Cartoonist Maia Kobabe's Gender Queer is widely regarded as one of the best and most influential graphic novel memoirs of the 21st Century. It's also among the most commonly banned books in the US, with the Los Angeles Times labeling it “the most banned book in American schools.” Fittingly, Kobabe is teaming with Oni Press for a new fundraising campaign dubbed "Fight Censorship, Read Comics."
With the Fight Censorship, Read Comics campaign now live on Oni's site, IGN can exclusively debut new images of the exclusive merchandise featured. Get a closer look in the slideshow gallery below:
A portion of the proceeds from Fight Censorship, Read Comics will be donated to the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund (CBLDF) and the Florida Freedom to Read Project (FFTRP). The campaign features 15 different items, including T-shirts, art prints, enamel pins, keychains, and even signed and numbered editions of the Gender Queer hardcover. Preorders are open from now until August 20, with fulfillment slated to begin in September.
“The freedom to read, the freedom to access information, and the freedom to learn are some of the most vital rights in this country,” said Kobabe in a statement. “Removing books from schools and public libraries cuts off people's access to knowledge about the wider world and about their own lives within it. This is especially true when the books being removed are about minority identities, or topics less commonly portrayed in popular culture. A book that might seem pointless to one reader might be life-saving to another. Removing a book because its themes offend one reader is censorship, and must be combated at every turn. Please stand up for the freedom to read and the freedom to write!”
"For nearly a century, comics as an art form have played a critical role in championing the all-American ideals of free speech, equality, and anti-authoritarianism," said Oni Press President & Publisher Hunter Gorinson. "Although Maia's work is one of the first and prominent examples of impactful and important work to be singled out by pro-censorship forces, we can guarantee that it will not be the last. It is the responsibility of creative institutions like Oni Press and our fellow publishers to protect the free expression of cartoonists and our medium as a whole, and we are proud to support the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund and Florida Freedom to Read Project with our ongoing 'Fight Censorship, Read Comics' initiatives."
To help celebrate Pride Month, check out our recommendations for the best LGBTQ comics to read right now.
Jesse is a mild-mannered staff writer for IGN. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket by following @jschedeen on BlueSky.
