Readers of the blog know that my main focus is to highlight comic creators making cool things. Previously this has included female and nonbinary creators (with “nonbinary” here being an umbrella term). These features have often included creators who happened to also be LGBTQIA, PoC, or other minorities (deviated from the Christian “norm” of so many places etc.).
I never made any strides to actively exclude anyone (beyond cisgender straight white male creators because I believe they inherently have plenty of privilege and don’t need to be lifted up the same way minority creators do).
However, I’ve known for some time that I need to actively expand my blog features to include the people who I wasn’t deliberately excluding but in not specifically welcoming by title might have seemed like I was excluding. This includes queer creators who are not female or nonbinary, this includes trans creators, this includes PoC creators, this includes those who are outside the gender binary but prefer other labels (example: agender, genderqueer, genderfluid) beyond “nonbinary.” I never wanted to convey that these creators were not welcome, were not interesting, were not “allowed” but I also have been putting off for far too long actively welcoming them to the blog.
To that end, comic features from now on will not be divided explicitly into “nonbinary comic creators” or “female comic creators” etc. so much as me throwing the doors wide to anyone not part of the cisgender, heteronormative, patriarchal, white sea of creators that have been the picture of “normal” for decades in comics.
This includes:
- LGBTQIA creators
- Nonbinary, agender, genderfluid, genderqueer, and any other variety of gender-nonconforming creators
- PoC creators
- Any creator whose religion is not Christian (because while I hold absolutely zero ill will towards Christianity, it has undeniably been marked as the default, most-accepted religion in modern society–at least in America–with other religions and spiritualities seem as deviant, lesser, or a niche story type that a “normal” person might not be interested in)
That’s not meant to be an exhaustive list by any means, but I think it’s a start. If you’re a comic creator who feels like your type of story has been left out of the spotlight, feel like there is a need for more representation like yours in the comic sphere, this blog is for you. That has always been the case, but consider this me doing my best to make that crystal clear now.
There is a new form up for creators who are interested, and I encourage you to reach out to me through email (ashleybles1234@gmail.com) or over Twitter (@Beebidon) if you have questions, comments, concerns, thoughts, or anything you think I missed or need to be better about.
Thanks so much for your continued support ❤
comix quest 