Sophie Labelle draws a crowd at the library

Sophie Labelle, French-Canadian webcomic artist and trans-activist, has travelled to Nelson from Finland, via Wellington.

“I got off the ferry in my car and there were lines and lines of campervans. You don’t see that in the North Island,” she says at the Elma Turner Library on Saturday.

“It’s like they just appeared on the ferry!”

Sophie is the creator of the webcomic Assigned Male, which follows trans girl Stephie and her queer friends as they negotiate school, family and relationships.

“I started drawing it to entertain my queer friends at school,” she says. “I wanted to create something where a trans person was at the centre.

“I was the subject of some bullying, because of the whole gender thing. So, comics became a sort of shield. My friends would say ‘oh don’t bully her, she draws comics’, and the bullies would say ‘can you draw me something?’”

Sophie’s parents were both cisgender.
“They’re very active in the straight community,” she says, wryly. “Imagine being assigned a gender and just running with it!”

During the talk, Sophie explains how she deals with online hate.

“It’s called sea-lioning. When someone writes a long argument about why they hate you, you answer with a simple question. Like, what do you mean?

“It’s the least effort possible and gets the hater talking… sweating at their keyboards. It’s good to take the haters on the adventure.”

Sophie talks about how exhausting it is for trans people to have to constantly justify their existence. 

“It could be so lonely growing up in the 90s. I was the only trans person I knew. What I find most rewarding about being trans now is being part of such a warm community. A group of people who all feel like me.”

The event was organised by Q Youth, a charitable organisation dedicated to supporting young queer and trans people.

“We had five or six young people from Q Youth here today,” says Q Youth manager Kayla Bafico. 

“We know some young people who don’t feel like they will make it past 13, which is why it’s so important to offer them the opportunity to see a trans person who hasn’t just survived but thrived.”

Sophie’s advice for young artists?
“Don’t underestimate planning. I always want to jump straight to the fun part, but it’s heartbreaking when you start and realise you need to change course. Plan well, and then get to the fun bit.”