Category: Genderqueer/Non-binary

Promising the Moon

By Em

Aurora Melnyk was a perfectionist. She wanted to be perfect or be nothing. Growing up the daughter of the best ballerina in history, according to the public at least, meant she was to always be in the spotlight. Even when she didn’t follow her mother’s steps in ballet and turned to contemporary, all eyes were on her to see if she could live up to her mother. Every mistake, every injury was broadcasted for the world to see. At least, all injuries besides her knee.

Her constant knee problems finally come to head when Juliette Deveraux, her dancing partner for almost two years, forces her into a doctor’s office.

Now, at her dream school and an opportunity of a lifetime, she has to decide what is more important. Her life dream or her well-being. The choice isn’t as easy as it sounds.

Or she could choose option number three. Lose it all.

Representation:

Gender: cis girls, cis boys, non-binary

Sexual Orientation: queer (unlabeled)

Romantic Orientation: aromantic (side character), homoromantic

Race/Ethnicity: white, biracial, Latinx, east Asian

Disability: mental illness

Our Dreams at Dusk: Shimanami Tasogare (series)

By Yuhki Kamatani

Not only is high schooler Tasuku Kaname the new kid in town, he is also terrified that he has been outed as gay. Just as he’s contemplating doing the unthinkable, Tasuku meets a mysterious woman who leads him to a group of people dealing with problems not so different from his own.

Representation: gay MC; queer, questioning, asexual/aromantic, nonbinary, and trans side characters.

Ownvoices: for nonbinary and asexual representation.

The Avant-Guards (series)

By Carly Usdin

Description for vol.1:

When Charlie transfers to the Georgia O’Keeffe College of Arts and Subtle Dramatics, she struggles to find her feet, but winds up exactly where she belongs…in the school’s (terrible) basketball team.

As a transfer student to the Georgia O’Keeffe College for Arts and Subtle Dramatics, former sports star Charlie is struggling to find her classes, her dorm, and her place amongst a student body full of artists who seem to know exactly where they’re going. When the school’s barely-a-basketball-team unexpectedly attempts to recruit her, Charlie’s adamant that she’s left that life behind…until she’s won over by the charming team captain, Liv, and the ragtag crew she’s managed to assemble. And while Charlie may have left cut-throat competition in in the dust, sinking these hoops may be exactly what she needs to see the person she truly wants to be.

Representation: Black, Latinx & Chinese American MCs; trans, nonbinary, and queer characters.

From the Roots Up (Surviving the City #2)

By Tasha Spillett

Dez and Miikwan’s stories continue in this sequel to Surviving the City. 

Dez’s grandmother has passed away. Grieving, and with nowhere else to go, she’s living in a group home. On top of everything else, Dez is navigating a new relationship and coming into her identity as a Two-Spirit person. 

Miikwan is crushing on the school’s new kid Riel, but doesn’t really understand what Dez is going through. Will she learn how to be a supportive ally to her best friend?

Elder Linda is doing her best to be supportive, but she doesn’t know how to respond when the gendered protocols she’s grown up with that are being thrown into question.

Will Dez be comfortable expressing her full identity? And will her community relearn the teachings and overcome prejudice to celebrate her for who she is?

Representation: Indigenous Two-Spirit MCs; nonbinary side character.

Ownvoices: Indigenous representation.

A Kind of Magic

By Ryder Phoenix

Magic school is about to begin! But will it be everything Zyn and Ren hoped for? Zyn struggles to connect with her magic, while Ren collapses to strange visions. At the same time, Sarala arrives at the school after living wild for years, keeping her past secret from the twins. The first year looks to be an interesting one as the three start learning magic together…

Representation: all LGBTQ+ cast; transgender nonbinary asexual MC; pansexual MC; lesbian MC.

Ownvoices: trans and nonbinary representation.

Girl Made of Stars

By Ashley Herring Blake

Mara and Owen are as close as twins can get, so when Mara’s friend Hannah accuses Owen of rape, Mara doesn’t know what to think. Can her brother really be guilty of such a violent act? Torn between her family and her sense of right and wrong, Mara feels lost, and it doesn’t help that things are strained with her ex-girlfriend, Charlie. As Mara, Hannah, and Charlie come together in the aftermath of this terrible crime, Mara must face a trauma from her own past and decide where Charlie fits into her future. With sensitivity and openness, this timely novel confronts the difficult questions surrounding consent, victim blaming, and sexual assault.

Representation: bisexual MC; nonbinary side character.

Denis Ever After

By Tony Abbott

Denis Egan is dead. 

He’s okay with that. It’s been five years since he died, and the place where souls go is actually pretty nice. Sure, there are some things about his life and how it ended he can’t quite recall, but that’s how it’s supposed to be. Remembering could prevent Denis from moving on to whatever’s next. 

However, something is standing in his way. His twin brother Matt can’t let go of him, and as long as the living are holding on to his memory, Denis can’t rest in peace.

To uncover the truth about what happened that day five years before, Denis returns to his hometown and teams up with Matt. But visiting for too long has painful consequences for Denis, and Matt’s renewed interest in his brother’s passing is driving a wedge between his still-grieving parents.

Can the two boys solve the mystery of Denis’s death without breaking apart the family he’s left behind? 

Representation: nonbinary side character.

Grease Bats

By Archie Bongiovanni

So, no one told you life was gonna be this gay! Grease Bats stars Andy, a trans genderqueer individual who is both tough and loving, and their BFF Scout, an all-feelings-all-the-time mistake-maker. 

Andy and Scout are best buds, roommates, and gay disasters. Along with their friends and plenty of beer, they’re just trying to make it through their 20s, survive late capitalism, and navigate the dating world. Tough and loving Andy dates like there’s no tomorrow, while Scout is still languishing over her ex-girlfriend…from like two years ago.

Representation: genderqueer and lesbian MCs; aromantic/asexual and questioning bisexual side characters.

Ownvoices: author is genderqueer and queer.

Heartwood: Non-binary Tales of Sylvan Fantasy

By Joamette Gil

HEARTWOOD: Non-binary Tales of Sylvan Fantasy is the first ever non-binary comics anthology, made entirely by cartoonists who identify as a non-binary gender!

Across time and cultures, humanity has spun tales about the forest: tales of caution, adventure, rites of passage, and discovery. Some of those stories persist as the folklore and fairy tales that delight our imaginations today, and the forest remains a symbol for facing the unknown and emerging transformed.

This anthology is for everyone who’s walked through the undergrowth, in the silence of nature, and longed for an adventure of their own to unfold. These stories of modern-day sylvan fantasy showcase some of the best non-binary cartoonists of our day, guiding characters like us into the woods and back again.

Kim Reaper, Vol. 2: Vampire Island

By Sarah Graley

College relationships are tough for everyone, but they’re extra hard for Kim. Her grumpy grim reaper bosses are always making her work overtime, her girlfriend Becka’s roommate keeps hanging around, and for some reason, she’s going on an awkward group date to Vampire Island! But when she stumbles into a long-lost friend, Kim accidentally finds herself in the middle of a vampire grudge, plus a new strain on her relationship. Surely she can figure out how to study, be a good girlfriend, maintain her social life, and still pay rent? She just might need a little help.

Representation: Becka is in an f/f romance with Kim; nonbinary side character.

Ownvoices: queer representation.