Queer and How We Got Here: A (Personal) History

by Hazel Newlevant

"Honest, informative, and stylish, this book made me grateful for the activism of the past and gave me courage for the fights to come!” —Maia Kobabe, author of Gender A Memoir "This book belongs in every bookstore, library, and educational establishment, and in the hands of every queer kid." —Mo B. Dick, Drag King legend and executive director of Drag King HistoryMore than a historical narrative, this story of queer identity interweaves the author's personal history, showing queerness as both a community endeavor and deeply personal journey.

When Hazel was twelve years old, they came out as bisexual to their parents. At the time, they couldn’t have imagined who they are a nonbinary, transmasculine person in a loving queer relationship.

In seeking to understand their own history, Hazel takes readers on a parallel journey through queer history—from the origins of Western concepts of sexual orientation, to the synthesis of hormones, to the evolution of trans health care. They unpack the economic underpinnings of gender roles. They dive into the origins behind our concept of “coming out,” the history of "female husbands," neopronouns, and the emergence of drag kings.
 
As Hazel grows and changes, so does their understanding of those who came before them, and the interweaving of both narratives gives the reader a powerful entryway into not just Hazel's journey of self-actualization, but the queer community at large.

Genres: Nonfiction, Graphic Novels, LGBT, Queer, Comics, History, Gender

352 pages, Paperback

First published May 12, 2026

About the author

Hazel Newlevant is a Portland-raised, Queens-residing cartoonist. Their comics include Tender-Hearted, Sugar Town, No Ivy League, and If This Be Sin. They are the editor and publisher of the anthologies Chainmail Bikini and Comics For Choice. Their work has been honored with the Ignatz Award, Xeric Grant and the Prism Comics Queer Press Grant.

Reviews

[Maia]

Newlevant weaves together memoir and history in this timely reminder that all of us are the beneficiaries of generations who have fought for our human rights for centuries. Honest, informative, and stylish, this book made me grateful for the activism of the past and gave me courage for the fights to come!

[Rod Brown]

Hazel Newlevant tells their own life story using a survey of queer history as a backdrop. While both aspects are interesting, when mashed together it feels like neither gets the in-depth treatment it deserves.

At times, the sudden jumps to history just as Newlevant is really opening up, feels almost like a deflection. And the lecturing tone of the history occasionally bleeds into the presentation of the autobiographical sections, putting yet a little more distance between subject and reader.

Make no mistake, I still recommend reading this; I just wonder how much more I might have enjoyed this if it were two separate volumes.

[Steph]

a robust and thoroughly-cited queer history, interwoven with newlevant's personal story of actualizing their queer identity. very enjoyable & informative!! rtc!

[Amanda [Novel Addiction]]

Loved the mix of queer history, and the author's personal history. They did an excellent job weaving it in without making it all about them - instead, just showing how their story evolved as they learned more, and how the fight for equal rights evolved along similar lines.

[sarah]

so well illustrated! some of the graphics i struggled to follow the order of, but there was so much information and great next book recs in the back, definitely interested in more of hazel’s work

[TammyJo Eckhart]

Aside from one problem I had with the use of the phrase "radical feminist" when it really means "exclusionary feminist" or possibly "conservative feminist" I felt that the facts used in this book were well gathered, explained, and used in sections that made it digestible for folks who may not know anything. Those sections were balanced with Newlevant's personal journey into claiming transmasculine as part of their identity. For subjects that many folks consider either moral or intensely personal, finding that balance is tricky, so I want to applaud Newlevant for doing a very good job. Add into the engaging and often more-complex-than-I-was-expecting drawings, and this was an interesting and informative read.

[Loz]

A valuable resource told skillyfully. Newlevant is able to use the framework of their journey to explore external and internal developments as knowledge and understanding and awareness seeps in over time. I am grateful for this book.

[Hannah Showalter]

I loved this so much! Soooo much cool queer and gender history, felt really expansive and covered so much! I flew through it. I love a memoir that blends personal history into political history!

[K.C. Norton]

I went back to check the blurb and have confirmed that at least the version I had access to specifies an exploration of *Western ideas* of gender and sexuality. I read quite a few books that fail to make this distinction but have a similar focus, and I appreciate that Newlevant and/or the publisher was clear on this front.

This book is split into two timelines, so to speak. One is Newlevant's personal journey. A read this book about six weeks after I started T for reasons that are similar to the author's, and have had a lot of similar conversations. Newlevant is pretty candid about past assumptions, bad choices, and shifts in thinking. These weren't my favorite parts of the book, but I do think having these personal scenes sprinkled in added a personal touch that both allowed them to frame the dense explorations of history in a personal way. This framing also welcomes the reader to sit with and unpack their own preconceptions and biases.

Where the book really shines is in the history. For those who don't read a lot of history or queer theory, these passages may be daunting. On the other hand, even if you read a lot this stuff, there's almost guaranteed to be something new. Newlevant goes wide rather than deep; icons like Leslie Feinberg and Audre Lorde get perhaps half a page each, but the goal here isn't to provide full biographies. Newlevant explores a wide range of topics while urging readers to research more on their own. Each section provides a timeline of something RELATED to current conversations around queer topics --- including the evolutions of feminism, the history of marriage, the shifting definition of mainstream masculinity, and more. In other words, Newlevant doesn't stick to explicitly queer topics, which really sets this book apart from similar sweeping history projects that I've read before.

I do wish this had delved more deeply into intersecting issues of race and class, but I'm not sure that Newlevant is the right author to do that. Besides, there are other excellent books that delve more deeply, and with more nuance, into specific timeframes and individuals. Overall, I found Newlevant's attempt to create a broad map extremely effective, and will likely buy a copy of this book in the future.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC. I read one of Newlevant's other works last year (No Ivy League) and came away with mixed feelings. This was so much more complex and compelling. I'll be sure to follow their work in the future.

This book would pair well with The Art of Drag, The Flamboyants, Trans History (the graphic novel), and/or Rainbow History Class.

[Ingrid Stephens]

Not exactly the graphic novel I was expecting. When Hazel was 12 they came out as Bi to their parents, and that moment started a road to more discovery then Hazel though they would need. That proclamation was not as cut and dry as it seemed.
What I expected to be a story of self discovery and self love turned into a very long yet well researched history lesson. Hazel decided to take us all on a trip through time, first trying  to explain the history of bisexuality then morphing onto transexuality then back to general homosexuality before returning to her original self-discovery.  Now I'll admit to being a lesbian cis-woman of a certain age when there weren't so many letters or colors in our flag so please forgive me that I sometimes get confused.
I admire the deep dive into history that was included but I did somewhat lose Hazel's personal story along the way. I will admit the fact that this being published by Little Brown Books surprised me only because I would not have expect the attention span needed to read this to belonging to that age group.
But regardless, it is well done and very informative.  Prefect for pride season for all ages who are questioning or just want to know the history of our community.
Publishing date May 12, 2026
Thanks to @netgalley and Little Brown Books for Young readers for the opportunity to read this eArc in exchange for my honest and unbiased opinion.

[Megan G.]

"Queer and How We Got Here" is incredibly educational in so many ways that affect queerness and the community it inhabits. I learned so much and it was informative, with Newlevant using their own story to take us along for how queerness and queer identity has evolved over time. It's open and vulnerable from a personal level, but also very eye-opening from a historical perspective.

The illustrations are amazing, the references give even more context than what is already on the page, and even gives us good reading recs to continue educating ourselves. I feel like they are also incredibly aware of privilege and giving voices to societies that were almost completely erased from colonization, which as a reader, I deeply appreciated.

I think this book is appropriate, thought-provoking, and educational for adult and teens alike, exploring how others live and find their own identities in society. It explains the why and the how, which ends up getting missed a lot of the time in other texts. I think this is a great read to open the doors to more conversations and understandings of others!

Thank you to NetGalley and Little Brown Books for the ARC of this book.

[Eva B.]

I had previously read Newlevant's No Ivy League and really disliked it so I was a bit hesitant to pick this up, but I'm a sucker for graphic memoirs and queer history so I gave it a go.
Newlevant has absolutely improved at telling stories. One of my biggest gripes with No Ivy League was that it wanted to be about race and privilege but was more occupied with Newlevant's crush on a volunteer and couldn't weave those two through-lines together. This, however, combines queer and feminist history with Newlevant's own realization of their identity (including working through bioessentialist prejudices, internalized transphobia, and trauma from an abusive relationship) in a way that doesn't feel like one is tacked onto the other. Would recommend reading alongside Gender Queer by Maia Kobabe and Trans History: A Graphic Novel by Alex L. Combs!

[Carly (carly_reads_queer)]

A beautifully illustrated and gripping journey through queer history woven together with the personal experiences of the author/artist.

This was as equally moving as it was informative. Highlighting achievement, activism, and community while still showcasing the hardships and challenges faced along the way. The vulnerability of both Hazel’s personal history and the stories and accomplishments of so many queer activists and pioneers filled me with gratitude and hope.

Every bit of information was presented in a fun, captivating, and accessible way and the addition of the more personal journey brought emotion and intimacy to each topic.

In the end I learned so much- about the queer community, its complex history, and about what we can continue to do for a better future.

[Kait W]

This book is an incredible wealth of knowledge filled with detailed research shared in a digestible and visually compelling format. I appreciated the journey the author takes us on throughout not only their own life but the varied queer experiences across history. I see the thoroughness and passion for the topic come through, and I personally felt like I not only learned a lot, but like I came away with new TBRs based on their source materials. I highly recommend this book for anyone trying to get or give an overview of key events of/influences on the western LGBTQIA+ rights movement.

[That One Witchy Librarian]

This was a great book, but very dense for a graphic novel. There is so much history that doesn't get taught and it shows in this day and age. There are times when talking to my grandmother where she'll say things like "being gay wasn't a thing back in my day... At least not a lot of people were." How much I just wanted to show her this book and say that simply wasn't true. I learned so much from this graphic novel than I would have learned in any class and I loved how the author wove in their personal story as they talked about the history.

Highly recommend!

[Sarah Bennett]

This graphic memoir/graphic history combination is a good exploration of queerness. It is a mix of the author’s experience and historical context. The art style was interesting, but it was difficult to read via NetGalley. It took me so long to make my way through this book, despite finding the information valuable, because of the formatting and just how much was splashed on each page. I think it would work a bit better if there were more pages and less information per page. Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC!

[Margaret]

This is a great LGBTQ+ graphic nonfiction that entwines memoir with history. Newlevant tells their queer story starting with when they tell their parents they're bisexual, and continuing into the present after they have begun taking hormone treatments. But as the memoir unfolds, Newlevant examines the history that led up to that moment, like early trans surgeries, how the LGBTQ+ terms we use today came to be, the evolution of views on domestic abuse, and much more. Newlevant's life is messy and quirky, their art is charming. It's an enjoyable read.

[Anna]

Queer and How We Got Here: three stars. Combines memoir with history in a comics format. Clear, appealing illustration style. Newlevant's memoir sections serve as a sort of framing narrative, with historical people/events mentioned when they relate to the topic at hand rather than in strict chronological order. It's an interesting way to provide context for modern American understandings of queerness, but it makes it more difficult to see how various activists/movements followed or influenced or competed with each other.

[Kai Guy]

it was a fun read all around, and made even more accessible by the graphic novel format. i've always wanted to learn more about queer history, and while this certainly isn't a deep-dive, it's a great starting point (with further recommended reading as well!) while also mixing in parts of the author's own story. it's relatable, and funny, and sweet.

as another reviewer states, "They did an excellent job weaving it in without making it all about them — instead, just showing how their story evolved as they learned more, and how the fight for equal rights evolved along similar lines."

[Stephanie]

Thorough and surprisingly dense but still approachable, and so vital for everyone to read, not just the LGBTQIA+ community. Anyone with curiosity or questions of queer history would benefit from this graphic novel. Nearly every page was full of new-to-me facts and historical references. It was a nice touch to have queer history tie in to the author's own journey.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC!

[Cassidy Lesire]

I picked up this book to learn more about queer history as myself is a queer person. I really like the intertwining of the personal story with the history aspect of everything. It was an educational in good Reid, but I wasn’t thinking about the personal side of the story much after I close the book Hazel did a great job with all of their research and I did feel I learned even more about queer people, and where they have existed within our society.

[Lili Kim]

Beautifully illustrated memoir, and there's so much history about human rights overall!

Notable lines:

“We go through life deciding, again and again, when and how to express our gender and sexuality.”

“No one knows how it feels to be anyone else. So how can anyone ‘feel like’ a girl or ‘feel like’ a boy? Isn’t that just based on gender stereotypes? So it’s sexist!”

[Penny lurkykitty]

Queer and How We Got Here is a story of queer history and the fight for equal rights, and the author's personal journey of growth, change and identity. This book is highly educational and meticulously researched. Reading this book increased my knowledge and understanding of the LGBTQIA+ community. The art is amazing.

[Mimsy]

Thank you to NetGalley and Little, Brown Ink for the e-ARC of Queer and How We Got Here!
5 / 5 ⭐
A beautifully illustrated personal and community history of LGBT+ people. This is a wonderful resource, and its claims are cited thoroughly.

[Jordan]

This was a lovely mix of Hazel's journey intertwined with explanations of various aspects of queer history and identity. This would be a perfect read for someone looking to be more educated on queer history and how it still effects us today.

[Tess]

I was so amazed by the depth and breadth of research they did to create this book, like a graphic PhD thesis. I also really connected to a lot of the questions they had during their journey. A wonderfully written and drawn book!

[Lucy Kirby]

A great graphic memoir and history of the queer rights and other intersectional movements that got us to where we are now.

[Evan]

Beautiful, joyful, and informative!

[Lucas Hooper]

Beautiful artwork and very comprehensive! Loved the emphasis on Magnus Hirschfield and all the queer history and activism that happened BEFORE Stonewall, since it typically isnt talked about!

[Ronielle]

Very informative and well researched.