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owlectomyALA creates Stonewall Prize for children's books "of exceptional merit relating to the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered experience."
I think ALA has done a lot of good in creating prizes that draw attention to exceptional books by African-American and Latino authors, books in translation, and books about people with disabilities. It's still easy for books about marginalized identities to get overlooked when it comes to the major awards -- Jerry Pinkney has been drawing astounding picture books for years before becoming the first African-American to win a Caldecott medal in 2010. (Previously, Leo and Diane Dillon, a mixed-race married couple, had won the medal twice). It's hard for a book to last beyond a season or two without awards recognition or popular traction, and the books getting the popular traction are the ones about sparkly vampires. (Why not sparkly gay vampires who use wheelchairs? THE WORLD MAY NEVER KNOW.)
I haven't read all of the Printz winners and honor books, but to my knowledge the last Printz winners or honor books to have any significant LGBT content were in 2003, "Postcards from No Man's Land" by Aidan Chambers and "My Heartbeat" by Garrett Freymann-Weyr (both books that I HIGHLY recommend). And to be sure there's not going to be a Printz-caliber book with LGBT content every year. But I think it's good that books that would otherwise slip through the cracks are going to be highlighted...
...And I would think so even if I didn't have a horse in this race. ;)
I think ALA has done a lot of good in creating prizes that draw attention to exceptional books by African-American and Latino authors, books in translation, and books about people with disabilities. It's still easy for books about marginalized identities to get overlooked when it comes to the major awards -- Jerry Pinkney has been drawing astounding picture books for years before becoming the first African-American to win a Caldecott medal in 2010. (Previously, Leo and Diane Dillon, a mixed-race married couple, had won the medal twice). It's hard for a book to last beyond a season or two without awards recognition or popular traction, and the books getting the popular traction are the ones about sparkly vampires. (Why not sparkly gay vampires who use wheelchairs? THE WORLD MAY NEVER KNOW.)
I haven't read all of the Printz winners and honor books, but to my knowledge the last Printz winners or honor books to have any significant LGBT content were in 2003, "Postcards from No Man's Land" by Aidan Chambers and "My Heartbeat" by Garrett Freymann-Weyr (both books that I HIGHLY recommend). And to be sure there's not going to be a Printz-caliber book with LGBT content every year. But I think it's good that books that would otherwise slip through the cracks are going to be highlighted...
...And I would think so even if I didn't have a horse in this race. ;)