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A new book co-edited by an Illinois State University professor showcases stories, art, and poetry by LGBTQ high schoolers. The project includes a broad spectrum of student experiences.

The book is called “Writing Out of the Closet” and features work from 20 students across North America. The book is dedicated “to all the young LGBTQ writers still waiting to be heard.”

Kyle O’Daniel is one of the editors. He teaches English at Mahomet-Seymour High School. He said the project came about in part because he realized the work of young LGBTQ artists wasn’t being represented.

“There are actually a lot of barriers for young LGBTQ artists and writers to publishing their work, either because there are not enough avenues to do so, because they feel they might be censored, or even because they censor themselves,” said O’Daniel.

O’Daniel said it’s vitally important for young people, particularly in the LGBTQ community, to have creative outlets.

“We all have stories to tell, and through telling our stories, not only do we teach others about us, I think we learn something about ourselves as well,” said O’Daniel. “Regardless of sexual orientation, gender identity, and so on, youth is a time when we need to figure that out.”

Co-editor Erin Mikulec is a professor in ISUs’ School of Teaching and Learning. She considers herself an ally to the LGBTQ community. Mikulec said the book mixes experiences of activism and resistance with joy and happiness.

“There seems to be a single narrative of the LGBTQ youth experience of trauma and pain,” said Mikulec. “Yes, that’s out there. But that’s not, of course, the only experience there is.”

One trans artist in the collection is Jax Wokas. He’s now a student at the University of Washington in Seattle. Wokas said trans youth often are left out of the conversation completely.

“We are so often the subject of these big debates,” said Wokas. “People don’t even, like, talk to us about ‘Oh, hey, you’re the one being directly impacted by this. How do you feel about this?’”

The book comes as conservative state legislatures around the country consider bills to prevent trans children from taking part in school athletics. Some measures would also make it more difficult for them to get gender-affirming medical care.

Wokas said it’s important for people who are questioning or out to be able to see themselves represented in media. He grew up in what he said was a very Christian part of Illinois.

“I straight up didn’t know that LGBT people existed until middle school, because it just wasn’t a topic that came up,” said Wokas.

Three pieces of his art appear in the book. He said he created it to express his feelings as a gay trans person of color.

“My art was too controversial to hang up in the school, for the most part,” said Wokas. “I created for my friends and hope that maybe that the cishet audience would get on board.”

Wokas said his art has a very in-your-face style.

“The first one that I did was this charcoal piece of a person in a bathroom with all these eyes, like, cemented into the room staring at the person,” said Wokas. “I did that on purpose to make the viewer uncomfortable.”

He said the trans bathroom debate was big at the time. Wokas said he wanted people to understand how it felt using public bathrooms as a trans person.

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