Pregnant Butch

January 13, 2014
This debut by Summers, who maintained a Web comic on the portal Act-i-vate for many years, is a memoir of her experience as a pregnant butch lesbian. It’s a well-written, fast-moving narrative with many insights into gender roles, expectations about motherhood and femininity, and subtle homophobia. Some of the ground feels familiar, such as the trials of pregnancy and difficulties with birthing classes and unfriendly medical practitioners, but Summers, with her butch experience, definitely has a unique take, and she tells the story with candor, humor, and healthy self-criticism. The basic line drawings are reminiscent of the Hernandez Brothers and give the story welcome clarity, with wonderful moments of visual humor. The relationship between Summers, who refers to herself here as “Teek,” and her partner, Vee, could have been more complicated, and it could have been explored in greater depth, but both feel like fleshed-out characters, and the end of the comic is quite moving.