These LGBTQ+ Comics Have Been Banned
LGBTQ+ books and comics are among the most targeted since this massive spike began in 2021.
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Hey, Rainbow Readers!
I am stepping in today to cover for Danika. As you may or may not know, I’ve been tackling book bans and censorship at Book Riot since I started working here, and it’s been especially, err, substantial work over the last four years. I write about much of it over on
, if you’re interested and want to follow along.We know book bans target books by or about marginalized people. The ultimate goal is not the books themselves, of course, but the people those books represent. It’s zero surprise that books by or about queer people consistently rank near the top of those banned in public schools and libraries across the US. The American Library Association’s recently-released list of the top 10 books banned in 2023 has queer books among the top 5 targeted, and PEN America’s records show queer books continue to be favored among censors.
It might come as a surprise to those who haven’t been following along or haven’t worked in libraries that comics are almost always targeted during periods of book censorship. This is historic: when comic books were introduced to the public and marketed toward children and teenagers in the late ‘40s and ‘50s, there was a massive moral panic around them, leading to congressional hearings and, eventually, the Comics Code Authority. I bring up working in libraries here, too, because as libraries began to thoughtfully collect comics for their communities in the ‘00s, there was a wave of book banning targeting the format. Even now, many of the comics targeted 15 or 20 years ago are targeted today.
Comics and queerness have a lot in common. They explode the constructions of format. It is of little surprise, then, that queer comics have especially seen bans over the last four years. But as much as Gender Queer is likely the first one that comes to mind—for several reasons, including that it is an incredible book and because it was a catalyst for bigotry with its decontextualized art used to justify claims of “obscenity”—it’s far from the only queer comic targeted. Let’s take a look at a handful of other LGBTQ+ comics that have been banned in this latest manufactured panic. Remember: banned books mean that access to these titles has been revoked. You might find these at your local bookstore, but can the teens at the high school if it’s been removed? We know that book bans target the most vulnerable populations, cutting them off from vital resources.
Of course, it’s queer kids among those most hurt by bans.
If you’re angry, you should be. I urge you that if you can and it is safe to do so, take action. It is not hard to get involved. Here’s a straightforward guide to how to get involved in anti-book ban work in 2024.
It’s unfortunate to preface this list by stating it’s not comprehensive. I’ve selected just a few titles—some well-known and some less so—to showcase the range of stories being pulled from the hands of those who most deserve to have them. I hope they encourage you to try out the comics format if it’s not your usual jam and/or add some more titles to your TBR if you do go for comics.
Be Gay, Do Comics by The Nib (Editors Matt Bors, Matt Lubchansky, Sarah Mirk, and Eleri Harris
This comic anthology includes 30 different contributions, ranging from humorous to heartbreaking and tackling just about every topic imaginable, from coming out to the co-opting of Pride.
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Beetle and the Hollowbones by Aliza Layne
In ‘Allows, some people become magical and others get their spirits trapped in the mall. Beetle, 12, finds herself kind of caught between both. She loves spending time with her bestie, Blob Glost, but Beetle is also tired of the mall, which is where Blob Ghost is tethered forever. Beetle’s former best friend Kat has come back to the ‘Allows to start a sorcery apprenticeship. Beetle is excited and also intimidated by just how cool and smart and sophisticated and ahead Kat is. Except Kat’s mentor unleashes something sinister and now Beetle and Kat need to save Blob Ghost from the mall as quickly as possible. This award-winning middle grade graphic novel has a sweet lesbian romance in it and is for readers who love shows like Adventure Time or Steven Universe.
Bingo Love #1 by Tee Franklin, with art by Jenn St-Onge, Joy San, and Genevieve FT
Hazel and Mari meet in 1963 during church bingo. Of course, they couldn’t be open about their feelings for each other at the time, so they followed the socially acceptable path of marrying men and having children. But when they meet again in their 60s, again at church bingo, they realize they cannot hide those feelings any longer.
The Breakaways by Cathy G. Johnson
Middle school is brutal. For Faith, being quiet and sensitive doesn’t help when she enters sixth grade. She’s quickly greeeted by eighth grader Amanda, though, who encourages Faith to join the soccer team. Faith is…not good at soccer, even a little bit. But she ends up on the C squad and has a lot of fun with her ragtag teammates leaning how to navigate big feelings, friendship, and identity issues.
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Flamer by Mike Curato
Aiden Navarro is at summer camp before the start of junior high. It’s an intense summer of hanging out with his friends, navigating bullies desperate to make him feel bad about himself as a half-Asian boy, and coming to terms with the fact he might be gay.
One night, when Aiden kisses his best friend and campmate, things shift immediately. Has he forever lost the trust of his friend Elias? Did that kiss mean anything romantic? Was it an accident?
This is a moving, heartfelt story about traversing that tricky space between what faith might tell you is right, what it might tell you is a sin, and how you come to accept yourself as you are.
Juliet Takes a Breath: The Graphic Novel by Gabby Rivera and Celia Moscote
The graphic adaptation of Rivera’s fantastic novel is the bold and vibrant of Juliet Milagros Palante, moving from her home in the Bronx to Portland in order to learn from her favorite feminist author. Juliet’s leaving home isn’t necessarily on great terms. She’s just come out to her family and mom is taking it especially hard. Juliet’s plan to figure it all out under the tutelage of a white feminist author might not be the best, but this summer, she is determined to figure out what it is to be a lesbian Puerto Rican on her own terms.
Spinning by Tillie Walden
What happens when you outgrow something about which you once were deeply passionate? That’s the hook in Walden’s graphic memoir, which follows the routine she had with figure skating. She loved it for a while, but the constant practices, lessons, and competitions began to wear on her. Once she switched schools, though, Walden found herself connecting more with art, and her relationship with her girlfriend helped her recognize that, as much as she once had passion and talent in figure skating, it was perhaps time to let it go.
I love stories about teens who quit things. We simply don’t have enough quitter books, and in a world where we don’t encourage giving up when it’s time to do so, we need more opportunities to showcase why quitting is sometimes the best thing you can do in your life.
This One Summer by Mariko and Jillian Tamaki
Rosie goes every summer with her mom and dad to their Awago Beach lake house. She looks forward to seeing Windy, who is like the sister Rosie never had. This summer isn’t like every other one though, and Rosie is tired of hearing her parents constantly fighting. She and Windy decide to spend some time with a new group of kids, most of whom are a few years older, and they find themselves caught up in some potentially life-altering trouble.
I urge you to read Mariko Tamaki’s blog post about this book topping the most banned books list in 2017. Then, as now, it’s targeted for a mere two pages in the story where we learn Windy went to an event mostly populated by LGBTQ+ teens and adults.
Curious about comics censorship more broadly? Check out this look at the comics Moms For Liberty deem inappropriate (there is some crossover on that list with the books, like those here, which have actually been banned) and the most banned comics since 2000.
Thanks for hanging out. Danika will be back for the next issue.
–Kelly Jensen, who just finished reading Pretty Furious by E.K. Johnston which has a sweet queer budding romance in it.