Queers & Comics is an event held once every two years alternately on the east and west coast of the United States. It has been my incredible honor to have been part of this event since its inception. In 2015, I moderated a panel about erotic comics, in 2017 I participated in a panel about queer manga history and moderated a panel about queer manga art. In 2019, I moderated a panel on queer manga history with artists and academics from Japan.

There is no artist’s alley or dealer’s room at Q&C in NYC but, since almost all the participants are artists, there is a room managed by LGBTQ Comics consortium Prism Comics, that features works by many of the creators participating. This past event I was able to pick up a book I had seen mentioned online, but had not yet had a chance to buy.

RESISTANCE: The LGBT Fight Against Fascism in WWII contains a series of short biographies of queer people who fought against fascism in dozens of ways. Each short biography, written by Avery Casell, edited by Diane Kanzler, is followed by a short bibliography , and an illustration by a well-known queer comic artist, suitable for coloring. Both subjects and artists are a diverse bunch, from the famous to the less-well known. Artists, writers, political activists, musicians, teachers, scientists, researchers all get their due.

Despite being a kind of augmented coloring book, there is nothing about this collection that is light reading. Many of these brave souls died in German concentration camps, others were exiled or ran from their homes. Although many of these people did survive the war, some were killed by their own government’s hatred of LGBTQ people. This is no fun to read, but it is a testament to their bravery, their persistence and their strength that faced with racism, homophobia, religious intolerance, sexism and every other conceivable form of prejudice, so many of these people made a concrete difference in a world that didn’t care if they lived, much less if they lived happily.

Read a chapter a night. It’s three or four short pages. Understand what was done by the people who laid down the road upon which you walk. Honor their memories by laying down road for the next generation and pass their stories along. You and the world will be better for it. 

Ratings:

Overall – 8

This book is both a eulogy and a celebration of people you should know. Read this book then share it with friends or your local library.

I will be glad to gift my copy (which is very slightly battered, I am hard on books) to a reader who wants it. Please share a short story of a LGBTQ person who inspired you, personally, in the comments. Please include an email you will check and I will choose one reader at random to send this book to.