ABSTRACT
This chapter connects YA texts to magical realist canonical works taught in many secondary classrooms using the focal text of Anna-Marie McLemore’s (2016) When the Moon Was Ours, specifically discussing how the novel utilizes magical realism to discuss trans bodies. The genre of magical realism, often characterized by fluidity, intangibility, and the abstract, provides an entrance for secondary teachers to discuss gender and sexuality, topics similarly fluid and intangible. McElmore’s use of Latinx traditions similarly provides an avenue for secondary students to have intersectional conversations about magical realism, trans bodies, and Latinx culture. Specifically, we utilize arts-based pedagogies in order to connect the lived experiences of students to the marginalizations of characters. As students create art, they make meaning grounded in their own conceptions of gender and sexuality, meanings which are then placed into conversation with the trans and POC identities in the novel. As students engage with elements of magical realism, applying fluidity and intangibility to their art and thus their interpretation of gender and sexuality, they engage with deeper understandings of LGBTQ identities and the text itself.
