insightful pieces written about trans exclusive prejudices, J.K. Rowling, and the response to her toxic stance. What I would like to focus on now is the fact that her hatred cannot take away from our ability to imagine new worlds. The magic of transcending where we are now and stepping into possibilities cannot be diminished by Rowling’s limited and binary worldview. Where she has built limitations, we can create expansive potential realities.
Below are just a few young adult novels* in which authors craft new visions of queer liberation in the fantasy realm. As readers we can partner with these authors to imagine new universes together.
* The suggested age rating is based on what I found online, but as age appropriateness can be highly subjective check out the ‘content warnings’ to get a sense of the maturity of the content.
When We Were Magic by Sarah Gailey
Age: 14 and up
What’s magical about it: When We Were Magic tells the story of a friend group of high school seniors living in what we would call ‘the real world,’ but all six have magic abilities. Friendship is the overarching theme, with a specific emphasis on what it means to ask for and accept support from the people we love. The magic in this world bestows specific areas of power on each friend - one friend can communicate with plants, another can change their own and others’ appearance at will, and so on. Gender & Sexuality: Author Sarah Gailey openly identifies as non binary. All of the main characters in When We Were Magic were assigned female at birth. One friend makes brief reference to having a possibly non binary or gender fluid identity, but this is not a major plot point. There are multiple queer main characters.
Content Warnings: There is a fair amount of gore in this book which, while all magic based, could be disturbing to some readers particularly as a lot of it involves the human body. The opening scene is in fact the most gory. There are also explicit sexual references.
The Witch Boy by Molly Ostertag (Book 1 of a graphic novel series)
Age: 8 and up
What’s magical about it: This graphic novel focuses on a family in which girls are raised to be witches, and boys are raised to be shapeshifters. Protagonist Aster is a boy who feels far more drawn to witchcraft than shape shifting, and has to transcend these norms in order to access his powers and save the day. The story is told through dialogue and illustration, which is definitely part of the magic of it. This is also definitely the most accessible to younger folks of the books on this list.
Gender and Sexuality: Author and illustrator Molly Ostertag openly identifies as gay. While not an explicitly named theme, The Witch Boy is about living into a gender based truth different from the one assigned to you at birth. Aster endures a lot of exclusion from the way he wants to be in the world, and doesn’t identify with the norms established for him. There is a main character who has two dads.
Content Warnings: There are some scary moments but no explicit violence or gore. The shape shifting of human into non-human animal is represented visually and might be disturbing to some readers.
Dreadnought by April Daniels (Book 1 of Nemesis Series)
Age: 12 and up
What’s magical about it: Admittedly this is a superhero story and not a magic story. There is a lot of overlap between those genres, though, and this book is too good to leave out. Protagonist Danny is a trans girl who has not yet come out to anyone, and is living in a world where superheroes are just part of the landscape. When she gets her own superpowers she is transformed into her ideal self, which means that her physical characteristics suddenly correspond with those societally expected of women. Dreadnought has all of the action and themes about power that one would expect from a superhero story - plus a lot of very clearly worded descriptions of the thoughts and feelings that a young trans person might have when they feel they are finally living into who they truly are, but those around them cannot accept that.
Gender and Sexuality: Author April Daniels openly identifies as a trans woman. The main character is trans and gay, and there are some gay side characters.
Content Warnings: Plenty of superhero violence. Some description of bodily injury that could be disturbing. There is a very well written, and therefore very enraging and terrifying, trans exclusive character with power to do harm to the protagonist. Protagonist endures verbal abuse from her father including the use of transphobic and homophobic slurs - and her mother passively enables this violence at times.
Carry On by Rainbow Rowell (Book 1 in the Simon Snow Series)
Age: 14 and up
What’s magical about it: While often described as “Harry Potter, but gay,” there’s a lot more to Carry On than that (I’ve also known some people who are decidedly not HP fans to love Carry On). The magic in the world that Rowell has built is based on the power of words. Spells all consist of phrases and sayings popular enough that the words themselves generate magic. A lot of thought is put into the way that magic functions in Rowell’s world, which I appreciate. There’s also a magical high school, a Chosen One, supportive platonic friendship, vampires, and teen romance, so there’s a lot to love.
Gender & Sexuality: Major characters in this book are bisexual, asexual, and gay. Reflecting on gender in Carry On, there are still some pretty binary norms represented without question and there are no explicitly trans or non binary characters.
Content Warnings: A main character expresses suicidal ideation. Violence, mostly of the magical sort. Some human deaths by magic are described as well as some non-human animal deaths at the hands of humans.
Pet by Akwaeke Emezi
Age: 12 and up (this is what it is rated online but I think it would be best to accompany a reader under 15 to talk through some of the themes that come up)
What’s magical about it: Pet takes place in a future that is portrayed to be the outcome of a long struggle for social justice and liberation. In this ‘utopia’ it is said that there is no more injustice, prejudice, or abuse. The protagonist, Jam, unknowingly summons an other worldly monster hunter who says that there is a person perpetrating evil in Jam’s community. This book is a great example of imagining what a different world might be like, how it might function, and where its shortfalls might be. I see this book as more of a conversation starter than an answer to any questions about how to seek a different way of being. After reading it I found that I wished for more from it in terms of challenging ideas about evil and people who do evil things, which I think makes it a great candidate for a book club where more discussion and imagining can take place.
Gender and Sexuality: The author of this book, Akwaeke Emezi, is openly non binary. The main character is trans. There are other characters who are gay, non binary, and polyamorous.
Content Warnings: This book is pretty dark. There are a lot of unresolved questions about people who perpetrate horrible things. There is discussion of child abuse, and some graphic violence.
In Other Lands by Sarah Rees Brennan
Age: 14 and up
What’s magical about it: In Other Lands follows a familiar plotline of a kid discovering that he is somehow different, which gives him access to another world. The other world in this case does not involve wands and spells, but does have mythical creatures like elves, harpies, trolls, and mermaids. The main magic of this book for me was witnessing the protagonist, Elliot, find his place in this world. Elliot is lovingly portrayed as a kid who was taught early on that he is ‘hard to love’ and has reacted by leaning into that persona. As the story progresses, we see him slowly learn to accept care from others and find strength in the parts of himself he had believed made him unlikeable.
Gender and Sexuality: The protagonist is bisexual and there are other gay main and side characters. There are conversations about gender dynamics prompted by a character who was raised in a culture where gender norms are reverse from our real world norms. While this is sometimes interesting, I wouldn’t call it radical, and gender is still portrayed as relatively binary.
Content Warnings: Some violence and lots of discussion of war. There is a lot of content around absent/unloving parents, and grownups in general are not portrayed as being particularly helpful or supportive. There are also sexual references, mostly more suggestive than explicit.
Honorable Mentions:
Magic for Liars, also by Sarah Gailey, has some queer characters and takes place at a magical high school but is decidedly for adults and mature readers both in terms of theme and content.
We Set the Dark on Fire by Tehlor Kay Mejia is categorized in the fantasy genre because it takes place in a dystopian future, but it is really more speculative fiction and there is not “magic” in the same way as the above books.
A Song of Wraiths and Ruin by Roseanne A. Brown is not specifically a queer story, but queerness is normalized through supporting characters and context.