Gender Roles In Gender Queer By Jay Kokobe

Maia Kobabe, author of the graphic novel Gender Queer, argues that the conventional ideology within gender construction is both inhibiting and confining. The author finds that the idea of gender is a spectrum despite the historically binary nature of it in our society.

Throughout the graphic novel, Kobabe is shown from childhood to early adulthood while finding eir true sexuality through periods of self-discovery. This illuminates a way in which one learns to identify with oneself. As introduced in both the book and above, Maia Kobabe uses the gender neutral Spivak pronouns which include em, eir, and ey. Furthermore, this story discusses controversial subjects like sex, love, gender, and the standards that follow.

The book introduces Maia

This forced em to notice eir discomfort within emselves. Whether it was the start of eir menstrual cycle, the growth of breasts, or romantic feelings, Kobabe knew deep down that it did not feel right. As Kobabe said, “I began to theorize if I had been born with two half souls- one female one male” (Kobabe 67). Ey felt that ey did not have the same feelings when it came to the milestones of womanhood like other girls did. This made em think more about how ey wanted to sometimes be a boy, but more than they did not want to be a girl. Ey were confused due to realizing that ey liked both boys and girls, felt feelings of wanting male genitalia, and did not feel like ey had a grasp on eir true self. All ey knew was that “I don’t want to be a girl. I don’t want to be a boy. I just want to be myself” (Kobabe 71). It further frustrated em knowing that ey did not fit into the box of either a boy or a girl. Ey felt that there had to be more to the idea of gender than just two options. However, there were no answers to be found at this time of Kobabe’s life, but it sparked em to think deeper and

Ey found that not only are ey examples of gender as a spectrum but that ey are not alone. It showed that a person can possess as much or as little from either the female or male characteristics to be themselves. It shows that “there are differences among these beings we call men and women, but the differences themselves don’t contain a specific meaning” (Nealon and Giroux 182). This highlights the difference between sex and gender in the way that sex is something assigned at birth and gender is something learned. It is obvious that the way in which these ideas are taught makes it seem that there are only two options when it comes to gender but, there are numerous ways in which one can identify as. Society needs to work on the acceptance of all so the old-fashioned gender norms can be eradicated. There has been progress but there is always more to be