I got an email this morning from a concerned citizen in Steubenville, OH. Apparently there’s a hate group trying to get The Legend of Jamie Roberts, volume 1 and other LGBTQ+ books banned.
Their tactic? To get voters to reject funding for the library. (Of course they’re trying to paint this as “concern for children” and “we’re not trying to defund the library.” But they’re trying to defund the library for carrying these books.)
I’ve been reaching out to Authors Against Book Bans and some other groups about next steps.
Why am I mentioning this?
So in the main page of The Legend of Jamie Roberts, volume 3 on KickStarter, I wrote, “This might surprise you, considering the political moment of being a genderqueer artist in the United States making a webcomic about a genderqueer pirate…but I’m not stopping anytime soon. Come hell or high water, I’m making this comic, and I’m going to get this comic to as many readers as I can reach.”
If these book banners are trying to get me to stop making comics, it’s not working. I told some friends about the situation and one of them said, “Damn! That’s definitely gonna make people want to read your book more.”
And judging by your support of this campaign for volume freaking 3, I think we’re all in agreement – this comic needs to exist. If these people are trying to ban my book, I must be doing something right.
And that something is connecting with readers who want a story like The Legend of Jamie Roberts – a story about a genderqueer pirate and their best friends – to exist.
I wanted to share this with you for a bunch of reasons. Because I carry no shame in “concerned citizens” trying to ban my books. I care about readers who want to find my books. I believe this comic needs to exist, now more than ever.
And because I’m so grateful for your support. Thanks to you, this comic can reach more people, especially the people who need to read it.
Thank you.
You. Are. Awesome.
P.S. Want to fight book bans? Put in requests at your local library, go to board meetings, write letters to your library board and “letters to the editors” of your local papers. Talk to your friends and encourage them to do the same. It takes effort but the effort is worth it.