The number one banned book in the US today is Gender Queer, published in 2019. As a graphic novel it was a pretty fast read. I was able to easily get a copy from my local public library, so I guess that the whole banning thing is not totally working.

The story looks back at the maturing journey of the author, Maia Kobabe, born female, as he/she discovers at an early age that she feels like both a boy and a girl, and also neither.

In reading critics’ reviews of this story I learned that a novel of growing into adulthood is called a bildungsroman — my new favorite word — a German compound translated roughly as “novel of formation.” A classic example is Luke Skywalker, who discovers that the force was inside him all along.

Gender Queer deals frankly with issues of teenage sex and love, which is why some people don’t like it. I guess they can’t remember what it was like when they were a teenager, or they are now afraid of who they were.

Seriously, I am still a little bit afraid of who I was during my teenage years, and I’m now in my 70s. Growing up is hard work (like, does it ever end?), and the path from kid to adult is strewn with boulders and detours. This is true for those whose desires and habits meet the expectations of the culture they live in. For those who don’t feel like they fit, there be trauma.

Anyway, my take is that if you are one of those who experience ambiguity about your own gender, this book could validate your feelings and help you work through them. Good! Conversely, if you are more typically attracted towards the opposite sex, nothing about it would deter you from staying on the straight and narrow. Also good!

Conclusion: what’s the fuss about?