Put Them Back: Banned LGBTQ+ Comics We Need the Most

By Katharine Kittredge and The Graphic Novel Advisory Board

A Brief History of Banned Comic Books

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Not a new phenomenon!

1940s: Comics an ubiquitous part of childhood

William Moulton Marston, 1944:

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On Sunday morning some 40,600,000 children read 2,500,000,000 comic strips in more than 50,000,000 comic sections of Sunday newspapers, with far greater concentration than the progeny of our Puritan ancestors read the Bible.

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“The active efforts of these and others and the cooperation of the publishers, headed by M.C. Gaines and his associates, have raised considerably the standards of English, legibility, art work, and story content in some twenty comics magazines totalling a monthly circulation of more than 6,000,000. Picture stories have proved effective in teaching school subjects, notably English, which formerly was the most frequently criticized feature of the strips. We have inaugurated the policy of introducing into continuities a certain percentage of words which are above the average child-reader level, with the result that children soon determine the meanings and add these new words to their vocabularies. Excerpts from Superman have been used successfully in teaching English in the public schools, notably in a junior high school at Lynn, Massachusetts, where a special Superman Workbook was compiled by a progressive young English instructor.”

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“Why 100,000,000 Americans Read Comics” Marston, The American Scholar, WINTER 1943-44

NYC Psychiatrist Fredric Wertham Campaigns against comics

“What Parents Don’t Know about Comic Books”1953

“ [Comics teach] children to commit more and more serious and violent acts”

1954

Moral crusaders asserted that comics corrupted youth, hurt their ability to read and appreciate art, and introduced them to degenerate sex.

For two days in April 1954 senators heard testimony from child psychologists, comic book publishers, and cartoonists seeking insight into whether comics required government regulation.

Comics Code Adopted October 26, 1954

Respect for Authority/Suppression of Sexuality

• Policemen, judges, government officials, and respected institutions shall never be presented in such a way as to create disrespect for established authority.
• In every instance good shall triumph over evil and the criminal punished for his misdeeds.

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• Nudity in any form is prohibited, as is indecent or undue exposure.
• Suggestive and salacious illustration or suggestive posture is unacceptable.
• Females shall be drawn realistically without exaggeration of any physical qualities.
• Illicit sex relations are neither to be hinted at nor portrayed.

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• Policemen, judges, overnment officials, and respected institutions shall never be presented in such a way as o create disrespect for established authority.
• Criminals shall not be presented so asbe rendered glamorous or to occupy a position which creates a desire for emulation.n every instance good shall triumph over evil and the criminal punished for his misdeeds.

Discontinued in the 1970s

Broken by issues that featured more socially-conscious depictions of real-life issues like drug use and addiction.

Current Wave

02

School Libraries

STRATEGY MAP & BALANCED SCORECARD

Special Focus on Comics

Here are the Most Challenged and Most Banned Comics Since 2000

•From 2000 to 2009, the American Library Association identified zero comics among their top 100 most challenged titles.

•From 2009-2019: 11 of the top 100 most challenged books were comics.

•“small but vocal minorities . . . citing satanic influences, inappropriate content (read: sex and sexuality), and being “anti-family,” “unsuitable to age,” or “offensive political viewpoint.”

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Kelly Jensen Aug 22, 2022

Representation of Non-White Experience is presented as “critical race theory”

Parents Defending Education

Anti-LGBTQ+ Education

Moms for Liberty

Moms for Liberty

Mission: “Moms for Liberty is dedicated to fighting for the survival of America by unifying, educating and empowering parents to defend their parental rights at all levels of government. ”(website)

•Leaders include Marie Rogerson, Republican Political Strategist; and Bridget Zeigler, married to the vice-chair of the Florida GO.P.

•Helped Ron DeSantis craft the “Don’t Say Gay” legislation.

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News Clip

Child Protection League

Resources

LGBTQ+ Titles for Younger Readers

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Comics challenges and bans have only increased since ALA’s last report. During this current wave of censorship, it comes as little surprise comics are a focal point and in particular, comics that explore gender and sexuality.

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Between October 2021 and August 2022, there have been at least 40 unique comics titles challenged.

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•80 unique challenges or bans to Gender Queer

•25 challenges to This One Summer

•20 each to Drama, Mike Curato’s Flamer, Cathy G. Johnson’s The Breakaways, and Fun Home

Every one of these comics was banned or challenged due to LGBTQ+ themes.

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Top 11 Banned Books This Year

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•Gender Queer by Maia Kobabe

•This One Summer by Mariko Tamaki

•Drama Raina Telgemeier

•Flamer by Mike Curato

•The Breakaways by Cathy G. Johnson

•Fun Home by Alison Bechdel

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•The Handmaid’s Tale (Graphic Novel) by Margaret Atwood and Renee Nault

•New Kid by Jerry Craft

•Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up with Me by Mariko Tamaki

•Class Act by Jerry Craft

•Check Please by Ngozi Ukazu

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Our Books

Love is Love: A Comic Anthology

By 100 + Authors, illustrators, editors, and more!

Love is Love:

• Created in response to the 2016 Orlando nightclub shooting in support of the tragedies victims.
• Published in December 2016
• Published by IDW and DC Comics
• 9.6 average rating by critics

Awards

2017 Eisner Award for Best Anthology

Why it was banned - Love is Love

• Banned by a Texas school for “Extreme Homosexuality.”
• The book mentions homosexuality, and portrays gay men and women, but no sex scenes, no nudity, a little hand-holding, some kissing and lots of hugging.

Love is Love’s most “extreme” page

Why We Need It - Love is Love

• Love Is Love is brimming with positive representation of the lgtq+ community and reminds readers that even in a world brimming with hate, love shall prevail.
• All proceeds go to the victims of the Orlando Pulse shooting, to survivors and their families.
• Features beloved characters, standing in support of the queer community.
• This anthology is eye opening, at least it was to me.

My personal favorite page

Fun Home

By Alison Bechdel

Fun Home by Alison Bechdel

• Published in 2006
• Follows a young girl named Alison as she re-tells her experience growing up. She takes us through her experience of coming out, and her troubled relationship with her father.
• Throughout the book, we see how Alison’s sexuality throughout her life changes her relationship with her parents.

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Awards

Why it was banned - Fun Home

• Fun Home has been banned because it was deemed pornographic by the Mom’s For Liberty.
• It has also been banned just for containing LGBT themes and characters.

Why We Need It- Fun Home

• The story that Fun Home tells is an honest portrayal of what sexuality and coming out was like in the 60s-80s
• It helps portray that people aren’t perfect. Alison’s relationship with her father evolves throughout the story. We come to understand her father and what he does throughout the story.
• It is a genuinely funny, heartwarming, and at times heartbreaking story that should be shared by everyone.

Gender Queer

By Maia Kobabe

Gender Queer by Maia Kobabe

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• A memoir
• Follows Kobabe’s life from early childhood to adulthood
• Growth as an artist and comic creator
• Depicts struggles with gender and sexuality throughout childhood into adulthood
• Explores the trans non-binary experience
• Gender dysphoria
• Lesbian, asexual
• The joy that comes with acceptance

Awards

2020 Stonewall Honor Award

2020 Alex Award

Why it was banned - Gender Queer

• Listed as the ALA’s most challenged book of 2021
• Banned for containing pornography
• “Genitalia, bodily functions, and sexual acts”
• Oral sex
• Gay sex
• Part of the larger movement that is banning LGBTQ+ books
• Said to be grooming children for LGBTQ lifestyles
• Banned and later reinstated in one of the largest school districts in the US

Why We Need It - Gender Queer

• Shows Kobabe’s experiences as a child/teen
• It’s a crucial time of development
• That’s when people start figure these things out
• The nudity is minor
• A brutally honest depiction of queer experiences
• Beautiful art
• Cozy and inviting style
• Creates a safe space for these conversations
• Kobabe’s self discoveries and explorations were fueled by reading at the library
• Brilliant visual and literary metaphors to explain complicated concepts

Drama

By Raina Telgemeier

Drama by Raina Telgemeier

• A coming of age story for theatre lovers, filled with humor and middle school antics.
• Follows Callie, a seventh grader who works on the school theatre production as a set designer.
• The graphic novel revolves around her friendships, crushes, and their teamwork as they overcome challenges to their theatre production and put on a wonderful show.
• It includes themes of identity, friendship, and infatuation.

Awards

• Nominated for the prestigious Harvey Award in 2013
• Also declared a Notable Children’s Book and Top Ten Great Graphic Novel for Teens by the American Library Association.
• Stonewall Book Award in 2013

Why it was banned - Drama

• Drama is banned in several school districts in Texas and Florida. It consistently made the ALA Top Ten Most Challenged Books list from 2016-2019.
• Parents, school administrators and political groups considered the book to be “sexually explicit” and “politically offensive” according to the ALA.
• In 2018 and 2019 the book was removed from shelves for having LGBT content and characters, and going “against family values”.
• Polk County in Florida removed Drama from shelves for containing “obscene material”.

Why We Need It- Drama

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• Contrary to its critics, Drama does not contain any profanity or sexual content. The main characters share very middle school style kisses, which is the extent of any physical interaction.
• Drama includes very relevant themes of LGBT+ identity and representation, which is important for middle schoolers and young teenagers to relate to. It also builds awareness and empathy for others.
• The novel does not draw in large political debates. The novel builds an accepting environment and normalizes LGBT+ identities. Through her relationships, Callie gains a deeper understanding and awareness of identities that are simply, different than hers.

This One Summer

By Mariko Tamaki

This One Summer by Mariko Tamaki

• First published in 2014 by First Second
• Explores various themes such as coming-of-age, friendship, family dynamics, and loss
• Recommended for ages 12-18

Awards

2015 Eisner Award for Best New Graphic Novel

2014 Ignatz Award for Outstanding Graphic Novel

2015 Printz Honor

2015 Caldecott Honor (first graphic novel to do so)

Why it was banned - This One Summer

• Featured on the American Library Association’s “Top Ten Most Challenged Books” twice (2016 & 2018)
• Both times had the book being listed as banned for its use of “LGBT characters, drug use, profanity, and being sexually explicit”
• Removed from a library in Henning, Minnesota
• Eventually restored, but only in grades 10-12 with parental permission
• Seminole County, Florida
• Pulled from elementary schools, remains in high schools

Why We Need It - This One Summer

• Representations of LGBT characters
• Story details with a lot of real-world issues
• Ability to inspire positive conversations
• Beautifully drawn art

Magic Fish

By Trung Le Nguyen

Magic Fish by Trung Le Nguyen

• Published in 2020
• Written for middle school students
• Deals with issues of language barriers within first generation Vietnamese-American family and gender expression in middle school.
• Told within the present day, the mother’s past, and through recitations by the characters of fairy tales, represented by different color palettes
• Focuses on the power of storytelling to connect a family �

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Awards

Harvey Award: Book of the Year 2021

Nominated for an Eisner Award, a GLADD Media Award, a British Fantasy Award, and the 33rd Lambda Literary Award

Why it was banned - Magic Fish

• Main Character is openly gay
• Presents younger characters who are familiar with and accepting of homosexuality
• It portrays the main character having a crush on a straight character and dancing with them at a school dance

Why it should stay on shelves - Magic Fish

• Wonderful original art and characters
• An innocent portrayal of a boy who transcends language barriers between his mom and himself through a truly unique medium of storytelling
• Original adaptations of Cinderella and The Little Mermaid
• Positive portrayal of gay characters and acceptance

Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up With Me

By Mariko Tamaki

Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up With Me by Mariko Tamaki

• Author: Mariko Tamaki
• Illustrator: Rosemary Valero-O’Connell
• Published in 2019
• Follows Freddy’s on again off again relationship with her girlfriend Laura Dean
• Ground-breaking and honest depiction of High School Lesbian Romance

Awards

Eisner Award 2020 (Best Penciller/Inker, Best Writer, and Best Publication for Teens)

2019 Harvey Award for Best Children’s or young Adult Book

2019 Ingatz award (Outstanding Graphic Novel and Outstanding Story, Outstanding Artist award)

Why it was banned - Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up with Me

• Mild Sex Scenes
• Medication-induced abortion
• Rich Depiction of Queer Community

Why it should stay on shelves - Laura Dean

• Beautiful Art
• Depiction of a non-ideal queer relationship
• Strong Biological Family AND Found Family
• Presentation of a World without Homophobia
• Mixed-race character

Thank You

For more GNAB, visit our website: www.ithaca.edu/graphic-novel-advisory-board