From Alberta’s book bans in school libraries to legislation in states across the U.S., censorship has been on the rise in the U.S. and Canada over the last several years—often in the form of book bans being pushed in school districts and legislatures by right-wing groups. Among the books most fervently targeted by the right wing have been queer comics: titles like Alison Bechdel’s Fun Home and Maia Kobabe’s Gender Queer top lists of most-banned books year after year.
In the hostile political climate that these book bans reinforce, creating space for queer comics artists to share their stories is more important than ever. With that in mind, Xtra is excited to announce that illustrator and author Maia Kobabe is editing a new series of five short original comics about the censorship of LGBTQ2S+ stories. Featuring stories from librarians, interviews with authors of banned books and first-person narratives about living and making trans art in Alberta, the series mixes reportage, research and storytelling—all through the medium of comics.
Kobabe is a nonbinary author and illustrator from the Bay Area, California. Eir first book, Gender Queer: A Memoir, won a Stonewall Honor and an Alex Award from the American Library Association in 2020. Kobabe is also the author of Breathe: Journeys to Healthy Binding with Dr. Sarah Peitzmeier, and the forthcoming middle grade graphic novel Opting Out with Swati “Lucky” Srikumar.
“Comics have always been especially vulnerable to censorship, since book censors can find their illustrations objectionable without even bothering to read the text. As the author of a widely banned graphic novel, I have seen hundreds of bad faith takes from those who clearly never read my work but still felt confident making wildly inaccurate claims about it,” says Kobabe, whose memoir Gender Queer was the most challenged book in the U.S. from 2021 to 2023, and is also on Alberta’s ban list. “But the fact that comic books have been some of the most challenged works in recent years in both Canada and the United States shows the impact of words and images combined to tell moving and emotionally charged stories.”
“From the United States to my home province of Alberta, we have seen time and time again that the target of book bannings and censorship has overwhelmingly been comics and graphic novels aimed at LGBTQ2S+ young people,” says Xtra senior editor Mel Woods, who is supporting the project. “This project was born out of the idea of using that medium—comics—to tell the story of censorship, and how it impacts queer and trans people of all ages. I’ve been a fan of Maia’s work for a long time, and really appreciate how passionately e has advocated against book censorship. Working with em to bring this project to life is a true treasure, and I’m so excited to work with Maia to bring further attention to the censorship of queer and trans lives.”
In the face of government-sponsored censorship, the five project contributors (to be announced) speak to the resilience of queer artists and the power of queer art. “Censorship is a tool used to suppress information, to spread ignorance, prejudice and fear,” says Kobabe. “This series seeks to counter that suppression with a joyful, unruly, fierce collection of comics highlighting and celebrating the perseverance of storytelling under fire.”
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