#509: Manga as Counterspaces for Queer Youth Identities

When tasked with learning, queer youth often encounter limited opportunities to see themselves in ways that recognize their identities, cultures, and epistemologies as sources of knowledge and creativity to learn. Using identity-in-practice, visual storytelling, and queer rightful presence, we sought to see how queer identities were dignified during a summer camp. Eleven youth participated in a two-week manga-based maker camp where they made animations, comics, and other artistic representations. Through a data analysis process called crystallization, we identified two themes related to queer youth identity: escapism and embodiments of defiance. We argue that counterspaces such as the maker camp offer room for queer youth to play with their identities. We offer ways for others to use counterspaces like maker camps as ways to be responsive to youth and their needs by connecting to things they are already interested in and letting them explore identities within those spaces.