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On September 6, 2020, Candice did something that's become a routine part of the teenage experience. She posted a TikTok on her account, and in the briefvideo, she is joined by friend and fellow bookworm Roe. Their goal? To invite like-minded readers to join their digital book club, where teens could read, discuss, and "fangirl" over new young adult (YA) books together. For potential readers, the duo announced the club's initial book title-Cemetery Boys (2020) by Aiden Thomas-and the Google Classroom code where more of the formal discussion would take place. Within a day, this teen-led affinity space devoted to Cemetery Boys reached the 250-member cap that Google Classroom allows, forcing Candice and Roe to launch a second group. One thing was abundantly clear: there was a critical mass of teen readers who wanted to build an inclusive and queer reading community centered on Cemetery Boys, aYA novel about a trans Tatinx boy. Candice and Roe reinforced the club's ethos: this was a space for all teen readers, regardless of gender, sexuality, race, and ethnicity, where everyone was welcome. The Cemetery Boys book club had tapped into something that has become common in the age of TikTok. The social media platform has facilitated queer reading communities centered on teenagers. These TikTok communities are for teens by teens.
In this article, we explore the rise of TikTok literacies and how teen readers are using TikTok to create affinity spaces centered on queer YA literature. TikTok's YA subculture offers a safe space to explore, engage, and participate in literacy communities. TikTok enables queer teens and allies to engage with queerYA literature, something often excluded from in-school literacies. TikTok provides a digital space for teens to participate in literacies that reflect diverse identities as promoted by the #DisruptTexts and #OwnVoices movements. This participation creates valuable representations for young readers who might not see themselves or their friends or family reflected in the literature studied at school.This article is a call for teachers to consider these out-of-school literacy practices as authentic reading communities. Although these spaces may be led by teens, we propose that teachers can become allies in this work, which, in turn, can transform in-school literacies. Finding ways for these communities to coexist can generate a more...