Belly Mommy, Heart Mommy: Queer Children’s Literature in Israel

Abstract

Since the establishment of the State of Israel in 1948, only 23 Queer literary works have been published for children and adolescence in Hebrew. This paper examines the characteristics of these works in light of the ambivalent and controversial status of the LGBTQ+ Community in Israel. The findings show that the few works that have been published and that present same-sex families or LGBTQ+ characters, and the manner in which Queer themes are presented in those texts, are in line with how these issues are perceived and addressed by Israeli society. Moreover, this article divides the Queer Israeli literature for children and youth into three categories: implied Queer literature that hides the Queer existence through the allegoric genre; Queerphobic literature that seemingly presents the Queer family but in actual fact promotes homophobic stereotypes; and Queer literature that places the LGBTQ+ character or family in the center of the story without passing judgement or criticism.