“The Rainbow Parade” illustrates the importance of LGBTQ+ children’s books

Dr. Rick Hendrix and his partner Shane Jordan have The Rainbow Parade: A Celebration of LGBTQIA+ Identities and Allies than the children’s book they never had growing up. The beautifully illustrated story follows a child and their parents as they experience LGBTQ+ Pride and help another young person struggling with self-love.

“I grew up as a gay kid in the South, a minister’s kid, and my parents were completely closed to any conversation about sexual identity,” Jordan says. “When I think back, how did they not know that I was secretly trying on my sister’s cheerleading outfit? Seriously, I always wanted to make sure I was doing everything possible to make sure no gay kid felt alone.”

Jieting Chen/©Sourcebooks

These gay men know the power of visibility – Hendrix, Hillary Clinton’s deputy faith adviser, owns a top-notch music agency that has promoted Miley Cyrus and Mariah Carey, while Jordan sits on the advisory board of the Stonewall National Monument Visitors Center. Their friends and colleagues are celebrities, and many of them – Elton John, Billie Jean King, Chelsea Clinton and Paris Hilton, to name a few – have supported The Rainbow Parade and its integrative message.

“Even though they’re celebrities, it’s so important to have our friends support us,” Jordan says. “So I also think a lot of these celebrities are people that kids look up to. And what better way to encourage a kid than to have someone they look up to and admire tell them that they support them for who they are?”

Jieting Chen/©Sourcebooks

At a time when conservative forces are trying to ban LGBTQ-inclusive books for children, these authors are shining a light on the power of diverse storytelling to foster acceptance and empathy. They hope potential banners read The Rainbow Parade and “see that this idea of ​​indoctrinating children is nonsense,” says Jordan. “As in The Rainbow Paradewe have parents asking their children how they feel. I also hope that the people who ban books realize how important it is for children to see children like them in the pages of a book. We all need someone we can relate to. Why would anyone want to take that away from a child?”

The Rainbow Parade was also “a journey from the heart” for lesbian illustrator Jieting Chen, who was excited to “celebrate the inherent power and beauty of each individual and reflect the diversity and vibrancy of the LGBTQ+ community. With that in mind, I sought to infuse the illustrations with an explosion of color, with each hue representing the unique essence of each character.” Chen also “placed a halo around each character, a subtle but effective touch that both reinforces the theme of individuality and helps visually distinguish the characters from one another.”

The artist “took great joy in this process because she knew that these illustrations could serve as a mirror for young readers and help them embrace and celebrate their own identities,” she says.

The Rainbow Parade: A Celebration of LGBTQIA+ Identities and Allies is now available from Sourcebooks and 20 percent of the proceeds will benefit the Elton John AIDS Foundation.

Jieting Chen/©Sourcebooks

This article is part of Out of July/August issue, which will be available in newsstands on July 2. Support queer media and subscribe– or download the issue from Apple News, Zinio, Nook or PressReader starting June 18.