‘Gender Queer’ is the Kind of Representation We Need Right Now
By Rashauna Tunson
“Some people are born in mountains while others are born by the sea. Some people are happy to live in the place they were born, while others must make a journey to reach the climate in which they can flourish and grow!”
‘Gender Queer: A Memoir’ is an especially courageous, enlightening graphic novel that presents the expansive topic of gender identity in an approachable, and validating nature. Maia Kobabe — who uses the Spivak e/em/eir pronouns — began drawing the comic as a way to explain to eir’s family what it truly meant to be both asexual and nonbinary, and from there, it morphed into a way for Maia to work through the many emotions that e had dealt with for such a long time.
Filled with dreamy, eye-catching illustrations, thought-provoking prose and stunning color work (done by Maia’s sibling, Phoebe Kobabe), ‘Gender Queer’ is a treasure trove of moments that will make you feel seen, and accepted. While reading this book, you’ll be assured that there’s an entire community out there willing to love and support you for exactly who you are, no matter what path you decide to take in life. Kobabe does well with pointing out that yes, sometimes the path that you have chosen for yourself to travel down can be confusing, daunting or even at times, uncomfortable, but your overall happiness is worth it.
‘Gender Queer’ also depicts how something as simple as discovering the correct language to represent ones identity is key in helping questioning people process what they are feeling and making those feelings feel more real. It is life-saving for young queer people to know that there are others in the world who have lived similar experiences to them, and to know that there is a possibility that they can grow up and have the future that they want to create for themselves.
I am fully content in my cisgender identity — but that does not mean that I didn’t experience occasions while reading this book in which I found myself exclaiming “oh my god, me too!” Maia is also quite frank about the dysphoria that e faces toward eir period and getting routine gynecological check-ups; something that I always thought I was making up or just weird for experiencing. Because of Maia, I know that my experience is universal and I, as a 29 year old woman feel validated by that little piece of knowledge — I can only imagine how enlightening this book could be for a young, confused Queer person.
Whether you are someone who lives with gender identity questions daily, or you are an advocate — I implore you to read this. I believe that everyone will have something positive to learn from this stunning book. ‘Gender Queer’ is a gentle, honest and touching guide about gender identity, and how to normalize being more open about it. I hope everyone picks up a copy of this book — and I hope the world will be a more thoughtful place because of it.
About the Author
Rashauna Tunson (she/her) is a lifelong resident of Denver, Colorado and is a proud Black Queer. She is passionate about equality, Disco music, quoting ancient memes and petting cats. You can follow Rashauna on Twitter at @sk8tergrrrl666 or — if you’re lucky — you can catch her whipping around town on her roller skates!
