''Assigned Male'' is a
webcomic
Webcomics (also known as online comics or Internet comics) are comics published on a website or mobile app. While many are published exclusively on the web, others are also published in magazines, newspapers, or comic books.
Webcomics can be ...
illustrated and written by
Sophie Labelle
Sophie Labelle is a Canadian cartoonist, public speaker, and writer. She is known for her webcomic '' Assigned Male'', which draws upon her experiences as a trans girl and woman. She is an activist in the transgender rights movement, and spea ...
. It draws upon her experiences as a
trans girl and woman.
The comic, and series of
zine
A zine ( ; short for '' magazine'' or '' fanzine'') is a small-circulation self-published work of original or appropriated texts and images, usually reproduced via a copy machine. Zines are the product of either a single person or of a very s ...
s, address issues of
gender norms
A gender role, also known as a sex role, is a social role encompassing a range of behaviors and attitudes that are generally considered acceptable, appropriate, or desirable for a person based on that person's sex. Gender roles are usually cent ...
and
privilege
Privilege may refer to:
Arts and entertainment
* ''Privilege'' (film), a 1967 film directed by Peter Watkins
* ''Privilege'' (Ivor Cutler album), 1983
* ''Privilege'' (Television Personalities album), 1990
* ''Privilege (Abridged)'', an alb ...
. It began in October 2014 and is ongoing, published in
English
English usually refers to:
* English language
* English people
English may also refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England
** English national id ...
and
French.
The webcomic is released in printed
anthologies
In book publishing, an anthology is a collection of literary works chosen by the compiler; it may be a collection of plays, poems, short stories, songs or excerpts by different authors.
In genre fiction, the term ''anthology'' typically catego ...
on Labelle's online store.
Plot
This comic follows life through the eyes of a
middle schooler named Stephie who alternately makes light of, and chafes under the realities of growing up a
transgender
A transgender (often abbreviated as trans) person is someone whose gender identity or gender expression does not correspond with their sex assigned at birth. Many transgender people experience dysphoria, which they seek to alleviate through ...
child in a
cisgender
Cisgender (often shortened to cis; sometimes cissexual) is a term used to describe a person whose gender identity corresponds to their sex assigned at birth. The word ''cisgender'' is the antonym of ''transgender''. The prefix '' cis-'' is L ...
world.
Characters
Protagonists
* Stephanie "Stephie" Bondu - An 11-year-old
trans girl
Transgender youth are children or adolescents who do not identify with the sex they were assigned at birth. Because transgender youth are usually dependent on their parents for care, shelter, financial support, and other needs, transgender yo ...
discovering and embracing her gender.
Stephie is
autistic
The autism spectrum, often referred to as just autism or in the context of a professional diagnosis autism spectrum disorder (ASD) or autism spectrum condition (ASC), is a neurodevelopmental condition (or conditions) characterized by difficulti ...
and uses she/her pronouns.
[ Originally published in 2014.] Her mother, Alice, understands quickly, while her father, Martin, doesn't understand until later. She later tells her friends she is
bisexual
Bisexuality is a romantic or sexual attraction or behavior toward both males and females, or to more than one gender. It may also be defined to include romantic or sexual attraction to people regardless of their sex or gender identity, wh ...
.
* Ciel Sousa - A
genderfluid
Non-binary and genderqueer are umbrella terms for gender identities that are not solely male or femaleidentities that are outside the gender binary. Non-binary identities fall under the transgender umbrella, since non-binary people typica ...
seventh-grader who uses they/them and she/her pronouns. Virgil Sousa is their younger brother and Eirikur is their boyfriend.
Supporting
* Alice Bondu - Stephie's mother. From the beginning, she is supportive of Stephie, helping
her transition. She is also bisexual, with Feyrouz as her girlfriend.
* Martin Bondu - Stephie's father. At first, he was not supportive of Stephie, not respecting her
pronouns
In linguistics and grammar, a pronoun (abbreviated ) is a word or a group of words that one may substitute for a noun or noun phrase.
Pronouns have traditionally been regarded as one of the parts of speech, but some modern theorists would not co ...
or name, but later changes his opinion.
* Brianna - A trans girl who is close friends with Ryder and uses
sign language
Sign languages (also known as signed languages) are languages that use the visual-manual modality to convey meaning, instead of spoken words. Sign languages are expressed through manual articulation in combination with non-manual markers. Sign l ...
, acting as his interpreter.
* Ryder -
Trans boy
Transgender youth are children or adolescents who do not identify with the sex they were assigned at birth. Because transgender youth are usually dependent on their parents for care, shelter, financial support, and other needs, transgender yo ...
who describes himself as a "gender smoothie."
* Aidan - Trans boy with strong opinions who often disagrees with Stephie. Even so, Stephie later begins to act kindheartedly toward him.
* Myrick - Trans boy who claimed he is
white passing and uses he/his pronouns.
He is a member of the Gender Pirates, along with Stephie, Ciel, Milena, and Myrick.
* Eirikur - An
Icelandic student who is in the same class as Ciel and Stephie. He is a
cisgender
Cisgender (often shortened to cis; sometimes cissexual) is a term used to describe a person whose gender identity corresponds to their sex assigned at birth. The word ''cisgender'' is the antonym of ''transgender''. The prefix '' cis-'' is L ...
boy.
* Frank - A
cisgender
Cisgender (often shortened to cis; sometimes cissexual) is a term used to describe a person whose gender identity corresponds to their sex assigned at birth. The word ''cisgender'' is the antonym of ''transgender''. The prefix '' cis-'' is L ...
boy in the same class as Stephie and Ciel. He is the
boyfriend
A boyfriend is a male friend or acquaintance, often specifying a regular male companion with whom a person is romantically or sexually involved.
A boyfriend can also be called an admirer, beau, suitor and sweetheart. The analogous female ...
of Stephie.
* Feyrouz - Mother of Hamza and
Muslim woman. She is dating Alice,
Martin's ex-wife.
Release
Labelle said that while working with transgender children, she "noticed how negative everything we tell them about their own body is, so I wanted to create a character that could respond to all those horrible things trans kids hear all the time."
She also has made educational guides to go along with the comics, promoting safer spaces for trans youth.
In another interview, Labelle said the format of the webcomic allows her to "reach a lot of trans and gender non-conforming people."
She added that she is inspired by
Allison Bechdel's ''
Dykes to Watch Out For
''Dykes to Watch Out For'' (sometimes ''DTWOF'') was a weekly comic strip by Alison Bechdel. The strip, which ran from 1983 to 2008, was one of the earliest ongoing representations of lesbians in popular culture and has been called "as impor ...
'' and ''Fun Home''. Elsewhere she said that most of the comic's cast is
neurodivergent
Neurodiversity refers to diversity in the human brain and cognition, for instance in sociability, learning, attention, mood and other mental functions.
It was coined in 1998 by sociologist Judy Singer, who helped popularize the concept alo ...
since she is on the
autism spectrum
The autism spectrum, often referred to as just autism or in the context of a professional diagnosis autism spectrum disorder (ASD) or autism spectrum condition (ASC), is a neurodevelopmental condition (or conditions) characterized by difficulti ...
herself and that she uses hateful comments as some of the material for her comics. The comic began on October 1, 2014.
In December 2015, Labelle participated in a holiday illustration featuring Stephie and trans protagonists of other webcomics like Rain in ''
Rain
Rain is water droplets that have condensed from atmospheric water vapor and then fall under gravity. Rain is a major component of the water cycle and is responsible for depositing most of the fresh water on the Earth. It provides water ...
'', Zoë in ''
Venus Envy'', Jess & Seb in ''2punk4you'', Carrie & Allison in ''Closetspace'', and Jesska in ''Manic Pixie Nightmare Girls''.
By April 2017, the comic was getting "half-a-million visits a week." In May 2017, online trolls sent her
death threats
A death threat is a threat, often made anonymously, by one person or a group of people to kill another person or group of people. These threats are often designed to intimidate victims in order to manipulate their behaviour, in which case a d ...
, leading her to cancel an event about the release of her book, ''Dating Tips for Trans and Queer Weirdos''.
Afterward, they
hacked the page for the webcomic on the
International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia and Transphobia
International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia, Lesbophobia and Transphobia is observed on May 17 and aims to coordinate international events that raise awareness of LGBT rights violations and stimulate interest in LGBT rights work worldwide. By ...
, and
Facebook
Facebook is an online social media and social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. Founded in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg with fellow Harvard College students and roommates Eduardo Saverin, Andrew McCollum, Dustin ...
page, deleting three years of her work. She was also
doxxed
Doxing or doxxing is the act of publicly providing personally identifiable information about an individual or organization, usually via the internet. Historically, the term has been used interchangeably to refer to both the aggregation of this in ...
, with the attackers even contacting her workplace. In December 2017, she released a 36-page
coloring book
A coloring book (British English: colouring-in book, colouring book, or colouring page) is a type of book containing line art to which people are intended to add color using crayons, colored pencils, marker pens, paint or other artistic media ...
with LGBTQ themes titled ''Add Your Own Colors To The Rainbow!''.
On January 3, 2019, the webcomic began to be published under the name of "Serious Trans Vibes" on
Webtoon
Webtoons (), are a type of digital comic that originated in South Korea usually meant to be read on smartphones.
While webtoons were mostly unknown outside of Korea during their inception, there has been a surge in popularity internationally t ...
. It is still published on Webtoon.
In March 2021, Labelle announced that she is writing a
young adult
A young adult is generally a person in the years following adolescence. Definitions and opinions on what qualifies as a young adult vary, with works such as Erik Erikson's stages of human development significantly influencing the definition of ...
novel focusing on two characters from the comic, Ciel and Stéphie, titled ''Wish Upon a Satellite'', with two of the twenty chapters posted publicly, with others available through
Patreon
Patreon (, ) is a membership platform that provides business tools for content creators to run a subscription service. It helps creators and artists earn a monthly income by providing rewards and perks to their subscribers. Patreon charges a com ...
.
Reception
The comic has been received positively by critics. Suzi Chase of the ''
Washington Blade
The ''Washington Blade'' is a lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) newspaper in the Washington metropolitan area. The ''Blade'' is the oldest LGBT newspaper in the United States and third largest by circulation, behind the '' Philadel ...
'' called the webcomic "hilarious" and said it shows transgender humour can be funny without being offensive.
Tara Marie reviewed the comic for
ComicsAlliance
ComicsAlliance was an American website dedicated to covering the comic book industry as well as comic-related media, and is owned by Townsquare Media. The site has been nominated for multiple awards including a 2015 Eisner Award win in the catego ...
, writing that while there are "loose plot-lines," there are topical
comic strips
A comic strip is a Comics, sequence of drawings, often cartoons, arranged in interrelated panels to display brief humor or form a narrative, often Serial (literature), serialized, with text in Speech balloon, balloons and Glossary of comics ter ...
, and stated that the series has a "delicate touch." Marie described as equivalent to the ''
Peanuts
''Peanuts'' is a print syndication, syndicated daily strip, daily and Sunday strip, Sunday American comic strip written and illustrated by Charles M. Schulz. The strip's original run extended from 1950 to 2000, continuing in reruns afterward. ' ...
'' but queer-friendly, talking about
queer youth, while still being soft, light, and welcoming. In ''The Solute'', Tristan Nankervis said that the comic does not respect the basic "conventions of the medium" and said that while they agree with
gender theory
Gender studies is an interdisciplinary academic field devoted to analysing gender identity and gendered representation. Gender studies originated in the field of women's studies, concerning women, feminism, gender, and politics. The field n ...
in the comic, it "displays a worldview," specifically focusing on trans feelings. Kevin Dennison reviewed the comic positively, praising how it addresses issues that
intersex
Intersex people are individuals born with any of several sex characteristics including chromosome patterns, gonads, or genitals that, according to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, "do not fit typical b ...
,
gender non-conforming
Gender variance or gender nonconformity is behavior or gender expression by an individual that does not match masculine or feminine gender norms. A gender-nonconforming person may be variant in their gender identity, being transgender or non-bina ...
, and trans people face, and providing "numerous educational strips" which introduce people to those issues.
In a
Masters of Arts
A Master of Arts ( la, Magister Artium or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA, M.A., AM, or A.M.) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Tho ...
thesis, Katelynn Phillips said that the comics are often humorous, drawing out "the ridiculous and problematic approaches of cis/heteronormative thinking" and argued that readers of the comic must embrace a "queer vision of childhood" where Stephie and other characters are more complex than how children are often portrayed societally.
She further said that the comic shows that children are more thoughtful than seen by mainstream society, calls for changed conceptions of
girl
A girl is a young female human, usually a child or an adolescent. When a girl becomes an adult, she is accurately described as a '' woman''. However, the term ''girl'' is also used for other meanings, including ''young woman'',Dictionar ...
hood,
boy
A boy is a young male human. The term is commonly used for a child or an adolescent. When a male human reaches adulthood, he is described as a man.
Definition, etymology, and use
According to the ''Merriam-Webster Dictionary'', a boy is "a ...
hood, and accepting
non-binary
Non-binary and genderqueer are umbrella terms for gender identities that are not solely male or femaleidentities that are outside the gender binary. Non-binary identities fall under the transgender umbrella, since non-binary people typicall ...
people, while pointing to sources of
trauma
Trauma most often refers to:
*Major trauma, in physical medicine, severe physical injury caused by an external source
* Psychological trauma, a type of damage to the psyche that occurs as a result of a severely distressing event
*Traumatic inj ...
that trans people face. She stated that the comic is "filled with ridicule and sarcasm," highlights the importance of dealing with
hate speech and violence against
LGBTQ
' is an initialism that stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender. In use since the 1990s, the initialism, as well as some of its common variants, functions as an umbrella term for sexuality and gender identity.
The LGBT term is ...
people, provides a "humorous space" that can be comforting to trans people, and has Stephie symbolize the value of giving children "the ability to create their own versions of childhood." Similarly, Brahidaliz Martinez of ''The Geekiary'', praised the webcomic for dismantling "misconceptions about transgender people" and said they love following the comic's characters through their relationships, exploration of
gender identity
Gender identity is the personal sense of one's own gender. Gender identity can correlate with a person's assigned sex or can differ from it. In most individuals, the various biological determinants of sex are congruent, and consistent with the ...
and their lives, in general.
Notes
See also
*
List of fictional trans characters
This is a list of trans characters in fiction, i.e. characters that either self-identify as trans or have been identified by outside parties to be trans. Listed characters are either recurring characters, cameos, guest stars, or one-off cha ...
*
List of webcomics with LGBT characters
*
Venus Envy
*
Rain
Rain is water droplets that have condensed from atmospheric water vapor and then fall under gravity. Rain is a major component of the water cycle and is responsible for depositing most of the fresh water on the Earth. It provides water ...
References
{{reflist
External links
Official Twitter of Sophie Labelle
2014 webcomic debuts
Canadian webcomics
Transgender-related comics
LGBT-related webcomics