Reclaiming Queer History Through Comics panel

By Jeremy Fuscaldo

The subject of Queer History and LGBTQIA+ communities has been a topic of discussion for decades that is worth teaching. There are still some sectors of public life that do not understand the struggles and hardships that many Queer men and women have experienced while achieving their dreams. Many of my favorite Queer figures in history such as Rebecca Sugar, Richard Hunt, and Freddie Mercury have created art that has impacted or changed the lives of so many of their fans and community. This has lead to many other artists creating queer stories or art that have helped them through hard times or inspiring non Queer creators find solace in the catharsis of their work.

On October 18, 2024, I attended the Reclaiming Queer History Through Comics panel at New York Comic Con. As I listened to the panelists talk about their experience with Queer Representation, I discovered that there is a portion of Queer history that was not known to me in the past. Some of this included the history of queer figures in Revolutionary history and in London. 

The panel took place in the Pride Lounge, located in Room 1C01-02 and featured comic writers Josh Trujillo, John Harris Dunning and Greg Lockard. Throughout the panel, they discussed writing stories that featured real life elements of queer history. They talked about how real world events are usually portrayed in comics and how it parallels to their challenges in portraying LGBTQ+ events in comics. 

One of the biggest recurring topics was about George Washington’s Gay General, Baron Von Steuben. Steuben was the subject of Josh Trujillo’s graphic novel, Washington’s Gay General: The Legends and Loves of Baron Von Steuben, which was released last year and illustrated by Levi Hastings. For Josh it was challenging finding Queer representation during the Revolutionary War but was surprised to find something during his research. The reason he was compelled to write this story was that even though Steuben was not a great person himself, the story of his life was worth telling because that part of American History contained elements that were often overlooked.

When writing about the Revolutionary War, he revealed that he had to conduct a ton of online research while the pandemic was still in effect during the first few years of the 2020s. During his research, he received comments from historians in making things more consistent with real world history. Because when it comes to real world history, it’s tricky; you have to get everything correct. He even found the oldest biography about Steuben, which helped back up many of the elements found in Josh’s graphic novel. Some of these sentiments were echoed by Lockard when he was trying to portray an accurate depiction of historical figures in some of his own works.

Another highlight of the panel featured insights by Harris Dunning (Summer Shadows, Wiper of Tumult) and how he conducted research for some of the Queer stories he has written. Harris Dunning shared that London is incredible when it comes to historical detail and records because historians have put great care into recording history. For example, during the 1920s, London impacted Gay spaces that were more permissive in the 1920s. However, despite their prominence, there was backlash from conservative families. He also shared theater and drag parties were considered a safe haven for queer creatives. At some point, he had also shared this insight on writing queer stories to the effect of the following: the story you are writing may be something that communicates with you that it has to be fantastical.

My personal takeaway is that when it comes to covering any historical moment in history, or a beloved figure, it’s that you have to work closely with the historians and the records that were kept in order to present a vision that is consistent with what was reported. Especially in this moment when Queer literature and history is being challenged, what matters is that the stories about these moments are shared from generation to generation so that it can inspire the next generation of readers to make a difference and help represent an underrepresented community in American and world history.

Trujillo’s Washington’s Gay General: The Legends of Baron Von Steuben was released last year on August 15, 2023 and is sold in stores now. Harris Dunning’s Summer Shadows #2 was released October 16, 2024 and is on stores now. Trick Pony (by Lockard, Anna David and Lucas Gattoni) was released on June 4, 2024, and is on sale at book stores across the country.

WRITER’S NOTE: Due to technical limitations, there may be some details that were overlooked in the coverage of this panel. Any feedback is welcome by either the panelists or readers of The Beat.