Stony Brook University Libraries and the office of Diversity, Intercultural, and Community Engagement (DICE) hosted a panel to discuss the novel, “Gender Queer: A Memoir” by Maia Kobabe on Wednesday, Oct. 16 at 12:30 p.m. in the Frank Melville Jr. Memorial Library. This discussion is part of a series of events to spread awareness on LGBT History Month and its importance.
Maxine Moylan, the assistant director of DICE Centers, explained that it was important to help marginalized students realize that others have faced similar struggles.
“It’s important to show students, especially marginalized or underrepresented communities, that there is history there, there is a record and people have come before them and faced similar struggles,” she said.
In the front of the room, archival pieces were displayed from Long Island’s first pride parade in 1991 up until 2003. There were magazines, posters, pins and t-shirts, among other artifacts.
Kristen Nyitray, Director of Special Collections and University Archivist, chose and set up the pieces and presented the history of each piece to the students. She told attendees of the history behind Long Island’s first pride parade. Nyitray explained the founding members of the Long Island Lesbian and Gay Pride and Freedom Committee (now known as Long Island Pride Parade, Inc.) requested to host the first parade in Port Jefferson and Northport, both of which declined.
The third time the parade was requested, it was to Huntington and declined as well. In response to Huntington, the committee hired a lawyer to sue the town and they won their case. The parade took place June 9th, 1991.
Nearly 30 minutes into the event, attendees and staff members sat down to discuss Kobabe’s novel. The staff present was Moylan, Academic Engagement Librarian Caterina Reed and Health Sciences Librarian Sunny Chung.
Kobabe created a graphic memoir filled with colors and artwork in a comic-book style. The memoir is about Kobabe’s experiences and struggles with sexual and gender identity.
Reed opened the floor for any questions or comments that attendees had, asked questions about their thoughts of the memoir and asked attendees why this novel has been celebrated, and also about the challenges it has faced.
Another attendee responded, “I think especially with the photo imagery, it just adds this extra layer … the fact that it is also being so highly celebrated, being acknowledged for various accolades is so important.”
Jas Jia, a freshman majoring in environmental studies shared, “I think this book definitely doesn’t convey something cheerful… But something like this exists, [and] if you don’t see it, you will pretend [it doesn’t] exist.”
Jia said her involvement in a feminist club at Beijing SMIC Private High School in China involved similar conversations as those related in the novel. She said her club focused on the issue of medical devices used during appointments with gynecologists causing discomfort and not being a prioritized subject enough to change.
Like the novel, Kobabe describes conflicting feelings during her appointment with her gynecologist, addressing the assumptions made by doctors and the uncomfortable medical equipment. Kobabe created illustrations to depict her feelings at that moment.
“I think it’s important not to just let [students] know about their history, but also [to] get them together as a community,” Moylan said.
Reed finished the conversation by asking attendees what questions they would ask the author if she were there in person. An attendee responded to Reed by reflecting on Kobabe’s experience of putting herself in the public eye through her vulnerable journey of discovering her identity.
Chung added that she would ask Kobabe where she is now with her belief in teaching kids about sexual and gender identity struggles.
Attendees were given a copy of the memoir on behalf of the University.
