Writer & Educator
A cuban-American high school junior, is forced to come-out when her Catholic school teacher reads Laura’s private texts to her girlfriend aloud to the entire class in Mayra Lazara Dole’s1 Down to the Bone (2012) Laura. Being outcome, Laura is humiliated, kicked away from college, and asked by her mom to go out of their house. Dole’s description of Laura’s coming-out is significant, among many and varied reasons, given that it focuses a Latina lesbian protagonist. Inspite of the increased understanding for the necessity of diverse children’s literature many gaps still exist—diversity in queer and YA that is gay being among those gaps. A resistance and aversion commonly experienced by Latina lesbian down to the Bone remains one of the few YA novels with a Latina lesbian character written by a Latina/o author.2 The lack of availability or awareness of books like these signals.
Certainly, this is actually the instance in Dole’s novel. Laura’s mom is specially aggressive about perhaps perhaps maybe not accepting Laura as being a lesbian. The opposition and aversion that Laura seems from her mom, nevertheless, is certainly much linked with their Cuban-American tradition. Because Laura views her mother as an embodied representation of her Cuban-American history at the beginning of the novel she associates everything Cuban-American to her mother’s homophobia. The only way Laura knows how to escape the homophobia she experiences is by attempting to abandon her Cuban-American traditions in other words. Through the novel there is certainly absolutely stress between Laura’s sexuality and her tradition; her frustration is due to being unsure of just how to get together again both right elements of her. Interestingly, Laura’s mom utilizes the tradition of females requiring security that is financial males to be able to justify her behavior towards her child. A book about two young girls that could potentially grow up to be romantically involved and her mother threw it away fear that Laura might be influenced by those ideas at the beginning of the novel, Laura remembers that as a child she brought home. Laura’s mom claims:
“Authors such as these plant seeds in girls’ minds about selecting different lifestyles whenever they’re all developed. Girls may do such a thing they set their brain to. You may be president, but no body will employ you for the working work in the event that you become a lady bored with males. We don’t want you transforming into among those.” (11)3
For Laura’s mom, sex just isn’t an impediment to achieve your goals; nonetheless, a woman’s orientation that is sexual determine her access to things such as work. Once again, you should mention that economic protection is exactly what matters to Laura’s mom. The homophobic arguments have little to do with procreation and religion and instead highlight issues of class and class mobility in this case. The connection between course and identity that is queer something which additionally arises in other novels and films that center young adult Latina lesbian experiences.
Likewise, in Aurora Guerrero’s movie Mosquita y Mari5 (2012) Mosquita and Mari’s relationship is threatened when Mari partcipates in intercourse with a person for the money to be able to assist her mother pay the rent. The partnership between course and identity that is queer in cases like this, is further complicated because of the proven fact that Mari and her household are undocumented. Mosquita, unacquainted with some of these details, knows Mari’s actions as being a betrayal of these relationship and she chooses up to now the child that is pursuing her. Mosquita and Mari’s relationship is really a tender, intimate, and passionate friendship. Both for the young women can be in a stage of self-discovery and discover solace in on another together with bond that is special have actually produced. Nevertheless, the purity inside their love and relationship for starters another is quickly soiled by the realities and obligations their course statuses enforce. Her household’s survival becomes Mari’s concern and she chooses to complete whatever she must so that you can assist them. Mosquita additionally discovers that dating a son comforts her moms and dads and her buddies, whom were becoming resistant to her relationship with Mari. The many pressures of the course status along with Mari’s not enough course flexibility collide because of the girls that are young expression of the queer identification.
Writer & Educator
As down seriously to the Bone develops, it becomes more obvious that course is something which dramatically impacts the characters’ construction of these queer identification. Marlena, Laura’s (ex)girlfriend, is hitched off after her parents understand her relationship with Laura. The wedding is grasped as one which will economically protect Marlena as will cure her of her deviancy. Laura momentarily dates a child and is invited home by her mom. Nevertheless, Laura understands she will not like to take part in a false relationship to be able to feel she is kicked out of her home once again like she belongs and. Overall, the novel gift suggestions the opportunity to generate discussion in regards to the experiences of young Latina lesbians. The novel reveals that course, as exemplified by the necessity for economic protection, plays a role that is substantial the construction of young Latina lesbians together with growth of their queer identification. Right down to the bone tissue additionally demonstrates that course dilemmas differ within Latina/o communities. Laura, Marci, Mosquita, and Mari never experience course within the ways that are same. In other words, that simply due to the fact figures are typical Latinas does not always mean they feel the globe when you look at the exact same way. These distinctions is just one of the reasoned explanations why there is certainly a serious requirement for more Gay YA novels that center Latina lesbian figures.
1 Lazara Dole could be the writer of Drum, Chavi, Drum! (2003), Birthday when you look at the Barrio (2004), and many stories that are short to the Bone was posted in 2008.
2 Other adult that is young with Latina lesbian figures consist of Ellen Wittlinger’s rough prefer (2001) and appreciate & Lies: http://www.hookupdate.net/nl/caffmos-overzicht/ Marisol’s tale (2008) which defines Marisol Guzman’s tribulations with friendships and love. While Carla Trujillo’s What Night Brings (2003) is certainly not an adult that is young its narrated by way of a queer Chicana son or daughter, Marci Cruz. The character that is main self-identified white-Mexican E.E. Charlton-Trujillo’s Fat Angie (2013) is just an adult that is young but her battle or ethnicity is not clear. Finally, Sandra Cisneros’s the home on Mango Street (1984) is certainly not a young adult novel but young Esperanza’s relationship with Sally has usually supplied queer readings.
3 Dole, Mayra Lazara. Down seriously to the Bone. NYC: Harper Teen & Bella Books, 2012. Print.
4 Further discussions about what evening Brings are essential so that you can speak about Marci as possibly being truly a transgender character.