{"id":464,"date":"2021-01-17T16:35:16","date_gmt":"2021-01-17T21:35:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/itgetsbettercanada.org\/?p=464"},"modified":"2024-07-08T16:13:38","modified_gmt":"2024-07-08T20:13:38","slug":"tanya-boteju","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/itgetsbettercanada.org\/fr\/2021\/01\/17\/tanya-boteju\/","title":{"rendered":"Tanya Boteju"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Here to remind you that you are beautiful and perfect.<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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Tanya Boteju (she\/her)<\/strong>\u00a0is a teacher and writer living on unceded Coast Salish territories (Vancouver, BC). Her novel,\u00a0Kings, Queens, and In-Betweens<\/em>, was named an Indie Top 10 Pick of the Summer by the American Booksellers Association. Her next YA novel is due out with simonschuster in 2021. Tanya spoke with It Gets Better Canada about her time growing up, how she became a writer and the ways her identity informed her novel.\u00a0<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Where did you grow up and what was it like?\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/b><\/h5>

I grew up in a Catholic household in Victoria, BC. I\u2019m also the child of immigrants, being first generation Sri Lankan-Canadian. While there was a lot of pressure to do right by my parents, they also worked hard to give my sisters and me an excellent education and the support to follow our interests. Though it took some time, I learned to love my Sri Lankan background and the colour of my skin. Ultimately, while I felt different and lonely growing up, I also felt supported and cared for.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>

What was the biggest challenge you faced growing up 2SLGBTQ+ and what would have made a positive difference for you?\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/b><\/h5>

There was no queer representation around me. I had only a vague sense of \u2018gay people\u2019 and so I had nothing to inform the feelings I was having, causing me to push them away. I pretended to like boys in high school and convinced myself I didn\u2019t care about romantic relationships. Thinking back, even a hint of queer representation would have helped. Having my feelings acknowledged in some way would have shown me that something else was possible.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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There are so many people who will listen to and support you if you reach out. So please, reach out. Ask for help. Share your story.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Tanya Boteju<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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she\/her<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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How and why did you get involved in writing?\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/b><\/p>

I\u2019ve been an English teacher for almost twenty years, so writing has always been integral to my life. I\u2019d dabbled in writing for myself but never really focused on it. After completing my masters and teaching for so long, I was ready for a new challenge. So a few years ago, I sat my butt down and started exploring the small germ of an idea that had been percolating since my twenties\u2014when I was a drag king in Vancouver.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>

Your debut novel, Kings, Queens and In-Betweens has garnered quite a bit of praise. How did the idea for the novel come about?\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/b><\/p>

In my twenties, I performed drag at various venues in Vancouver. I adored it\u2014the performance aspect, of course, but also the community: ever-supportive, ever-vibrant, ever-evolving. I knew while I was performing that there was a story to be told here. So that experience, combined with my experience teaching young people, led to a story about drag for young adults!\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>

How did your 2SLGBTQ+ identity inform the writing of your debut novel?\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/b><\/p>

Well, the book is pretty darn gay! I drew from my drag experience, as well as my experience growing up queer during a time it wasn\u2019t accepted, to inform my protagonist Nima\u2019s identity. Drag gave me the confidence to express myself, as it does for Nima. I also drew from the experiences of the kids I teach, especially the queer ones. Watching them struggle, be brave, manage their feelings, navigate their relationships\u2014these are some of the aspects I try to portray in my writing.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>

What advice do you have for 2SLGBTQ+ youth trying to get into writing?\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/b><\/p>

General advice about writing: you have to get your butt in the chair and actually put words on the page! More specific to LGBTQ2+ writers: you don\u2019t have to write about being queer, but there are people who can benefit from those stories. Normalize queer lives! Coming out stories and stories about queer struggles are important, but you can also write about characters already out living <\/span>fulfilling lives. Reach out to your favourite queer authors\u2014my experience has been that writers, especially those writing for young people, are ecstatic to hear from their readers. I know I am.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>

Any personal advice for 2SLGBTQ+ having a hard time accepting themselves?\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/b><\/p>

The dedication in my book includes: \u201cYou\u2019re beautiful and magical and perfect,\u201d and I really mean that. There are so many people who will listen to and support you if you reach out. So please, reach out. Ask for help. Share your story.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>

Follow Tanya @tboteju\u00a0<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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L\u2019histoire de Tanya est importante. Et toi, c\u2019est quoi ton histoire\u2009?<\/h4>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Ton histoire est importante et on veut la partager\u2009! Envoie-nous un message d\u00e8s aujourd\u2019hui si tu souhaites inspirer notre communaut\u00e9.\u00a0<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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It Gets Better spotlights<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\tPlatforms and Portraits: How I Built a Queer, Disabled Life Online And Fought to Reclaim It\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t<\/h3>\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\tLire plus\t\t<\/a>\n\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/article>\n\t\t\t\t
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\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\tIt Gets Better Canada Launches New App In Support of 2SLGBTQI+ Youth\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t<\/h3>\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\tLire plus\t\t<\/a>\n\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/article>\n\t\t\t\t
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It Gets Better Canada est membre officiel du It Gets Better International Affiliate Network<\/h4>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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IT GETS BETTER et IT GETS BETTER PROJECT sont des marques d\u00e9pos\u00e9es de Savage Love, LLC, l\u2019utilisation est autoris\u00e9e sur ce site Web sous la licence de the It Gets Better Project<\/div><\/div>

\u00a0<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Organisme de bienfaisance enregistr\u00e9 sous le num\u00e9ro 750714297 RR0001<\/h4>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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