Please call your representatives: VOTE NO on the FEDERAL BOOK BANNING BILLS HR 2616, HR 8705, and HR 7661!
Transcript below the cut.
Page 1:
There are currently THREE FEDERAL BOOK BAN BILLS aiming to ban all TRANS BOOKS from U.S. public schools! HR 2616, HR 8705, HR 7661
June 2026 / Maia Kobabe (a trans author, for three years in a row the most challenged author in the U.S.)
Page 2:
HR 2616 threatens to cut federal funding from public schools if they “teach or advance concepts related to gender ideology,” as defined by an Executive Order signed by Trump in Jan 2025. It would also cut funding from schools unless they require “parental consent before changing a minor's gender markers, pronouns, or preferred name on any school form.” HR 2616 HAS ALREADY PASSED IN THE HOUSE! Please call your Senators to say NO ON HR 2616!
Page 3:
HR 8705 threatens to cut federal funding from public schools which teach “discriminatory equity ideology or gender ideology,” as defined by two Executive Orders aimed at suppressing “critical race theory” and trans representation. This bill is named after the late far-right activist Charlie Kirk, “The Charlie Act.” HR 8705 has passed out of committee, but has not yet been introduced in the House. Please call your House Reps to say NO ON HR 8705!
Page 4:
HR 7661 threatens to cut federal funding from public schools which offer material deemed “sexually oriented," treating any LGBTQIA+ identity as sexual content. It specifically forbids “gender dysphoria or transgenderism,” and “lascivious dancing” (drag). This bill, titled “Stop the Sexualization of Children Act,” has 22 co-sponsors and has passed out of committee but has not yet been introduced to the House. Please call your House Reps to say NO ON HR 7661!
Page 5:
CALL SCRIPTS
“My name is [name] and I’m calling from [city, state, zip code]. I’m asking [Senator] to vote no on HR 2616. I oppose HR 2616 because it would restrict student’s access to books and it would specifically harm trans, nonbinary, and intersex students. Please stand against book bans and protect queer students!”
“My name is [name] and I’m calling from [city, state, zip code]. I’m asking [Rep] to vote no on HR 8705 and HR 7661. I oppose these bills because they would restrict student’s access to books and accurate history, and would especially harm BIPOC, trans, nonbinary, and intersex students. Please stand against book bans and support public education funding!”
Page 6:
Author Maia Kobabe: If HR 2616, HR 8705, or HR 7661 pass, it would be almost impossible for any public school in the U.S. to offer or teach my books, unless they’re willing to risk their federal funding. Students would be even less likely to learn about trans stories or accurate U.S. history.
Page 7:
Please call your representatives: VOTE NO on the FEDERAL BOOK BANNING BILLS HR 2616, HR 8705, and HR 7661!
Follow AUTHORS AGAINST BOOK BANS on insta & bluesky for updates on these bills!
insta / patreon / portfolio / etsy / my books / print store / bluesky
Maia always makes these actions clear and accessible and I so appreciate eir work.
If you don't know who your Senators or Representatives are, you can use Ballotpedia's Who Represents Me tool! (Note: there's a field for you to input your email address on their page, but it's not necessary to get your results. They just need a mailing address to confirm who your reps are.)
Once you've got names, you can look up and save your Reps' phone numbers in your phone. I find this makes it easier when I'm wavering about feeling brave enough to place a call. Just pressing a button instead of going and looking up the phone number all over again makes it just a liiiiittle easier, and sometimes that makes the difference between calling and not calling!
I appreciate that the infographics here are marked with a date! (6/10/26), because posts like these circulate for a long time, and I think it's helpful if exact dates are given so that people know what the status of the bill is at the time this was posted or reblogged, and whether it is at a point where the recommended action is still useful or not. It's also good to let folks know where they can easily check on the status of bills like this. (These links also have the full text of the bills available for reading, if that is your thing.)
For example:
HR 2616 (Stopping Indoctrination and Protecting Kids Act) unfortunately passed the House on 5/20/26 (as mentioned in the infographic). It was received by the Senate on 5/21: "Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions".
8 Democrats joined the Republicans in voting to pass this bill in the House. Had they not, the bill would still have passed (D206 to R209). But it's still worth it, if you are one of their constituents, to give them hell about it and tell them how strongly you do not want to see them vote for the other bills mentioned here (info from govtrack.us):
Cleo Fields (LA-6), Laura Gillen (NY-4), Donald Davis (NC-1), Marcy Kaptur (OH-9), Henry Cuellar (TX-28), Vicente Gonzalez (TX-34), Eugene Vindman (VA-7), Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (WA-3).
At this time, there is no info that I can find that says exactly when the next steps in the Senate will take place.
Here are the Members of the committee on HELP (oh my god...). If your senator is on there, you might want to concentrate on contacting them at this time. It's possible this bill could be killed in committee.
Here is the bill's page on Govtrack.us.
Here is the bill's page on BillTrack50.com.
Here is the bill's page on Policy Engage (trackbill.com).
Onward:
HR 7661 (Stop the Sexualization of Children Act) was introduced in the House on 2/24/26, and referred to the Committee on Education and Workforce.
As of 3/17/26, a committee consideration and mark-up session was held, and the bill was "ordered to be reported (amended)".
No further actions on the bill are shown on the various tracker sites at this time.
Here is a page listing the members of the House Committee on Education and Workforce. (lmao: all the Republican members get their photo listed with their name; and then the Democrats are just a list at the bottom, without photos.). There are 20 Republicans on the committee, and 16 Democrats.
Given the way the voting on HR 2616 went, it's useful to contact your Democratic reps if they are on the committee, as well as your GOP reps.
Here is the bill's page on Govtrack.us
Here is the bill's page on BillTrack50.com
Here is the bill's page on Policy Engage (trackbill.com)
Finally:
HR 8705 (CHARLIE Act) was introduced in the House on 5/07/26, and referred to the Committee on Education and Workforce.
As of 5/21/26, a committee consideration and mark-up session was held, and the bill was "ordered to be reported (amended)".
No further actions on the bill are shown on the various tracker sites at this time.
Please see above for a link to the House Committee on Education and Workforce, showing its members. They are the ones to contact about it at this time.
Here's the bill's page on GovTrack.us
Here's the bill's page on BillTrack50.com
Here's the bill's page on Policy Engage (trackbill.com)
Happy Make A Terrible Comic Day 2024!!! I hope you enjoy participating in this annual tradition which we’ve all done for ages!!! You must participate so you might as well enjoy it!!!
If you make a comic (again, it’s mandatory) and you want to share it, post it on the tag #makeaterriblecomicday2024! Or don’t, I’m not a fucking cop.
Remember, the goal is to make something terrible! So if you can’t draw or have never made a comic, or if it’s just been ages since you made something just for fun — that’s perfect! You’re all set! If you fuck up and make something that’s NOT terrible… well, some might say there’s a joy to that too.
Come say hi to us at ALA :) @redgoldsparks and @diamoric-comix
Friday, June 26, 2-3pm, GNCRT Program: Panels, Pages, & People: Queer Community Building Through Comics, Regency Ballroom A & B
Queer comics are both reflections of community and tools for creating it. This panel with creators featured on the RRT x GNCRT Collaboration Core List will examine how queer communities are represented within graphic novels and how comics foster real-world connections through zines, conventions, libraries, and online spaces. Attendees will gain insight about the relationship between comics and queer communities and identify the role of libraries in supporting queer communities through collection development and programming. (Maia Kobabe)
Saturday, June 27, 9:30-10:30am, Creating Comics with Oni Press, Graphic Novel/Gaming Stage #1342
From initial concept to creative execution to bound book beauty, there’s a lot to love and to learn about the process of creating comics! Join Oni Press creators Maia Kobabe (Gender Queer: Annotated Edition), Jarret Melendez (Chef's Kiss Again), George Northy (Yuletide), Angélique Roché (First Freedom: The Story of Opal Lee and Juneteenth), Josh Tierney and Caitlin Soliman (Haunted Comics Club), and Stephanie Young and Allyson Lassiter (The Pancake Trap), as they discuss their newest upcoming graphic novels, where their inspiration stems from, and the joys and challenges of comics collaborations!
Saturday, June 27, 9-10am, GNCRT Program: Civic Engagement, Advocacy, and Comics, Clark ABC
Comics, across all forms and genres, have a long history as a vehicle for civic engagement and advocacy. There is a comic for every issue facing society, presenting vital, human-focused information in an accessible form. Join a panel of creators and librarians as they discuss what makes comics the perfect vehicle for these stories and how libraries can ensure our patrons not only have the chance to read about the issues of our time, but how we can help them act on those issues. Authors & Panelists: Alexandra M. Landy, Collection Development Specialist, Waterloo Public Library; Sydney Halpern, Professor Emerita, University of Illinois at Chicago; Justin Eisinger; Jim Terry; Jarrett Dapier; Lucky Srikumar
Saturday, June 27, 1-3pm, Magical Comics Tea, Continental A
Come join the Graphic Novels & Comics Round Table for our 2025 Magical Comics Tea! Visit with creators and other comic loving library staff as we hear about upcoming titles and projects from your favorite publishers! Dress up as your favorite tea-time character (hats are especially encouraged), or just come as you are and share in the comics-camaraderie! Participating creators this year include: Chad Anderson, Sarah Becan, Derf Blackderf, Mike Dawson, Kami Garcia, Cathy G. Johnson, Maia Kobabe, Dan Santat, Mark Siegel, Lucky Srikumar, Josh Tierney, James Tynion IV, Dan Watters, Ben Wickey and Jennie Wood
Saturday, June 27, 4-5pm, Oni Press Signing Booth #3314 (Maia Kobabe)
Sunday, June 28, 11:30-1pm, Scholastic Literary Showcase: Where Stories Take Center Stage, Regency Ballroom A
Featured Authors: Amy Sarig King It Came from the Creek, Jasmine Guillory It’s Only Dancing, Kara LaReau Licorice, Libba Bray Radio Free Texas, Maia Kobabe & Lucky Srikumar Opting Out
Sunday, June 28, 2:30-3:30pm, Oni Press Signing Booth #3314 (Maia Kobabe)
And one event OPEN TO THE PUBLIC! Tuesday, June 30, 7-8:30pm Pride Panel at Anderson’s Bookshop, 123 West Jefferson Avenue, Naperville, IL
Join Anderson’s Bookshop for a Pride Panel event with David Levithan and Gabriel Duckels, to celebrate the release of The Fight of Our Lives: AIDS in America onTuesday, June 30th at 7:00 pm in our Naperville store. Levithan and Duckels will be in conversation with cartoonists Maia Kobabe and Lucky Srikumar, celebrating the release of Opting Out. This event is ticketed, tickets range between $19-$29 depending on which books you buy with ticket. Buy tickets here.
Please call your representatives: VOTE NO on the FEDERAL BOOK BANNING BILLS HR 2616, HR 8705, and HR 7661!
Transcript below the cut.
Page 1:
There are currently THREE FEDERAL BOOK BAN BILLS aiming to ban all TRANS BOOKS from U.S. public schools! HR 2616, HR 8705, HR 7661
June 2026 / Maia Kobabe (a trans author, for three years in a row the most challenged author in the U.S.)
Page 2:
HR 2616 threatens to cut federal funding from public schools if they “teach or advance concepts related to gender ideology,” as defined by an Executive Order signed by Trump in Jan 2025. It would also cut funding from schools unless they require “parental consent before changing a minor's gender markers, pronouns, or preferred name on any school form.” HR 2616 HAS ALREADY PASSED IN THE HOUSE! Please call your Senators to say NO ON HR 2616!
Page 3:
HR 8705 threatens to cut federal funding from public schools which teach “discriminatory equity ideology or gender ideology,” as defined by two Executive Orders aimed at suppressing “critical race theory” and trans representation. This bill is named after the late far-right activist Charlie Kirk, “The Charlie Act.” HR 8705 has passed out of committee, but has not yet been introduced in the House. Please call your House Reps to say NO ON HR 8705!
Page 4:
HR 7661 threatens to cut federal funding from public schools which offer material deemed “sexually oriented," treating any LGBTQIA+ identity as sexual content. It specifically forbids “gender dysphoria or transgenderism,” and “lascivious dancing” (drag). This bill, titled “Stop the Sexualization of Children Act,” has 22 co-sponsors and has passed out of committee but has not yet been introduced to the House. Please call your House Reps to say NO ON HR 7661!
Page 5:
CALL SCRIPTS
“My name is [name] and I’m calling from [city, state, zip code]. I’m asking [Senator] to vote no on HR 2616. I oppose HR 2616 because it would restrict student’s access to books and it would specifically harm trans, nonbinary, and intersex students. Please stand against book bans and protect queer students!”
“My name is [name] and I’m calling from [city, state, zip code]. I’m asking [Rep] to vote no on HR 8705 and HR 7661. I oppose these bills because they would restrict student’s access to books and accurate history, and would especially harm BIPOC, trans, nonbinary, and intersex students. Please stand against book bans and support public education funding!”
Page 6:
Author Maia Kobabe: If HR 2616, HR 8705, or HR 7661 pass, it would be almost impossible for any public school in the U.S. to offer or teach my books, unless they’re willing to risk their federal funding. Students would be even less likely to learn about trans stories or accurate U.S. history.
Page 7:
Please call your representatives: VOTE NO on the FEDERAL BOOK BANNING BILLS HR 2616, HR 8705, and HR 7661!
Follow AUTHORS AGAINST BOOK BANS on insta & bluesky for updates on these bills!
insta / patreon / portfolio / etsy / my books / print store / bluesky
Censorship, in your comics scene? More likely than you think!
Join host Iris Jay & cartoonists Maia Kobabe, Taylor Titmouse, and PomPoison to hear more about explicit content expurgation, personal struggles with suppression, and triumphs in the contentious arenas of erotic comics and internet privacy.
Transphobia is about to be signed into law in the UK. We can fight this.
I am begging the UK trans community and its allies to attend the Mass Lobby at Parliament on June 25th, 11am-4pm, organised by Trans Solidarity Alliance.
Last year we broke the record for an LGBT+ mass lobby of Parliament. Will you help us break it again? Join us on 25th June 2026 to demand be
The new EHRC Code of Practice pushes trans people out of toilets, hospital wards, and community spaces. It normalises gender policing based on appearance and stereotypes. It becomes statutory guidance in the UK by the end of June.
Trans people are now legally their assigned gender at birth and must join gendered spaces accordingly, but if they are perceived as their lived gender, they can also be ejected from those spaces. The guidance says: either break the law, or don’t pass too well.
A mass lobby is where you invite your MP to discuss your concerns with you in-person. Ask your MP to:
Demand full parliamentary scrutiny, debate, and use their free vote on the EHRC Code of Practice.
Support any motions rejecting the EHRC guidance. As of June 4th, Labour MP Nadia Whittome has submitted a prayer motion - Early Day Motion 240.
Write to Bridget Phillipson, the Minister for Women and Equalities about our concerns
Your MP does not have to be an ally, they do not have to respond to your email for you to show up and greencard them (details below the cut.) What matters is that as many people as possible show up.
I cannot stress this enough: Showing up in person matters. It is much more effective than petitions, emails, and letters.
It is a horrible, stressful time, and I am so sorry if you're trans and live in the UK. But I was at last year's mass lobby and the line for greencarding alone stretched around the back gates. It was a record breaking mass lobby and made us impossible to ignore. Let's do even better this time. Details under the cut:
Worried about what to say?
Bring your personal worries about transphobia being signed into law, and trans friends being excluded from public spaces. You are a living person who deserves dignity. Remind your MP of that. You will also get guidance and brochures from Trans Solidarity Alliance that outlines our demands. This is mine from last year.
Money issues?
Trans Solidarity Alliance provides a travel bursary that you can sign up for via the link.
Got a refusal or no response from your MP?
Come anyway! You can request a same-day appointment with your MP through a process called greencarding. They will come and see you if they’re already in Parliament. Even if they don’t, they’re made acutely aware of your cause because you showed up in person. This is my greencard from last year.
Here is the EHRC Code of Practice in full. It's a tough read, but some highlights are:
Organisations can’t provide trans-inclusive, single-sex services, or they risk being sued for discrimination.
e.g. domestic violence support for women including trans women, men’s rugby group including trans men (12.68).
Trans people will have nowhere safe to pee.
If you’re a trans man, businesses can't allow you to pee in the men's, and you can also be ejected from women’s bathrooms if you’re perceived as a man. Vice versa for trans women. EHRC suggests a ‘third space’ bathroom, which is discriminatory and unworkable for most businesses. (13.130-133)
Sports organisations must exclude trans people from single-sex competitions (13.73).
A women’s only sports competition must exclude trans women because of their biological advantage or face potential lawsuits (13.74), but a trans man who has undergone testosterone treatment can also be excluded based on fairness rules (13.81).
Trans women are stripped of the legal definition of ‘lesbian’, and therefore no longer have legal protections if they’re discriminated against on the basis of sexual orientation. (2.50, 2.92).
Here is the Good Law Project's better explanation of the EHRC Code.
I have also made a PDF printout of QR codes for the government petition, email your MP tool, and mass lobby link to pass around your communities. DM me and I'll send it to you.
The third installment in my @fansplaining tiny zine series! This one was written by @elizabethminkel and was published a year ago for Fansplaining’s patreon backers. Fansplaining is one of my all-time favorite podcasts, I highly recommend the show and also the many great bonus episodes available only to patreon backers :) You can read my previous two Fansplaining zines here and here and you can find all of for sale in my etsy shop.
Thinking of this comic I illustrated, written by @elizabethminkel, about how formative the character of Rupert Giles was to her as teen, in light of Anthony Head's passing </3
Official announcement!! Me and my friend @friedricecomic are making a teen romcom graphic novel with an asexual protagonist!
The Publishers Weekly blurb doesn't completely explain the vibes of the story, so:
Bee has never been asked out. Yet everyone around her seems to already be in relationship or is in the process of getting one. Though Bee loves all things romantic - the tropes, the thrills, the flairs and fireworks - she has never fallen in love, and has no idea how to even begin.
When one of Bee’s best friend asks for her help to secure the affections of the most popular boy in school, Bee finally has had enough of playing pretend and decides to get some real world experience to back her advice. Relying on her encyclopedic knowledge of romantic tropes, she randomly chooses a boy to crush on and undertakes a year-long experiment to win his heart, documenting it all on her Tumblr.
It works. Except Bee is slowly gaining feelings for her lab rat. When the relationship starts becoming physical, Bee begins to realise that there are some forms of romance that she cannot reciprocate.
Will Bee find her happily ever after, or will the fantasy come crashing down?
Bee is demiromantic asexual. I myself am demisexual, and my editor is a-spec. This comic is for us aces who long for the dream of love and to be recognised for who we are.
Most of the main cast is queer! Bee's best friend is aroace to balance out the sap, but the others... are B-plot spoilers. :)
The main cast is entirely AAPI.
Applied Romantics is inspired by late 90s - early 00s romantic comedies, and my youth pouring through teen magazines, blogs and shows. I really enjoyed the cozy whimsy of Y2K rom-com (my favourites: 13 Going on 30, Sleepless in Seattle, Pushing Daisies), and noticed how so many of them were epistolary i.e using the technology of the time, like e-mail, diaries. So I set mine during the hipster peak Tumblr era of 2008-2012, incorporating the ask box, MSN, text messages and blog posts.
I post my reviews throughout the month on Storygraph and Goodreads, and do roundups here and on patreon.
Before I get to the reviews, I am once again asking you to call your representatives in the United States to say no to THREE DIFFERENT FEDERAL BOOK BAN BILLS currently circulating. This information is from June 1 2026.
NO ON HR 2616! Full text here. This bill has unfortunately already passed in the House, so now it's time to call and complain about it in the Senate. If passed, it would cut funding from all US public schools that “teach or advance concepts related to gender ideology,” using definitions from Executive Order 14168. It frames itself as protecting children. In practice, it represents another attempt to eliminate not only trans and nonbinary books, but also any acknowledgment of gender non‑conforming people in public education. It would also require parents to sign consent forms before their kids could use preferred names or pronouns at schools.
Here's a call script for 2616: “My name is [name] and I’m calling from [city, state, zip code]. I’m calling to ask [Senator] to vote no on HR 2616. I oppose HR 2616 because it would restrict student’s access to books and would specifically harm trans, nonbinary, and intersex students. Please stand against book bans and support queer students!”
NO ON HR 8705! Full text here. Rather than naming specific books or categories of literature, if passed this bill would block federal funding for American History and Civics Education from being used to promote what it calls “discriminatory equity ideology” or “gender ideology,” definitions drawn from a January 29, 2025 executive order. Likely impacts would include fewer books on racism and civil rights, less discussion of sexism and inequality, narrower civics curricula, and publishers pulling back on diverse perspectives. This bill has passed out of committee but not yet been introduced in the House, so call your House Reps about it.
NO ON HR 7661! Full text here. This bill has passed out of committee but not yet been introduced in the House, so call your House Reps about it. If passed, it would cut federal funding to any public school in the US which offered programing or books which “involves gender dysphoria or transgenderism”. This would essentially ban every book I’ve ever published from all public schools in the country unless they were willing to risk their funding, but more importantly it would cut off the ability of students to learn about the full spectrum of human experience (or their own experience) in public education.
Here's a call script for both 8705 and 7661: “My name is [name] and I’m calling from [city, state, zip code]. I’m calling to ask [Representative] to vote no on HR 8705 and HR 7661. I oppose these bills because they would restrict student’s access to books and accurate history, and would especially harm trans, nonbinary, and intersex students. Please stand against book bans, support education, and queer students!
Reviews below the cut.
Queer and How We Got Here: A (Personal) History by Hazel Newlevant
Newlevant weaves together memoir and history in this timely reminder that all of us are the beneficiaries of generations who have fought for our human rights for centuries. Honest, informative, and stylish, this book made me grateful for the activism of the past and gave me courage for the fights to come!
Bellies by Nicola Dinan, read by Nathaniel Curtis and Octavia Nyombi
Ming and Tom meet at a bar, in their last year of university, and are drawn to each other instantly. Ming is a playwright, hiding deep grief and insecurities under wit and charm. Tom is more newly out as gay and awkwardly trying to figure out his path and place in the world. They fall into a relationship with surprising ease. But after moving in together, Ming reveals that she is actually trans, and has been taking steps towards transition without telling Tom. Ming's withholding is reinforced by Tom's lukewarm support of her gender journey. Both of them love each other and both of them hurt each other. I appreciated this novel's arc, of two people who care for each other deeply, but might not be able to find the bridge to carry that care across. This book also takes friendships as seriously as dating, and places romance into a web of other kinds of relationships including those of family and creative partnerships. It's a trans coming out novel quite different from any I've read before. I also really enjoyed the two different narrators reading each character's alternating POV chapters.
Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K Le Guin read by George Guidall
I first read this book in high school, nearly 20 years ago, and it was fascinating to see what I remembered from it. There are two sentences I remembered word for word: "It is good to have an end to journey towards, but it is the journey that matters in the end" which I liked so much I made it my yearbook quote; and "The king was pregnant." Before rereading, I would have said that Genly and Estraven's trek across the ice sheet was about 80% of the plot; I was very surprised to realize it's in fact only about 15-20% of the story in the final act. I had forgotten basically all of the political maneuvering that make up the bulk of the story and what remained in my memory was the gender fluidity of the native population of Winter and the interpersonal relationship between. Genly and Estraven. This is one of the early books I read with this kind of gender fluid sci-fi world building and that impressed me so deeply at 17. Reading the book today, it's easy to see the male human Terran main character as rather misogynistic, inflexible in his thinking, and trapped inside his own definition of masculinity. This is part of the point! To show how hard it is for a human man (as written by a female author in the late 1960s) to comprehend a society in which everyone is physically and psychologically equal and there is no "lower" or "weaker" half. Nicola Griffith explored this same concept in reverse in the 1990s with her sci-fi novel Ammonite which more than ever feels to me like a spiritual sequel to Left Hand of Darkness, and they are very interesting when read in conversation with each other. I highly recommend both. I will note for audiobook readers that the audio of Left Hand of Darkness is not great; I hope someday they re-record it with two different narrators for the two different POVs, because having them both read by the same narrator without any voice changes is tough. It's also difficult that Genly's last name is "Ai" pronounced exactly the same as "I". If you are reading Left Hand of Darkness for the very first time, I'd recommend reading it in print!
Champion of the Rose vol 1 by Cat Aquino and Dominique Duran
Princess Rosa is newly the heir to the throne of Sagrada (fantasy Spain). She prays to the Dying God for the chance to be a more just and charitable ruler than her father. But that opportunity grows increasingly distant when when the king declares a massive gladiatorial tournament of death and blood magic to win her hand in marriage. In desperation, Rosa makes a deal with a trans swordsman, Rey, a refugee from Himala (fantasy Philippines) which Sargrada has violently colonized. Action packed and gorgeously illustrated, this tale of blood and magic doesn't shy way from the brutality of colonial violence or religious fanaticism. I'm hooked! For fans of The Locked Tomb, there's some fucked up death cult and necromancy stuff with some queer themes to enjoy. Thank you to Viz for sending me an advanced copy to read!
Armaveni by Nadine Takvorian
Nadine, the daughter of Armenian immigrants growing up in San Francisco in the early 2000s, yearns to know her family's story. Her parents are very insistent that their kids speak Armenian at home, and Nadine and her brother attend classes and have community at their Armenian church. But her parents freeze up or deflect every time Nadina tries to ask for family stories, especially stories of how her maternal grandmother survived the massacres in her hometown and ended up moving to Istanbul, and then California. Writing essays for a high school class and a church trip to Armenia and Turkey finally give Nadine a chance to learn the family history. It's heavy, but its hers. This is a very beautifully illustrated fictionalized memoir, covering a period of history I've never read about in a graphic novel before. The image of the fire bird woven though ties the present and the past together with hope for the future.
He Who Drowned The World by Shelley Parker Chan
This book is a masterclass. I was so impressed at how well and how hard it hit its reoccurring themes- gender, power, ambition, the fear of/experience of living in a disabled body, the violence born of grief, the hollowness of revenge, and how damaged people with no release strike out against the world around them. Shelley Parker Chan is digging into the intersections of disability and dysphoria in a way I've never seen in another book. I was riveted by two characters who are opposite sides of the same coin- a powerful military general and warrior who was castrated as a child and hates the feminine coded aspects of his body and an ambitious would-be emperor born a girl who has lived the majority of her life as a man, and lost a hand in the previous book. To complicate these further, there's also a high-ranking bureaucrat with a very effeminate presentation, who has been punished his whole life for his perceived queerness, but who is straight. Each of these characters trouble the binaries of male/female, queer/straight, respected/reviled, confidence/shame which shape the world they move through. The way they are presented within the historical understandings of their time is so much richer and more interesting than if the author had decided to move a contemporary understanding of transness or queerness back into the 1300s in China. My reading of this book did suffer a little since it had been about three and a half years since my reading of book 1- I had forgotten the names and motivates of some side characters, and had to play catch-up. Ideally, I would suggest reading She Who Became The Sun and He Who Drowned The World back to back for greatest impact!
Night Chef by Mika Song
A food-loving raccoon who grew up in the walls of a restaurant yearns to cook her own recipes. But when an egg she planned to eat hatches into a baby crow, she leaves the restaurant for the first time to seek for the baby bird's family. Along the way, the raccoon meets fellow cooks, stretches her skills, and learns about her own past. This is a very simple story but I loved the watercolor art and the fun animal character designs. A fun comic for early readers.
Gender Queer: The Annotated Edition by Maia Kobabe
The Annotated Edition of Gender Queer is out! I’m so grateful to all of the smart, wonderful people who contributed their thoughts, notes, and comics to this edition:
⭐ Jadzia Azelrod (author of Galaxy: The Prettiest Star)
⭐ Andrea Colvin (original editor of Gender Queer)
⭐ Alex L Combs (author of Trans History From Ancient Times to Present Day: A graphic novel)
⭐ Dr Sandra Cox (English Professor, Southeast Missouri State University)
⭐ Eli Erlick (author of Before Gender: Lost Stories from Trans History, 1850-1950)
⭐ Mel Gillman (author of Other Ever Afters, Stage Dreams, As the Crow Flies)
⭐ Ashley R Guillory (contributor to Queers at the Table)
⭐ Justin Hall (editor of No Straight Lines: Four Decades of Queer Comics)
⭐ Kori Michele Handwerker (author of Tiny Book Science)
⭐ Phoebe Kobabe (my sibling and colorist of Gender Queer)
⭐ Tara Madison Avery (publisher, Stacked Deck Press)
⭐ Ajuan Mance (author of Gender Studies: True Confessions of an Accidental Outlaw)
⭐ Hazel Hewlevant (author of Queer and How We Got Here)
⭐ Matthew Noe (Librarian at Harvard Medical School)
⭐ Hal Schrieve (author of Out of Salem, Vivian’s Ghost, Fawn’s Blood)
⭐ Matt Silady (Comics professor at California College of The Arts)
⭐ Rani Som (author of Spellbound, Apsara Engine)
⭐ Shannon Watters (co-creator of Lumberjanes)
⭐ ND Stevenson (author of Nimona, Scarlet Morning)- reprinted the foreward from the hardcover edition.
This month, Gender Queer has been out for 7 years, and it has spent 5 of those years in the top 3 most challenged books in the United States. This has only strengthened my resolve to keep writing, supporting, and defending queer and trans stories for the rest of my life.
