What Makes You Beautiful

by Bridget Liang

The story of a young person finding a place among other LGBTQ teens, and discovering the truth about their own orientation and gender.

Logan Osborne knows he likes boys, but has not come out to his family or at school, and no one knows that he likes to sometimes wear girls' clothes and makeup. When he starts at a school for the arts he finds a wider range of gender and orientation being accepted. Logan is attracted to Kyle, who has gay dads. But Kyle is straight. Logan finds he doesn't like the way gay boys treat him, and a disturbing hookup with a boy who is fetishistic about Logan's half-Asian background makes Logan even more confused about what he wants and who he is.

Encouraged and supported by his friends at school, Logan experiments with nail polish and more feminine clothes in public. Logan begins questioning his gender and decides to use they pronouns while trying to figure things out. Logan meets a classmate's chosen mother, who is a transgender Chinese woman, and begins to come to terms with their gender identity. Realizing they are not a gay boy, but a transgender girl, Logan asks for people to call them Veronica. As a girl, does Veronica stand a chance with Kyle?

About the Author

Bridget Liang
BRIDGET LIANG is a mixed race, queer, transfeminine, autistic, disabled, fat fangirl. They came into their queerness in Hamilton, Ontario, and co-founded RADAR Youth Group at the LGBTQ Wellness Centre (the Well), the first queer group in a Hamilton high school. They were instrumental in the passing of an equity policy in the Hamilton Wentworth District School Board. A budding academic, community researcher, workshop and group facilitator, performance artist, and writer, Bridget has been published in the anthologies Meanwhile, Elsewhere from Topside Press and Resilience from Heartspark Press. Much of their work revolves around intersectionality and arts-based research. This is their first novel for teens. Bridget lives in Toronto, Ontario.

Reviews

"The fast-moving YA romantic plots will keep readers engaged."
School Library Journal
"[The Real Love books] stand out for their authentic depictions of LGBTQ+ teens; recommended for high school collections."
School Library Journal
Starred Review
School Library Journal

Subjects (BISAC)

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