Library of Congress ‘Deeply’ Apologizes — Used ‘Incorrect Pronouns’ for Gay Romance Novel’s ‘Non-Binary’ Author

The Library of Congress has publicly apologized for not using “they/them” pronouns when referring to author Casey McQuiston, whose queer (male-on-male) romance novel Red, White, & Royal Blue has been turned into an Amazon movie.

This week, the Library of Congress hosted a talk with Casey McQuiston tied to Amazon’s release on Friday of the gay romantic comedy. While promoting the event, the federal organization referred to McQuiston as “she” since the author is a biological female.

However, McQuiston identifies as gender “non-binary” and uses “they/them” pronouns. As a result, the Library of Congress issued a mea culpa, saying “we deeply apologize… for using incorrect pronouns.”

Red, White, & Royal Blue is a gay romantic comedy that imagines the first son of the United States entering into a secret gay relationship with a British prince. The movie, which began streaming on Amazon Prime Video on Friday, is directed by Matthew Lopez, the Tony Award-winning playwright of the gay-themed play The Inheritance.

Taylor Zakhar Perez and Nicholas Galitzine play the couple, while Uma Thurman co-stars as the U.S.’s first woman president.

Like the novel, the movie features a transgender supporting character who is a Secret Service agent. Trans (M2F) actor Aneesh Sheth plays the role.

McQuiston grew up in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and felt “repressed” when she attended a Christian school, according to an essay on her coming out that she wrote in 2021 for Oprah Daily. “I’ve finally made the loop back to a version of God,” she wrote, “because I now see the endless possibilities of queerness and transness as a form of divinity.” In that essay, McQuiston says she has moved on from caring about “how I could make straight people understand me.”

“So much of my relationship with myself was centered on the straight, cis experience of me, on external validation and acceptance, and so little was left for building my own security and joy in identity,” she wrote. “I’ve reached the point where all the validation I need is churning out of an engine within myself.”

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