Under the Gaydar: YAs with Underrepresented Identities in Secondary Characters

OK, so the title’s a little clunky, and the books themselves mostly aren’t Under the Gaydar (*indicates cishet allosexual MC), but bear with me. While LGB are pretty frequently found in YAs these days in both primary and secondary roles (YAY!), other IDs under the rainbow umbrella…not so much. You’ll see plenty about those characters here when they get starring roles in books, but for those seeking some more representation in significant roles, here’s where you can find some:

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Not Your Sidekick by CB Lee – trans guy BFF, who’s also the MC of the upcoming sequel, Not Your Villain  (MC is bi)

At the Edge of the Universe by Shaun David Hutchinson – BFF character is genderfluid, uses alternating pronouns (MC is gay)

On the Edge of Gone* by Corinne Duyvis – MC’s sister is transgender and bisexual

Lunaside by J.L. Douglas – on-page asexual secondary (MC is a lesbian)

Radio Silence by Alice Oseman – BFF is on-page demisexual in m/m relationship (MC is bi)

Honestly Ben* by Bill Konigsberg – asexuality, pansexuality, and gender fluidity are all represented in secondary characters (Note: while book is m/m, MC does not ID as queer; you can see my personal thoughts on that execution here. Tl;dr: they are positive.)

You can find love interests using the word pansexual on the page (though some are still considering their labels) in Our Own Private Universe by Robin Talley (bi MC), Looking for Group by Rory Harrison (gay MC; LI is also trans), and Jess, Chunk, and the Road Trip to Infinity by Kristin Elizabeth Clark (trans MC)

Coming in 2018: Girl Made of Stars by Ashley Herring Blake – love interest is genderqueer (MC is bi); Before I Let Go by Marieke Nijkamp – BFF is pansexual (MC is asexual)

2 thoughts on “Under the Gaydar: YAs with Underrepresented Identities in Secondary Characters”

  1. About A Girl by Sarah McCarry has a queer (not really specified) MC and a trans guy best friend! (It’s also really good.) Also thank you so much for this list. 🙂

    1. Yup, but it’s already on the main YA page because he’s a love interest, too 😉 If you liked that, though, definitely also check out Love in the Time of Global Warming by Francesca Lia Block, which also has a really interesting writing style and a trans guy LI!

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