Queer Child Growing Sideways: The Repercussion of Poor Parenting in Kacen Callender’s Select Novels

Queer children face many issues due to heterosexual dominance norms in the society. Parental rejection, social stigma, and lack of representation in society lead queer children to emotional distress, identity struggles, and alienation. While existing research highlights the impact of family acceptance of queer children, little attention has been given to how literature influences the discourse on queer childhood and parenting. Kathryn Bond Stockton’s “sideways growth” theory provides insight into the non-linear development of queer children who navigate challenges outside traditional life paths. The study examines how Callender’s novels portray queer childhood, parental rejection, and acceptance through the lens of sideways growth. It also investigates the psychological impact of poor parenting on queer children and how literature serves as a tool for representation and advocacy. A qualitative textual analysis of Callender’s Felix Ever After , King and the Dragonflies , and Hurricane Child explores character development, parental relationships, and identity struggles while integrating existing scholarly research on queer childhood, family rejection, and chosen family structures. The paper reveals that parental rejection causes isolation, mistrust, and delayed self-acceptance, forcing queer children into sideways growth. The selected characters from Callender’s writing rely on unconventional survival strategies due to a lack of family support. Felix's father initially struggles, then eventually accepts him for being transqueer, which builds confidence in him. Literary representation helps validate queer identities and change cultural perspectives. Callender’s novels emphasize that parental acceptance is crucial for a queer child’s well-being by rejecting this will lead the queer children to grow sideways. The study highlights the role of inclusive literature in fostering acceptance and calls for further research on how literary depictions shape real-world parental attitudes and queer policies.