View source for Sophie Labelle

{{short description|Canadian writer and cartoonist}}
{{pp-blp|small=yes}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2021}}
{{Use Canadian English|date=January 2021}}
{{Infobox comics creator
| image = Sophie_labelle_1530204.jpg
| notable works = ''[[Assigned Male]]''
| website = {{URL|https://www.serioustransvibes.com/}}
| birth_date = 22 April 1988
|cartoonist=y|nationality=Canadian}}

'''Sophie Labelle''' (born 22 April 1988<ref>https://www.facebook.com/sophievlabelle/about_contact_and_basic_info</ref><ref>https://x.com/AssignedMale/status/1649800062602493954</ref>) is a [[Canadian]]<ref name="advocate">{{cite journal|last1=Ennis|first1=Dawn|title=Is This Golden Globes Comic in the L.A. Times Transphobic?|journal=[[The Advocate (LGBT magazine)|The Advocate]]|date=16 January 2016|url=http://www.advocate.com/media/2016/1/16/golden-globes-comic-la-times-transphobic|access-date=6 June 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201108092650/https://www.advocate.com/media/2016/1/16/golden-globes-comic-la-times-transphobic|archive-date=8 November 2020|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="gazette-7apr2017">{{cite news|last1=McGillis|first1=Ian|title=Quebec comics artist Sophie Labelle draws attention to trans issues|url=https://montrealgazette.com/entertainment/books/quebec-comics-artist-sophie-labelle-draws-attention-to-trans-issues|access-date=17 May 2017|newspaper=[[Montreal Gazette]]|date=7 April 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210508133952/https://montrealgazette.com/entertainment/books/quebec-comics-artist-sophie-labelle-draws-attention-to-trans-issues|archive-date=8 May 2021|url-status=live}}</ref> cartoonist, public speaker, and writer. She created the [[webcomic]] ''[[Assigned Male]]'', which draws upon her experiences as a transgender child.<ref name="advocate" /><ref name="link-21mar2017">{{cite news|last1=Caragay-Cook|first1=Jonathan|title=One Comic At a Time|url=https://thelinknewspaper.ca/article/one-comic-at-a-time|newspaper=[[The Link (newspaper)|The Link]]|date=21 March 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190907232222/https://thelinknewspaper.ca/article/one-comic-at-a-time|archive-date=7 September 2019|access-date=4 October 2021|url-status=live}}</ref> She is an activist in the [[transgender rights movement]], and speaks on the subjects of transgender history and [[transfeminism]].<ref name="valley" /><ref name="sin-13oct2015">{{cite news|last1=Hodgins|first1=Jenna|title=Being transgender, web comics and mini-muffins: a chat with cartoonist Sophie Labelle|url=http://www.sin.ie/2015/10/13/being-transgender-web-comics-and-mini-muffins-a-chat-with-cartoonist-sophie-labelle/|access-date=17 May 2017|newspaper=Student Independent News|date=13 October 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180908202555/http://www.sin.ie/2015/10/13/being-transgender-web-comics-and-mini-muffins-a-chat-with-cartoonist-sophie-labelle/|archive-date=8 September 2018|url-status=live}}</ref>

==Early life==
Labelle grew up in rural [[Quebec]], near [[Châteauguay]].<ref name="gazette-7apr2017" /> She worked as an [[elementary school]] teacher, and was the camp coordinator for Gender Creative Kids Canada.<ref name="cbc">{{cite web|last1=Smith|first1=Sue|title=New transgender camp in Quebec|url=http://www.cbc.ca/player/play/2461937238|website=[[CBC Radio One]]|publisher=[[Canadian Broadcasting Corporation]]|access-date=6 June 2016|language=en-CA|date=3 June 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210228014948/https://www.cbc.ca/player/play/2461937238|archive-date=28 February 2021|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="metro">{{cite news|last1=Yates|first1=Jeff|title=Sophie Labelle: "Ce n'est pas parce qu'on est en 2015 que c'est réglé"|trans-title=Sophie Labelle: "Just because we are in 2015 does not mean that it is settled"|url=http://journalmetro.com/actualites/national/732184/sophie-labelle-ce-nest-pas-parce-quon-est-en-2015-que-cest-regle/|access-date=6 June 2016|work=[[Métro (Montreal newspaper)|Métro]]|date=6 March 2015|language=fr-CA|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190826171942/https://journalmetro.com/actualites/national/732184/sophie-labelle-ce-nest-pas-parce-quon-est-en-2015-que-cest-regle/|archive-date=26 August 2019|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="evfem">{{cite web|title=8 Comics That Remind Us to Throw Out the Gender Binary|url=http://everydayfeminism.com/2015/03/assigned-male-comic-series/|website=Everyday Feminism|access-date=6 June 2016|date=24 March 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210209162704/https://everydayfeminism.com/2015/03/assigned-male-comic-series/|archive-date=9 February 2021|url-status=live}}</ref>

==Career==
Labelle is the author and illustrator of ''[[Assigned Male]]'', a webcomic and series of [[zine]]s addressing issues of [[Gender role|gender norms]] and [[Privilege (social inequality)|privilege]]. It features the character of 11-year-old Stephie, a transgender girl discovering and embracing her gender.<ref name="advocate" /><ref name="valley">{{cite web|title=Interview with Assigned Male creator: Sophie Labelle|url=http://www.gaycentralvalleyblog.com/2015/03/interview-with-assigned-male-creator.html|website=Gay Central Valley|access-date=6 June 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160612030952/http://www.gaycentralvalleyblog.com/2015/03/interview-with-assigned-male-creator.html|archive-date=12 June 2016|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name="evfem" /> Labelle said that while working with transgender children, she "noticed how negative everything we tell them about their own body is, so I wanted to create a character that could respond to all those horrible things trans kids hear all the time."<ref name="valley" /> She has made educational guides to go along with the comics, promoting safer spaces for transgender youth.<ref name="valley" /> The ''[[Washington Blade]]'' called the webcomic "hilarious" and said it shows transgender humour can be funny without being offensive.<ref name="blade">{{cite web|last1=Chase|first1=Suzi|title=Tracy Morgan's transphobic Oscar spoof|url=http://www.washingtonblade.com/2016/03/12/tracy-morgans-transphobic-oscar-spoof/|website=[[Washington Blade]]|access-date=6 June 2016|date=12 March 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190907173447/https://www.washingtonblade.com/2016/03/12/tracy-morgans-transphobic-oscar-spoof/|archive-date=7 September 2019|url-status=live}}</ref>

Labelle has written several books and zines about [[gender identity]] and expression, including ''The Genderific Coloring Book'', ''A Girl Like Any Other'', ''Ciel at Camp Fabulous'', and ''Gender Euphoria''.<ref>{{cite web|title=Gender-neutral coloring book helps kids understand stereotypes|url=http://www.gaystarnews.com/article/gender-neutral-coloring-book-helps-kids-understand-stereotypes040615/|website=[[Gay Star News]]|access-date=23 July 2016|date=4 June 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201108125757/https://www.gaystarnews.com/article/gender-neutral-coloring-book-helps-kids-understand-stereotypes040615|archive-date=8 November 2020|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Author: Sophie Labelle|url=http://libcat.gaycity.org/authors/6071|website=Michael C. Weidemann LGBT Library Catalog|access-date=23 July 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181022201658/http://libcat.gaycity.org/authors/6071|archive-date=22 October 2018|url-status=dead}}</ref> The English translation of the second volume of the Ciel series, ''Ciel in All Directions'' (2020, [[Second Story Press]]) was named as a 2022 [[Bank Street College of Education|Bank Street]] Children's Book Committee's Best Books of the Year. She wrote the foreword to Tikva Wolf's book ''Ask me about Polyamory: The Best of Kimchi Cuddles''.<ref name="evfem" /><ref name="thorntree">{{cite book|last1=Wolf|first1=Tikva|title=Ask Me About Polyamory: The Best of Kimchi Cuddles|date=2016|publisher=Thorntree Press LLC|isbn=9780996460125|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=FGwlDAAAQBAJ}}</ref> She has created trans-centered [[sex education]] materials for [[Trans Student Educational Resources]].<ref name="gazette-7apr2017" /><ref>{{cite web|title=Trans-Centered Sex Ed|url=http://www.transstudent.org/health|website=Trans Student Educational Resources|access-date=23 July 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191204055121/http://www.transstudent.org/health|archive-date=4 December 2019|url-status=dead}}</ref>

In May 2017 Labelle released the comic book ''Dating Tips for Trans and Queer Weirdos''. A scheduled launch at the bookstore [[Venus Envy (sex shop)|Venus Envy]] in [[Halifax, Nova Scotia|Halifax]] was cancelled after threats were made against both her and the store. She received death threats, her home address was [[doxing|posted]] in online forums, and her web site and social media accounts were compromised (leading her to take them offline temporarily).<ref name="metro-18may2017">{{cite news|last1=d'Entremont|first1=Yvette|title=Trans cartoonist forced to cancel Halifax book launch 'overwhelmed' by community support|url=http://www.metronews.ca/news/halifax/2017/05/18/trans-cartoonist-forced-cancel-book-launch-halifax.html|access-date=19 May 2017|newspaper=[[Metro International|Toronto Metro]]|date=18 May 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180222180659/http://www.metronews.ca/news/halifax/2017/05/18/trans-cartoonist-forced-cancel-book-launch-halifax.html|archive-date=22 February 2018|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/transgender-cartoonist-sophie-labelle-hate-death-threats-book-launch-1.4123683|title=Threats force cancellation of trans cartoonist's Halifax book launch|last=Colley|first=Sherri Borden|date=19 May 2017|work=CBC News|access-date=20 May 2017|language=en|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210118072651/https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/transgender-cartoonist-sophie-labelle-hate-death-threats-book-launch-1.4123683|archive-date=18 January 2021|url-status=live}}</ref> In the wake of the harassment, Labelle advocated for Canadian [[Bill C-16]] to protect gender identity and expression, and for stronger laws against [[cyberbullying]].<ref name="vice-19may2017">{{cite magazine|last1=Beaumont|first1=Hilary|title=This Canadian cartoonist is just the latest target of anti-transgender trolls|url=https://news.vice.com/story/canadian-cartoonist-is-just-the-latest-target-of-anti-transgender-trolls|access-date=20 May 2017|magazine=[[Vice (magazine)|Vice]]|date=19 May 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190612064033/https://news.vice.com/en_ca/article/j5d9pk/canadian-cartoonist-is-just-the-latest-target-of-anti-transgender-trolls|archive-date=12 June 2019|url-status=live}}</ref>

== Selected works ==
*''"Ça déborde!" Un cahier de coloriage sur les genres et les sexes'' (''"It's overflowing!" A coloring book about gender and sexes'') (Des Ailes Sur Un Tracteur, 2015, {{ISBN|979-10-90286-26-9}})<ref>{{Cite web |title=French coloring book will help children get rid of gender stereotypes |author=Frivolette.com |work=frivolette.com |date=11 September 2023 |access-date=24 November 2023 |url=https://www.frivolette.com/art/illustration/french-coloring-book-will-help-children-get-rid-of-gender-stereotypes |archive-date=24 November 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231124201324/https://www.frivolette.com/art/illustration/french-coloring-book-will-help-children-get-rid-of-gender-stereotypes |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Gender-neutral coloring book seeks to undermine stereotypes |author=John Mack Freeman |work=Rainbow round table news |date=7 June 2015 |access-date=24 November 2023 |url=https://www.glbtrt.ala.org/news/archives/1948 }}{{Dead link|date=November 2024 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>

*''The Best of Assigned Male'' (Jessica Kingsley Pub, 2021, {{ISBN|9781787755932}})<ref>{{Cite web |title=At the Library: "The Best of Assigned Male," by Sophie Labelle |author= |work=Waterloo Region Record |date=28 January 2022 |access-date=24 November 2023 |url= https://www.therecord.com/entertainment/books/at-the-library-the-best-of-assigned-male-by-sophie-labelle/article_19bc6b2b-7499-5449-87db-65935618926d.html}}</ref>

*''Ciel in All Directions'' (transl. Andrea Zanin) (Second Story Press, 2021, {{ISBN|978-1772602036}})<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Best Children's Books of the Year: 2022 Edition |author= Bank Street College of Education Children's Book Committee|work=Bank Street College of Education |date=April 2022 |access-date=24 November 2023 |url= https://educate.bankstreet.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1006&context=cbc_awards}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=CIEL IN ALL DIRECTIONS |author= |work=Kirkus Reviews |date= |access-date=24 November 2023 |url= https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/sophie-labelle/ciel-all-directions/}}</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}

== External links ==
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* {{Tumblr|assignedmale}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Labelle, Sophie}}
[[Category:1988 births]]
[[Category:Artists from Quebec]]
[[Category:Canadian women cartoonists]]
[[Category:Canadian feminists]]
[[Category:Canadian webcomic creators]]
[[Category:Canadian comics artists]]
[[Category:Canadian female comics artists]]
[[Category:Canadian female comics writers]]
[[Category:LGBTQ comics creators]]
[[Category:Canadian LGBTQ rights activists]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:People from Châteauguay]]
[[Category:Transfeminists]]
[[Category:Transgender rights activists]]
[[Category:Transgender women artists]]
[[Category:Transgender women writers]]
[[Category:Canadian transgender writers]]
[[Category:Writers from Quebec]]
[[Category:Canadian comics writers]]
[[Category:21st-century Canadian women writers]]
[[Category:21st-century Canadian LGBTQ people]]
[[Category:Canadian transgender women]]