Our Work Is Everywhere

March 15, 2021
Queer and trans activists describe their lives and work in this anthology of oral history and illustrated interviews. Illustrator and comic artist Syan Rose calls her book "part graphic nonfiction, part thank-you note, part gay theory paper, [and] part activist gossip column." Each of the contributors grapples with universal questions of "power, desire, justice and accountability" as well as "structural & mental racism, transphobia, fatphobia, colonialism, ableism, xenophobia, antiblackness, [and] rape culture." Selections include Caleb Luna and Nicole Arteaga's "Reclaiming & Revolting Bodies: Fat: The Play," Mirna Haidar's "Queer Muslim Family," and "Everything You Love About New Orleans Is Because of Black People," a conversation with New Orleans visual artist Phlegm. We meet sex workers and their advocates, healing and health justice activists, trans women survivors, and queer martial artists. Herbal healer Geleni Fontaine describes "what it means to be in a transgressive body at a time when fat people are seen as diseased. There is a poignant section of reflections on the pandemic, including Ra Malika Imhotep's "A Praise Song for Sick Blk Wimmin," who "have been knowing something deep about this kind of embattled survival....When we talk about how Southern black folks face alarming 'health disparities, ' we are saying that we are sick. And not because there is something inherently wrong with us, but because the world we've been given unto structurally & systematically disrupts our access to wellness." The drawings throughout are exquisite, and while the swirling, hand-lettering is occasionally difficult to read, the book accomplishes its clear goal: visibility for the marginalized. As Stella, a member of the Trans Assistance Project, puts it, "It's not just for my own happiness, it's also because there are people who, just by seeing me, might be more kind to queer people in the future. Or if they are queer, they might feel less alone or come out sooner." A unique, empowering addition to LGBTQ+ literature.

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