Randilyn Seebalac Humanities
Safe Reading: The Impact of Book Bans on LGBTQ+ Identity, Personal Growth, and Cultural Resistance
Scholars Journal
Is safety in reading a form of censorship, or a tool for liberation? As book bans grow increasingly common, especially targeting LGBTQ+ and coming-of-age YA literature, Randilyn interrogates how contemporary book bans define a safe reading experience. Framing reading as escapism, her project explores how literature becomes a battleground for identity and exploration. Drawing from reader-response and queer theory, she seeks to critique conventional interpretations of literature and analyze how readers negotiate meaning in a politically charged landscape. What fears are activated when young people find themselves in “threatening” books—and whose fears are they? By challenging normative interpretations of literature, this research exposes the power and panic embedded in the act of reading.
Major: English
Mentor: Ianna Owen, Gender & Women's Studies