Hi everyone! I'm gonna talk about something for a second. I'm gonna discuss how pop culture sites talking about an "end of innocence" when referring to a person playing queer characters is really messed up.

While I have been very grateful for the media coverage about my film deal, I have been disturbed to see several headlines that sensationalize on the fact that Nora is a queer teenager who identifies as bisexual.

There is nothing "mature" about knowing you're bisexual and there is no "end of innocence" in playing a bisexual character. A bisexual character who is out isn't automatically an adult. A character who is bisexual is just that: bisexual.

It is uncomfortable, as a bisexual woman, to watch people sensationalize and stereotype bisexuality in this way. It's lazy on those people's parts, and while it is not hurtful to me, it often is hurtful to my young readership and I am deeply protective of them.

Which is why I did this thread! I cannot control what the media says about my (currently unpublished and unread by them) work or anyone I work with. But I can point out these stereotypes and problematic statements on my own social media so my readership knows where I stand.

My lovely readers: It's okay to know your sexuality from a young age. It's okay to figure it out later. To never be sure. It's OK to not be into labels. It's OK to be questioning/searching. All of these things are part of a very human journey that you share with a lot of us

& the media: if you sexualize my teen characters in a book that is about surviving several forms of abuse? I won't be kind like I am being now. Also, you will look silly once the the book comes out because you will have judged it not by its cover, but literally by sexuality.

I try to turn most things into teaching moments, because I have a lot of young followers. But I will bluntly call out certain things, and gross, coded, Patriarchal fearmongering around a character's sexuality is one of them.

I also want to say, I deeply appreciate all the coverage that the film deal has been given in queer media and I am SO pleased at how many outlets correctly ID'd Nora as bisexual or opted to ID her as queer because the announcement didn't explicitly say her labels.