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Abstract: In this article we consider the absence of queer female protagonists in dystopian Young Adult (YA) fiction and examine how texts with queer protagonists rely on heteronormative frameworks. Often seen as progressive, dystopian YA fiction features rebellious teen girls resisting the restrictive norms of their societies, but it frequently sidelines queerness in favor of heteronormative romance for its predominantly white, able-bodied protagonists. We analyze The Scorpion Rules (2015) and Love in the Time of Global Warming (2013), both of which feature queer girl protagonists, and conclude that these texts ultimately marginalize that queerness. While they offer readers queer female protagonists, they also equate queerness with non-normative bodies and reaffirm heteronormativity. The rebellion of both protagonists effectively distances them from the queer agency they have developed throughout the narratives.
Keywords: bisexuality, LGBTQ adolescence, post-apocalyptic fiction, posthumanism, rebellion
Recently, Young Adult (YA) dystopian fiction has been heralded for featuring strong female protagonists who question the stereotypical representations of girls. Rather than creating female protagonists who are boy-crazy and obsessed with their appearance, YA dystopian fiction as varied as The Hunger Games trilogy (2008-2010), the Divergent trilogy (2011-2013), and The Lone City series (2014-2016) features female protagonists who challenge the gender and age limitations facing real girls. Further, many protagonists resist oppressive social structures as they make their worlds more progressive. Representing female protagonists in less stereotypical ways is notable, but such efforts mask another reality of this supposedly subversive genre: while the dystopian protagonists often transgress gendered expectations, most still are white, able-bodied, heterosexual, cis-gendered girls.
Indeed, this popular genre rarely features queer girls as protagonists, and YA dystopian novels with queer girls as minor characters often render their experiences as secondary to those of the heterosexual main character. Further, many queer characters sacrifice themselves for a purported greater good, resulting in the protagonist's awareness of systemic injustice; alternatively, queer characters often disappear from texts, suggesting that they simply do not matter. When queer female protagonists are depicted, their experiences are often presented as explicitly non-normative, and, as they empower themselves and claim subjectivity, their queerness is sidelined. We examine the tendency to minimize queerness, arguing that despite its seeming emphasis on presenting strong, fully-actualized adolescent female protagonists, dystopian YA overlooks queer girls. We consider...