In 2014,Maia Kobabe,who uses e/em/eir pronouns,thought that a comic of reading statistics would be the last autobiographicalcomic e would ever write. At the time,it was the only thing e felt comfortablewith strangers knowing about em. Now,Gender Queer is here. Maia's intenselycathartic autobiography charts eir journey of self-identity,which includes themortification and confusion of adolescent crushes,grappling with how to comeout to family and society,bonding with friends over erotic gay fanfiction,andfacing the trauma and fundamental violation of pap smears. Started as a way toexplain to eir family what it means to be nonbinary and asexual,Gender Queer ismore than a personal story: it is a useful and touching guide on genderidentity-what it meansand how to think about it-for advocates,friends,and humans everywhere.
MEDIA REVIEWS
Publisher: Oni Press,USISBN: 9781549304002
MEDIA REVIEWS
SHELF-AWARENESS -Artist Maia Kobabe is genderqueerand uses pronouns e,em and eir. In the gorgeous and candid graphic memoirGender Queer,e illustrates an aching journey toward reconciliation withbeing nonbinary and asexual.Kobabe grew up in a progressive home,with parents who didn't enforce gender roles,but such things are socializedearly in places like school and neighborhoods. The dysphoria e experiencedbecame more acute with age; e frequently felt out of step with eir peers. Therewere awkward Tinder dates and excruciating Pap smears. All the while,Maiasearched for an explanation,a language to assign to this internal trauma andconfusion.Midway through the book lies atwo-page spread of weighted scales. Each side of holds a gender assigned atbirth,as a frantic Maia piles pronouns,clothes,hair style,hormones,etc.,onthe other. "The end goal wasn't masculinity," e writes,"the goal was balance."Had e been assigned male at birth,e would be playing with makeup and nailpolish every day.Kobabe'sdrawings,colored by sister Phoebe Kobabe,casts eir life and truths insplendorous,vivid light. And the relationship between the siblings on the pageis one of Gender Queer's sweetest elements. Often scared of what liesahead,Maia confides in Phoebe,a lesbian,about eir queer hopes and fears,andis met each time with the gracious enthusiasm of a sister who has eir back: "Ilucked out so hard in the sibling lottery." A challenging yet heartwarmingmemoir,Gender Queer succeeds on all fronts.-Dave Wheeler,associate editor,Shelf AwarenessSCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL (STARRED) - Gr 9 Up-Kobabe,who uses the pronouns e,em,and eir,was assigned female at birth but neverfelt that this designation fit. As e grew up,e learned about the spectrum ofgender designations and settled on nonbinary as the best descriptor. E came outto eir family as nonbinary and asexual and found that eir family supported emhowever e identified. In this memoir,Kobabe chronicles eir life from the time ewas very young through eir coming of age and adulthood. E describes commonsituations from the perspective of someone who is asexual and nonbinary:starting a new school,getting eir period,dating,attending college. The mutedearth tones and calm blues match the hopeful tone and measured pacing.Matter-of-fact descriptions of gynecological exams and the use of sex toys willbe enlightening for those who may not have access to this information elsewhere.VERDICT A book to be savored rather than devoured,this memoir will resonatewith teens,especially fans of Alison Bechdel's Fun Home and Mason Deaver's IWish You All the Best. It's also a great resource for those who identify asnonbinary or asexual as well as for those who know someone who identifies thatway and wish to better understand.-Jenni Frencham,Indiana University,BloomingtonPUBLISHERS WEEKLY - This heartfelt graphic memoirrelates,with sometimes painful honesty,the experience of growing upnon-gender-conforming. From a very young age,Kobabe is unsure whether to claima lesbian/gay,bisexual,or even transgender identity: "I don't want to bea girl. I don't want to be a boy either. I just want to be myself."Kobabecomes of age having to navigate expressions of identity such as clothing andhaircuts,with fraught attempts at romantic and sexual entanglements.Eventually,Kobabe's supportive sister concludes: "I think you're agenderless person."(Kobabe: "She knew before I did.")
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