New York, New York - Acclaimed author David Levithan spoke exclusively with TAG24 News ahead of his appearance at New York Comic Con to discuss the future of young adult (YA) books, the importance of queer representation in the genre, and the defiant power of literature in an age of increasing book bans.

In an exclusive interview with TAG24, Levithan spoke about how the landscape of YA literature, especially when it comes to stories centered around LGBTQ+ characters, has greatly evolved since he first began writing.

Levithan's award-winning novel Boy Meets Boy was first published in 2003, and it was a trailblazing example of queer representation in an era of scarcity for the genre. Living in the "Heartstopper world" of today, Levithan's novels are, thankfully, no longer such a novelty, but they continue to hit home with many young readers.

"I think a lot has changed in twenty years!" Levithan said. "It's amazing that [Boy Meets Boy] still resonates with teen readers as a hopeful queer romance. What I don't hear as often now is that it's the first queer book they've ever encountered. I heard that a lot in 2003."

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Levithan said that, at the time, he hoped to fill the void of queer representation, especially within YA. "I was very conscious of the fact that I wanted to tell stories that weren't yet on the shelf," he said of his early work.

Now, Levithan noted that the rising representation has shifted his focus, saying, "Now there are plenty on the shelf, so my approach would be different, and possibly more driven by the story itself, not its place in the world."

On Thursday, Levithan emphasized this notion on the panel Queer Love in Every Genre, where he was joined by fellow writers AS King, Camryn Garrett, and Meriam Metoui to dive deep into the state of LGBTQ+ literature today and why YA novels are particularly essential forms of representation.

While there has been an exciting increase in queer representation since Levithan's first few novels, such books remain heavily challenged with increasing bans, something that Levithan has worked to tackle head-on throughout his career.

"There is a mission to it that, especially queer teen and middle-grade books, it's under attack," he said during the panel. "People are trying to silence us by silencing our books."

"The one thing that we and the book banners can agree upon is the value of our work. They are scared of it; we know that it saves lives."

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When it comes to LGBTQ+ representation in YA books specifically, the "shock of recognition" that comes from such reads can be a crucial element in one's journey of self-discovery and self-acceptance.

Speaking with TAG24, Levithan revealed the novels he read as a teen, and even some today, that have given him that same poignant shock.

"There's a riff in Boy Meets Boy about David Leavitt's The Lost Language of Cranes because it was one of the first books with gay characters that I read," he said. "I got it out of my high school library solely because the author's name was similar to mine, but it gave me a 'shock of recognition' far beyond the naming."

"And as an adult, my whole writing career can be traced to the characters of Dirk and Duck in Francesca Lia Block's Weetzie Bat books, which showed me that YA literature could handle a gay relationship, shown in its highs and lows."

Levithan and his NYCC co-panelists also delved into the evolution of marketing LGBTQ+-centric novels, acknowledging that while things have certainly improved in including more obvious outward depictions of the books' stories, a risk still remains.

"We have progressed to a point, and again, we make ourselves targets to the bigots, but at the same time, we're willing to take that on because it's so much more important for a queer kid or teen to walk into a store, look at the covers, and see that they're represented before they even open up the book," he said.