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Sophie Labelle is a French-Canadian transgender cartoonist and activist whose work has captivated audiences around the world. Through her comics, she explores important topics like gender identity and the transgender experience, using humor and heartfelt storytelling to make these themes more relatable and accessible. Her art not only helps normalize being transgender but also sparks meaningful conversations about LGBTQ+ issues.

Many readers use Labelle's comics to open up discussions about gender and identity with their friends and family. Her work speaks to anyone navigating their own identity, offering both comfort and inspiration.

More info: Instagram | Facebook | serioustransvibes.com | youtube.com | ko-fi.com | patreon.com

Bored Panda reached out to Labelle again to learn more about her experiences and how her journey as an artist has influenced her work. We asked her about the impact she hopes her comics have on younger generations, particularly those questioning their gender identity.

"My work strives to provide empowerment and comfort to younger generations. We rarely get to choose how supportive our environment is, and I always consider the impact of my work on those of us who are the most vulnerable. Transphobia is pernicious and might pop up when we least expect it. I hope my comics help people build strength and resilience to keep going despite everything."

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Artist Creates Insightful Comics To Foster Acceptance Of Transgender Experiences

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Feathered Dinosaur
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2 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Again: if you can't accept your child's identity, be it gay, trans, or whatever DON'T have children!

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The artist shared that she has personally faced harassment, including being doxxed, being targeted by a neo-Nazi protest, being labeled as a threat by a British MP, and having her books banned in Texas, while also frequently receiving online death threats. So, we asked her how she manages self-care and maintains resilience in the face of such hostility.

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"I spend a lot of time in nature. It really grounds me and makes the online hate seem like a distant dream. I've also been doing book tours and meeting readers and communities. It reminds me of the impact the kind of work I do can have and makes the hate more bearable."

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robecca leyden
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2 months ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

It's still shocking to me that Rowling didn't retract her awful accusations

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As an artist who started creating comics at a young age, we asked Labelle for her advice to aspiring queer and trans artists looking to share their stories through art.

"I'd say that you need to get involved within your local community. Show up for other artists as you would like people to show up for you. We're all in this together. Every voice matters, and having your voice heard brings purpose, which is absolutely necessary when creating while queer or trans."

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Artist Creates Insightful Comics To Foster Acceptance Of Transgender Experiences

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and_a_touch_of_the_’tism
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2 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Remember: puberty blockers are completely reversible! It hurts nobody to put kids on them until they “know for sure.”

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Artist Creates Insightful Comics To Foster Acceptance Of Transgender Experiences

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Lisa Crow
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2 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Also, some non-trans kids take puberty blockers for other medical reasons. Another reason not to butt into the medical decisions of another person.

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"Trans and gender non-conforming people’s rights are currently under attack in a multitude of countries, states, and provinces. Chances are that you have a local association or group in your town or city that desperately needs volunteers for all types of things. I encourage everyone to reach out to them and participate in any way they can. Getting involved is the best way to learn!"

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Artist Creates Insightful Comics To Foster Acceptance Of Transgender Experiences

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Feathered Dinosaur
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2 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

F**k this. If I had to go through male puberty, knowing it would do irreversible alterations to my body which I would hate (I identify as female), it would throw me into depression, too.

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Sleepy children love Moon
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2 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

yeah, there's a similar thing with gymnastics too. the way we have to bend and twist to do our skills and stuff is really bad for our backs, ankles, wrists, and muscles. it can cause long term muscle and nerve damage. I have a friend who's only 16 and already has some nerve damage in her foot because of gymnastics

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Andrew Keir
Community Member
2 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Anything you do with your whole heart will change you - but we do need to cut down on ultra-processed food

Lola Donathan
Community Member
1 month ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

trans surgery for kids has ruined thousands of lives. its a fact.

penguino (they/them)
Community Member
1 month ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

ballet is pain and point is pain + (haha toenail surgery in freedom country is fun)

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LakotaWolf (she/her)
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2 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Okay, I actually flinched - my mom's name is Linda and she absolutely treated me like a piece of property through my entire childhood. XD I'm adopted and she told me - frequently - that I was adopted "just" to be a sibling to my older sister, her bio child. She didn't want her daughter to be an only child. She's the epitome of the "Linda" above, though - I'm not female-gender-normative at all and I cannot even imagine how horrific my childhood would have been if I'd tried to express that to her beyond my preference for pants over frilly dresses.

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Lisa Crow
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2 months ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Also, where's the outrage over intersex babies being given surgery without parental permission, and sometimes even parental awareness, in an effort to "normalize" their genitalia? This can cause loss of sensation, scarring, urinary issues, etc. Even WITH parental permission this seems like a terrible idea. ************* I know we all prefer to have things be black and white, A or B, but this is harmful! Biology is a complex thing; sometimes we need to accept that reality. ************ https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/articles/16324-intersex https://www.hrw.org/news/2017/07/25/us-harmful-surgery-intersex-children https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intersex_medical_interventions

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Andrew Keir
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2 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Regrettably, there's one interview that won't go out on air. Fsr.

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StarCrossedFriday
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2 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

It’d be nice if we went forward with this kind of thinking, instead of backwards with the insanity that came with overturning Roe v. Wade.

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M O'Connell
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2 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Don't forget that after being fired from IBM she started her career over from the bottom, in spite of her years of experience.

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Rayne OfSalt
Community Member
2 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Ah yes, well-known christian festival, the Bacchanalia. Celebrating the well-known christian god Dionysus.

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Andrew Keir
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2 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

There is always tension between 'safety' and 'progress'. Look at the history of the printed word, if you want examples; and check the meaning of the word "imprimatur". 'Change' is scary, but may well be necessary - and helpful.

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Andrew Keir
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2 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Some parents don't fully understand their children. This has been going on for millennia. The Golden Rule applies - to both sides. Be gentle, be tolerant.

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Andrew Keir
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2 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Violence is never truly 'legitimised', but too often, excuses are offered for it ...

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Andrew Keir
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2 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Must admit, I have no concept of what "gender ideology' might be - but my ignorance is not proof of anything. I need to learn more.

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Andrew Keir
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2 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I'm old, but I'm having difficulty with the claimed difference between 'genders' , 'sexes', etc. Please don't mock me, help me. Oh, and drawing someone who you claim to be wrong, licking a boot, doesn't really prove anything. Just sayin'.

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Andrew Keir
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2 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Be cautious about banning books just because you don't like what they say. That's a dark road to start down - oppose them, rebut them, don't buy them, but don't expect to have them burnt, either. The other side just might have the 'right to differ' from your opinions; you claim the same right from them, remember?

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Andrew Keir
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2 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

If we reach a point where people don't vote for parties unless they have full and knowing agreement with every part of their manifestos, the voting booths will be silent places. Regrettably, at some points we have to choose between different flavours of good - or watch others choose for us.

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StarCrossedFriday
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2 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

There was a story about a man in a dress and pearls (which is how they put it, the story didn’t actually say whether they were a trans woman or just a guy in a dress) who tried to kidnap a child off the street - and someone who commented that this was ‘the Democrats’ dream for the future’ and ‘exactly what the leftists want more of’ got 900 upvotes. I pointed out that no one (sane) ‘wants’ more child abductions, and that what the person was wearing was irrelevant - which went down like a lead balloon, and just got people going ‘what did you think would happen when “they” started doing drag queen book readings for children???’. I just do not understand how that logic works.

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Andrew Keir
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2 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

True, but occasional reference to the actual facts is sometimes helpful, too

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StarCrossedFriday
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2 months ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

This seems too harsh. There are genuine cases of people transitioning at a younger age and realising they made a mistake years later - they’re not ‘lying’. And they did often state that many pro-trans online groups were very understanding and supportive of their issues, as long as their end goal was surgically transitioning; kind of classic diagnostic overshadowing. The support disappeared once they started to have doubts afterwards, which to me sounds just as horrible as people denying your feelings if you conclude you are trans. In any case, this is just another story of how puberty blockers would have been helpful.

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Andrew Keir
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2 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

"Rage! Rage, against the dying of the light" - and light your own candle, to show others the way

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and_a_touch_of_the_’tism
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2 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I personally believe he was a trans man. However, and I hate to say this, we can’t be positive.

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StarCrossedFriday
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2 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

At the same time, I’ve read stories about lesbians being called ‘bigoted transphobic TERF bitches’, etc., for not wanting to shag every trans woman on online dating sites. You can’t control who you’re attracted to.

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Sky Render
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2 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

And this is why token tolerance is not a solution. If society only tolerates because they're told to, many are just one bad day away from deciding that tolerance was a mistake and becoming the worst kind of people who feel they can use the "tolerated" group as a punching bag once they have "evidence" that it's somehow "underserved".

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Sky Render
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2 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Seems like there's always someone in the wings ready to become the next long-term villain in the medical community of the atypical. John Money, Ivar Lovaas, and so many others have tried to "fix" atypical attributes by force with catastrophic results every time, and yet somehow their mistakes never resonate the way they should...

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Andrew Keir
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2 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Ah, that's fine - we've found someone to ban! No toleration for 'others', no attempt to help them or persuade them - they don't deserve it. Yay progress ! /s

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M O'Connell
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2 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

The MC at the last pride event I went to addressed the crowd as "All y'all bitches out there" which was about as inclusive as you can be.

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