Adeyemi told me when we talked in May that she has long been “frustrated with writing about queer nightlife that really presents it as this utopian escape from everyday life.” “That’s a story, it’s not reality,” she argues.
“I am a queer person who grew up in and has lived in small communities, small towns, and small cities for my entire life.”
“It was a political statement to portray sex, to portray queer sex, as it was to demand civil rights in the daytime.”
“Well the premise combined two of my favorite things: being gay and reading, so I was naturally intrigued.”
Why is it sometimes hardest to find other queer individuals in places where they seem to be everywhere? The new book, “How Places Make Us,” takes us into the lives of lesbian, bisexual and queer residents in four small cities and reveals how and why LBQ individuals forge especially strong ties in unlikely places.
Grace Bonney, designer extraordinaire, has a gift for you: In the Company of Women, a coffee table collection profiling a diverse range of creative women about their work. Comment on this post TODAY to win a copy!
Is Young Adult fiction unfriendly to LGBTQ characters? The answer is “absolutely not” or “yes,” depending on who you ask.