Gender Queer: A Memoir

Maia Kobabe, who uses e/em/eir pronouns, takes readers on a personal journey to find eir identity, including the confusion of childhood crushes, grappling with how to come out to family and friends, and facing the trauma of medical procedures for women when they do not identify as one. In this graphic novel, Maia tells the story of eir childhood through to adulthood, highlighting the complex struggles faced when navigating sexual identity and gender roles. In a senior secondary classroom, this novel is suitable for independent reading or individualized novel studies. Teachers may choose to use particular parts of the story to exemplify how to create images and conversations in graphic novels or also to prompt classroom discussions about identity struggles and inspire personal journal writing activities.