My very last comic for The Nib! End of an era! Transcription below the cut. instagram / patreon / portfolio / etsy / my book / redbubble
The first event I went to with GENDER QUEER was in NYC in 2019 at the Javits Center.
So many of the people who came to my signing were librarians, and so many of them said the same thing: "I know exactly who I want to give this to!"
Maia: "Thank you for helping readers find my book!"
While working on the book, I was genuinely unsure if anyone outside of my family and close friends would read it. But the early support of librarians and two American Library Association awards helped sell two print runs in first year.
Since then, GENDER QUEER been published in 8 languages, with more on the way: Spanish, Czech, Polish, French, Italian, Norwegian, Portugese and Dutch.
It has also been the most banned book in the United States for the past two years.
The American Library Association has tracked an astronomical increase in book challenges over the past few years. Most of these challenges are to books with diverse characters and LGBTQ themes. These challenges are coming unevenly across the US, in a pattern that mirrors the legislative attacks on LGBTQ people.
The Brooklyn Public Library offered free eCards to anyone in the US aged 13-21, in an effort to make banned books more available to young readers. A teacher in Norman, Oklahoma gave her students the QR code for the free eCard and lost her job. Summer Boismeir is now working for the Brooklyn Public Library.
Hoopla and Libby/Overdrive, apps used to access digital library books, are now banned in Mississippi to anyone under 18. Some libraries won’t allow anyone under 18 to get any kind of library card without parental permission.
When librarians in Jamestown, Michigan refused to remove GENDER QUEER and several other books, the citizens of the town voted down the library’s funding in the fall 2022 election. Without funding, the library is due to close in mid-2024.
My first event since covid hit was the American Library Association conference in June 2022 in Washington, DC. Once again, the librarians in my signing line all had similar stories for me: “Your book was challenged in our district"
"It was returned to the shelf!"
"It was removed from the shelf..."
"It was moved to the adult section."
Over and over I said: "Thank you. Thank you for working so hard to keep my book in your library. I’m sorry you had to defend it, but thank you for trying, even if it didn't work."
We are at a crossroads of freedom of speech and censorship. The future of libraries, both publicly funded and in schools, are at stake. This is massively impacting the daily lives of librarians, teachers, students, booksellers, and authors around the country. In May 2023, I read an article from the Washington Post analyzing nearly 1000 of the book challenges from the 2021-2022 school year. I was literally on route to a festival to talk about book bans when I read a startling statistic.
60% of the 1000 book challenges were submitted by just 11 people. One man alone was responsible for 92 challenges. These 11 people seem to have made submitting copy-cat book challenges their full-time hobby and their opinions are having an outsized ripple effect across the nation.
WE NEED TO MAKE THE VOICES SUPPORTING DIVERSE BOOKS AND OPPOSING BOOK BANS EVEN LOUDER.
If you are able too, show up for your library and school board meetings when book challenges are debated. Send supportive comments and emails about the Pride book display and Drag Queen story hours. If you see a display you like– for Banned Book Week, AAPI Month, Black History Month, Disability Awareness Month, Jewish holidays, Trans Day of Remembrance– compliment a librarian! Make sure they feel the love stronger than the hate <3
I finally gave Legend of Korra a second chance and am having a lot of fun with season one. The slightly older and more mature characters resonate with me more than Aang and co do, and the way they handle conflict among each other feels more grounded too. I originally had only watched the first episode when it first came out, disliked it and never watched more. This time, I also disliked the first episode. But already the second one had me invested.
I genuinely love Korra, Bolin and Mako. Asami has not had a lot of screen time yet but I love her so far. Amon is terrifying.
My surprising favorite so far has to be Tenzin though. This dude is hilarious, his humor is subtle and engaging, the way he handles Korra's nonsense is amazing and the way he guides her as a mentor is very touching.
Also the humor in general hits much better for me than it did in the original series. I always struggled a bit with the humor, finding it either too on the nose or a bit too grating. But Korra's humor seems to be much smoother.
This whole Amon's tragic backstory info dump at the end of S1 E11 had better be some cheap copout, lie or half truth because that felt entirely unearned.
Alright, finished season one. The ending feels... weird. I feel like it would have been more interesting if Aang had told Korra that she can learn how to unlock her powers if she goes on a grand quest and learns how to do it and then that's what season 2 is about. Or that he tells her she can relearn it or smth and she spends season 2 trying to regain her lost powers?
On the one hand, I do feel like she has worked hard to establish her spiritual connection and that she has earned a win, but this win feels a little cheap. An avatar with only one element! That's such a cool idea! Let's explore it!!!
Just like Amon's backstory, this feels cheap somehow. Or rushed.
All that being said MAN I love the characters. All of them. They have surprising depth and even though love.... rectangles? Are not usually my cup of tea, Korra and Mako have chemistry from the start. And I just want Asami and Korra to have a good talk.
Alright, I finished season 2 and wow... what exactly was evil dude of the season's plan here? Like, what was the end-game? Just kill everyone? It's so strange and abstract. But learning about the past of the Avatar was interesting. I really like how the characters are developing and I really hope Varrick appears more in the next seasons. Great character.
I like how distinct Korra really is from Aang. I like how she refuses to be neutral - Neither Roku nor Kyoshi were neutral, why should she be? - and the idea of bringing the spirit and human world together is really fascinating.
I've heard this season gets a lot of flack but I had a good run with it. Again, strong characters, strong motivations. Bolin and Mako both got their moments, but I'd love to see some more out of Asami in the next season.
Just finished season 3. Now THAT is how you end a season! Ironically, I found parts of this season a bit disjointed and messy, but still very enjoyable. It was the last few episodes that really pulled it all together for me. Jinora's arc has to be my favorite! Her growth is gradual, intriguing and consistent.
I adored the philosophical undertone of the whole season, about freedom worth fighting and dying for. About what it means to rebuild a people that have experienced genocide, both for the survivors and for those who join or are born. The pressure, the conflicting desires and motivations... that really kept me engaged in the first half of the season.
I hope that Korra's disability arc will be played out sensitively, but I guess season 4 will tell. As much as I dislike the trend of making disabled villains, the armless waterbender was a very interesting concept. Similar to Toph with her earthbending, this waterbender has really made her element her own.
Also wow, I'm not sure we've seen this much on-screen death in battle in Avatar before. Not just "oh that must have been a lot of people in that building that just collapsed" but we watch the earth queen literally suffocate until her last breath, we watch water for arms lady be electrocuted to death... lava dude too, thought that I guess could be construed as mostly off screen.
Holy escalation batman. Almost done with season 4 but have a few thoughts...
now THAT is a journey to recover. I hate how everyone is framing it as if it's Korra's own fault for not overcoming the trauma faster, but I am glad for those characters that try to go against that narrative. Framing the poisoning as something that hurt her long term, physically and mentally, was a good idea imo and her getting her powers back feels earned! Take note, season one and two
I was not expecting magical atomic bombs in this season
Alright, finished the series. With all the bisexual icon Korra stuff on tumblr 10 years ago, I felt a bit let down by the ending by comparison. But that's okay.
Very satisfying battle, satisfying end to the fight, and I like how it came back to being a season about healing and accepting. I hope Korra and Asami find joy and have fun in the spirit world!
I finally gave Legend of Korra a second chance and am having a lot of fun with season one. The slightly older and more mature characters resonate with me more than Aang and co do, and the way they handle conflict among each other feels more grounded too. I originally had only watched the first episode when it first came out, disliked it and never watched more. This time, I also disliked the first episode. But already the second one had me invested.
I genuinely love Korra, Bolin and Mako. Asami has not had a lot of screen time yet but I love her so far. Amon is terrifying.
My surprising favorite so far has to be Tenzin though. This dude is hilarious, his humor is subtle and engaging, the way he handles Korra's nonsense is amazing and the way he guides her as a mentor is very touching.
Also the humor in general hits much better for me than it did in the original series. I always struggled a bit with the humor, finding it either too on the nose or a bit too grating. But Korra's humor seems to be much smoother.
This whole Amon's tragic backstory info dump at the end of S1 E11 had better be some cheap copout, lie or half truth because that felt entirely unearned.
Alright, finished season one. The ending feels... weird. I feel like it would have been more interesting if Aang had told Korra that she can learn how to unlock her powers if she goes on a grand quest and learns how to do it and then that's what season 2 is about. Or that he tells her she can relearn it or smth and she spends season 2 trying to regain her lost powers?
On the one hand, I do feel like she has worked hard to establish her spiritual connection and that she has earned a win, but this win feels a little cheap. An avatar with only one element! That's such a cool idea! Let's explore it!!!
Just like Amon's backstory, this feels cheap somehow. Or rushed.
All that being said MAN I love the characters. All of them. They have surprising depth and even though love.... rectangles? Are not usually my cup of tea, Korra and Mako have chemistry from the start. And I just want Asami and Korra to have a good talk.
Alright, I finished season 2 and wow... what exactly was evil dude of the season's plan here? Like, what was the end-game? Just kill everyone? It's so strange and abstract. But learning about the past of the Avatar was interesting. I really like how the characters are developing and I really hope Varrick appears more in the next seasons. Great character.
I like how distinct Korra really is from Aang. I like how she refuses to be neutral - Neither Roku nor Kyoshi were neutral, why should she be? - and the idea of bringing the spirit and human world together is really fascinating.
I've heard this season gets a lot of flack but I had a good run with it. Again, strong characters, strong motivations. Bolin and Mako both got their moments, but I'd love to see some more out of Asami in the next season.
Just finished season 3. Now THAT is how you end a season! Ironically, I found parts of this season a bit disjointed and messy, but still very enjoyable. It was the last few episodes that really pulled it all together for me. Jinora's arc has to be my favorite! Her growth is gradual, intriguing and consistent.
I adored the philosophical undertone of the whole season, about freedom worth fighting and dying for. About what it means to rebuild a people that have experienced genocide, both for the survivors and for those who join or are born. The pressure, the conflicting desires and motivations... that really kept me engaged in the first half of the season.
I hope that Korra's disability arc will be played out sensitively, but I guess season 4 will tell. As much as I dislike the trend of making disabled villains, the armless waterbender was a very interesting concept. Similar to Toph with her earthbending, this waterbender has really made her element her own.
Also wow, I'm not sure we've seen this much on-screen death in battle in Avatar before. Not just "oh that must have been a lot of people in that building that just collapsed" but we watch the earth queen literally suffocate until her last breath, we watch water for arms lady be electrocuted to death... lava dude too, thought that I guess could be construed as mostly off screen.
Holy escalation batman. Almost done with season 4 but have a few thoughts...
now THAT is a journey to recover. I hate how everyone is framing it as if it's Korra's own fault for not overcoming the trauma faster, but I am glad for those characters that try to go against that narrative. Framing the poisoning as something that hurt her long term, physically and mentally, was a good idea imo and her getting her powers back feels earned! Take note, season one and two
I was not expecting magical atomic bombs in this season
I finally gave Legend of Korra a second chance and am having a lot of fun with season one. The slightly older and more mature characters resonate with me more than Aang and co do, and the way they handle conflict among each other feels more grounded too. I originally had only watched the first episode when it first came out, disliked it and never watched more. This time, I also disliked the first episode. But already the second one had me invested.
I genuinely love Korra, Bolin and Mako. Asami has not had a lot of screen time yet but I love her so far. Amon is terrifying.
My surprising favorite so far has to be Tenzin though. This dude is hilarious, his humor is subtle and engaging, the way he handles Korra's nonsense is amazing and the way he guides her as a mentor is very touching.
Also the humor in general hits much better for me than it did in the original series. I always struggled a bit with the humor, finding it either too on the nose or a bit too grating. But Korra's humor seems to be much smoother.
This whole Amon's tragic backstory info dump at the end of S1 E11 had better be some cheap copout, lie or half truth because that felt entirely unearned.
Alright, finished season one. The ending feels... weird. I feel like it would have been more interesting if Aang had told Korra that she can learn how to unlock her powers if she goes on a grand quest and learns how to do it and then that's what season 2 is about. Or that he tells her she can relearn it or smth and she spends season 2 trying to regain her lost powers?
On the one hand, I do feel like she has worked hard to establish her spiritual connection and that she has earned a win, but this win feels a little cheap. An avatar with only one element! That's such a cool idea! Let's explore it!!!
Just like Amon's backstory, this feels cheap somehow. Or rushed.
All that being said MAN I love the characters. All of them. They have surprising depth and even though love.... rectangles? Are not usually my cup of tea, Korra and Mako have chemistry from the start. And I just want Asami and Korra to have a good talk.
Alright, I finished season 2 and wow... what exactly was evil dude of the season's plan here? Like, what was the end-game? Just kill everyone? It's so strange and abstract. But learning about the past of the Avatar was interesting. I really like how the characters are developing and I really hope Varrick appears more in the next seasons. Great character.
I like how distinct Korra really is from Aang. I like how she refuses to be neutral - Neither Roku nor Kyoshi were neutral, why should she be? - and the idea of bringing the spirit and human world together is really fascinating.
I've heard this season gets a lot of flack but I had a good run with it. Again, strong characters, strong motivations. Bolin and Mako both got their moments, but I'd love to see some more out of Asami in the next season.
Just finished season 3. Now THAT is how you end a season! Ironically, I found parts of this season a bit disjointed and messy, but still very enjoyable. It was the last few episodes that really pulled it all together for me. Jinora's arc has to be my favorite! Her growth is gradual, intriguing and consistent.
I adored the philosophical undertone of the whole season, about freedom worth fighting and dying for. About what it means to rebuild a people that have experienced genocide, both for the survivors and for those who join or are born. The pressure, the conflicting desires and motivations... that really kept me engaged in the first half of the season.
I hope that Korra's disability arc will be played out sensitively, but I guess season 4 will tell. As much as I dislike the trend of making disabled villains, the armless waterbender was a very interesting concept. Similar to Toph with her earthbending, this waterbender has really made her element her own.
Also wow, I'm not sure we've seen this much on-screen death in battle in Avatar before. Not just "oh that must have been a lot of people in that building that just collapsed" but we watch the earth queen literally suffocate until her last breath, we watch water for arms lady be electrocuted to death... lava dude too, thought that I guess could be construed as mostly off screen.
I finally gave Legend of Korra a second chance and am having a lot of fun with season one. The slightly older and more mature characters resonate with me more than Aang and co do, and the way they handle conflict among each other feels more grounded too. I originally had only watched the first episode when it first came out, disliked it and never watched more. This time, I also disliked the first episode. But already the second one had me invested.
I genuinely love Korra, Bolin and Mako. Asami has not had a lot of screen time yet but I love her so far. Amon is terrifying.
My surprising favorite so far has to be Tenzin though. This dude is hilarious, his humor is subtle and engaging, the way he handles Korra's nonsense is amazing and the way he guides her as a mentor is very touching.
Also the humor in general hits much better for me than it did in the original series. I always struggled a bit with the humor, finding it either too on the nose or a bit too grating. But Korra's humor seems to be much smoother.
This whole Amon's tragic backstory info dump at the end of S1 E11 had better be some cheap copout, lie or half truth because that felt entirely unearned.
Alright, finished season one. The ending feels... weird. I feel like it would have been more interesting if Aang had told Korra that she can learn how to unlock her powers if she goes on a grand quest and learns how to do it and then that's what season 2 is about. Or that he tells her she can relearn it or smth and she spends season 2 trying to regain her lost powers?
On the one hand, I do feel like she has worked hard to establish her spiritual connection and that she has earned a win, but this win feels a little cheap. An avatar with only one element! That's such a cool idea! Let's explore it!!!
Just like Amon's backstory, this feels cheap somehow. Or rushed.
All that being said MAN I love the characters. All of them. They have surprising depth and even though love.... rectangles? Are not usually my cup of tea, Korra and Mako have chemistry from the start. And I just want Asami and Korra to have a good talk.
Alright, I finished season 2 and wow... what exactly was evil dude of the season's plan here? Like, what was the end-game? Just kill everyone? It's so strange and abstract. But learning about the past of the Avatar was interesting. I really like how the characters are developing and I really hope Varrick appears more in the next seasons. Great character.
I like how distinct Korra really is from Aang. I like how she refuses to be neutral - Neither Roku nor Kyoshi were neutral, why should she be? - and the idea of bringing the spirit and human world together is really fascinating.
I've heard this season gets a lot of flack but I had a good run with it. Again, strong characters, strong motivations. Bolin and Mako both got their moments, but I'd love to see some more out of Asami in the next season.
I finally gave Legend of Korra a second chance and am having a lot of fun with season one. The slightly older and more mature characters resonate with me more than Aang and co do, and the way they handle conflict among each other feels more grounded too. I originally had only watched the first episode when it first came out, disliked it and never watched more. This time, I also disliked the first episode. But already the second one had me invested.
I genuinely love Korra, Bolin and Mako. Asami has not had a lot of screen time yet but I love her so far. Amon is terrifying.
My surprising favorite so far has to be Tenzin though. This dude is hilarious, his humor is subtle and engaging, the way he handles Korra's nonsense is amazing and the way he guides her as a mentor is very touching.
Also the humor in general hits much better for me than it did in the original series. I always struggled a bit with the humor, finding it either too on the nose or a bit too grating. But Korra's humor seems to be much smoother.
This whole Amon's tragic backstory info dump at the end of S1 E11 had better be some cheap copout, lie or half truth because that felt entirely unearned.
Alright, finished season one. The ending feels... weird. I feel like it would have been more interesting if Aang had told Korra that she can learn how to unlock her powers if she goes on a grand quest and learns how to do it and then that's what season 2 is about. Or that he tells her she can relearn it or smth and she spends season 2 trying to regain her lost powers?
On the one hand, I do feel like she has worked hard to establish her spiritual connection and that she has earned a win, but this win feels a little cheap. An avatar with only one element! That's such a cool idea! Let's explore it!!!
Just like Amon's backstory, this feels cheap somehow. Or rushed.
All that being said MAN I love the characters. All of them. They have surprising depth and even though love.... rectangles? Are not usually my cup of tea, Korra and Mako have chemistry from the start. And I just want Asami and Korra to have a good talk.
I finally gave Legend of Korra a second chance and am having a lot of fun with season one. The slightly older and more mature characters resonate with me more than Aang and co do, and the way they handle conflict among each other feels more grounded too. I originally had only watched the first episode when it first came out, disliked it and never watched more. This time, I also disliked the first episode. But already the second one had me invested.
I genuinely love Korra, Bolin and Mako. Asami has not had a lot of screen time yet but I love her so far. Amon is terrifying.
My surprising favorite so far has to be Tenzin though. This dude is hilarious, his humor is subtle and engaging, the way he handles Korra's nonsense is amazing and the way he guides her as a mentor is very touching.
Also the humor in general hits much better for me than it did in the original series. I always struggled a bit with the humor, finding it either too on the nose or a bit too grating. But Korra's humor seems to be much smoother.
This whole Amon's tragic backstory info dump at the end of S1 E11 had better be some cheap copout, lie or half truth because that felt entirely unearned.
I finally gave Legend of Korra a second chance and am having a lot of fun with season one. The slightly older and more mature characters resonate with me more than Aang and co do, and the way they handle conflict among each other feels more grounded too. I originally had only watched the first episode when it first came out, disliked it and never watched more. This time, I also disliked the first episode. But already the second one had me invested.
I genuinely love Korra, Bolin and Mako. Asami has not had a lot of screen time yet but I love her so far. Amon is terrifying.
My surprising favorite so far has to be Tenzin though. This dude is hilarious, his humor is subtle and engaging, the way he handles Korra's nonsense is amazing and the way he guides her as a mentor is very touching.
Also the humor in general hits much better for me than it did in the original series. I always struggled a bit with the humor, finding it either too on the nose or a bit too grating. But Korra's humor seems to be much smoother.
Notice how removing seating doesnt actually prevent people from sitting it just makes them uncomfortable and makes public spaces more hostile it doesnt actually work at controlling their behavior not till a pig comes along anyways and they'll harass a homeless person/teen whatever they're sitting on.
We have this problem in Germany too. It got worse due to the pandemic, when a lot of public seating was removed to reduce spread, and not re-instated after the anti-covid policies were relaxed. It is hell for physically disabled people.
The EU is doing a big survey for LGBTQ people who live in the EU about how it is for them right now. That's the kind of survey that's used for official reports and for laws so it's super important that it has as many people taking it as possible. You can take it in every EU language. (You can change the language in the top right corner) Share it with your friends!
https://www.lgbtiqsurvey.eu/lgbtiq
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